The poem "A Psalm of Life" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow fervently emphasizes the importance of living life to the fullest. It decries a life based on the emptiness of statistics and viewpoints that approach life with sleepiness of soul. The narrator goes on to plea for a life lived with earnestness, truthfulness, and heroism. The answer to the question of why the poem is inspirational may be different for each reader, so we'll go over some of its main points so that you can decide which of them inspire you the most.

This is an intensely spiritual poem. In the second stanza, Longfellow alludes to what God tells Adam and Eve in the Book of Genesis, chapter 3, verse 19, when he drives them from the Garden of Eden for their disobedience: "for dust thou art, and unto dust thou shalt return." According to the Bible, God originally made man out of dust, and the punishment of death means that the human body decomposes again into dust. However, Longfellow adds that this proclamation was not intended to include the soul, for the soul is eternal. For this reason, the consequences of decisions in life are not predicated on the joy or sorrow attained as a result but rather on whether progress has been made in making the soul better.

Life sometimes seems like a work of art that takes a long time to finish. In the meantime, we inexorably grow old. Life also sometimes seems like a battlefield on which we fight, and it is important in these instances to remain heroic.

It is important not to dwell upon the past or to trust in the future but rather to live each present moment to its fullest, keeping the heart strong and remembering that God is watching. We can draw inspiration from the lives of great men and women, and we can also leave good examples that serve as inspirational legacies for those who will follow us on this Earth.

In conclusion, we should remain active, be ready for anything, and continually pursue noble achievements. We should also be prepared to work hard when necessary or to stand and wait when that seems the best course of action.

These are some of the main thoughts from this poem. As mentioned above, inspiration is subjective. Which of these thoughts appeal to you the most?

Does the poem "A Psalm of Life" inspire you? Why or why not?

Longellow's poem is a carpe diem poem, and thus it is meant to inspire people to seize the day and make the most of what time they have. This is a message that we probably all need to be reminded of from time to time.

For me, some of the most inspirational lines of the poem are those which conclude the third stanza: "to act, that each to-morrow / Find us farther than today." The idea of sustained progress implied by the second line is inspirational because, when measured day by day, it seems eminently possible.

One might argue, however, that the constant reminders throughout the poem of our impending and inevitable mortality serve to undermine the inspiration of the poem's intended message. It is difficult, for example, to feel inspired "to act" and to strive for sustained progress when that progress must have a fixed end point.

Later in the poem, the speaker describes the impact we can make in our own lives as "Footprints on the sands of time" that others, who come after us, can follow. Thus, even if our own lives must end, and with them the progress that we might have made personally, that progress is not futile because it can be beneficial to others after we have gone. For me, this is the most inspirational idea in the poem as it gives each of us a reason, beyond the finite scope of our own lives, to act and strive for progress.