Light in a Dark World

Auden's poem reflects truth about the world we live in. The devastating event he wrote about in particular, WWII, and the darkness that accompanied it can be related to many tragic events in our world's history. However, this poem, in an almost eerie way, seems to foretell what would happen many years later on September 11, 2001. The constant reference to skyscrapers and their imminent destruction obviously can be related to the twin towers, and the image of people coming together and pulling each other through heartbreak parallels the connections between people affected by 9/11. Auden observes that war stems from hatred, and hatred, from a lack of love. He acknowledges that every single person longs to be loved and that the darkness of the world is the cause of a lack of love. In the same way, the horrible terrorist act on September 11th was the result of hatred in the hearts of human beings. Human beings who experienced hate their whole lives and knew no other way. The love, however, that they lacked was evident in the hearts of those victimized by this horrible event. For these people, the idea of returning to "every day life" was no longer an option, but life took on a new meaning. This would be to love one another, as Auden relates in his poem regarding the world during WWII. In any and every situation, the answer is love. And this was obvious during these times of loss and tragedy... the only way to overcome evil is through goodness. And, as Auden believes, goodness is light!