"The Rewards of Living a Solitary Life"

Paper Summary:

This paper explains that poet and essayist May Sarton believes that being in solitude does not automatically make one a hero or a crazy hermit; instead, solitude can be a potentially beneficial state for those who chose it or for those who must chose it. The author points out that Sarton states the ability to live in solitude constructively has given her the ability to emerge as a writer with a unique voice. The paper concludes that solitude is necessary to understand a person's true self but it also is quite true that, without adequate socialization, all of the benefits of solitude accrued in the individual heart can never be fully reaped by the individual or by society.

From the Paper:

"This assertion, although stark, causes the reader to think of how many times he or she may have changed his or her true opinion in words, but not in thought. One pretends to change one's mind, based upon one's loved ones and one's friend's advice and world perspective, are shifted and amended. The common wisdom may be simply that-common, but not necessarily right, and accepted because everyone thinks that way. It may not even be that all human beings believe the cliches they circulate, regarding race, religion, gender or even such ethical assertions that 'it's an ill wind that blows nobody good.' Living alone, and not being forced to amend one's opinions and life to others, allows the uniqueness of every human soul to emerge without such amendment. In solitude, soaked in the juices of one's own character, fermenting alone, every human character emerges as something of a genius, according to Sarton."

More papers on "The Rewards of Living a Solitary Life":

• Comparison Essay # 106811 : "The Benefits and Dangers of Solitude"
• Book Review # 131253 : "Billy in C.J. Koch's "The Year of Living Dangerously"
• Term Paper # 3792 : "Plato's Idea of the Role of Philosophy in Human Life"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: