Level two: English wide reading log
Text title: The sun and her flowers, pg 84
Author/director: Rupi Kaur
Text type: poem
Date read: Friday 8th june

In this poem by Rupi Kaur, “A Never Ending Search” she talks about being lost and the value of beauty. She talks about the hunger for attention desired by our generation and how all the quick fix beauty solutions will never be enough.

This poem shows me that this internal conflict we all feel about being and feeling beautiful is superficial and meaningless. It shows me how much we have learned to value beauty over character over time and the damage that can have on a society. Themes shining through in this text were value, self worth and self confidence. All things that people in our generation lack. Media and outside opinions have lead to people seeking solutions for their feelings not from themselves but from elsewhere, in potions, lasers and pill bottles. Trying to look better, feel better just to fuel this media generated idea of a beautiful society. This poem is about realising that you are beautiful despite these trend influences and that these pills and creams have nothing to do with you feeling beautiful. It is about self image and self expression. “For a hopeful minute they fill me,” this tells me that as a society we are broken inside; with small cracks full of self doubt and insecurity.

This poem links with the rest of the world socially and culturally, through media and culturally acceptable and unacceptable practices in the name of beauty. This poem connects to readers through their deepest insecurities and their “flaws”, everyone has them but it just shows how the media plays on them, pitching new products to us every second on how to “fix” ourselves. Rupi Kaur used this poem to show that it ok to feel beautiful without all these new products, that beauty comes from inside you. “..as i feel beautiful their magic disappears suddenly.”

This teaches me that the world we live in can be a cruel one, marketing our bodies and profiting off our willingness to pay any price to feel beautiful. And although in different cultures these pressures from the beauty industry vary, the overall message is still the same. As a society I feel like this is a huge problem that needs to be addressed, tying it back to it causing other issues like self esteem deficiencies, depression, bullying and suicide rates increases, mainly in young women.

As a young woman I have seen the effect these targeted media messages have on my friends and family and have myself experienced the pressure to look beautiful in the eyes of other people. These ideas can have young girls in tears, being bullied for not fitting into the trends of beauty. I just wish our world and the media would understand the level of impact they have women. I feel we need to as a society, work towards beauty being an individual idea, all from different perspectives and viewpoints.

I would recommend this book, “The Sun and Her Flowers,” and specifically this page, “A Never Ending Search,” to young girls and people who struggle with body image and self esteem. Rupi Kaur has some amazing thoughts on the way we are all connected through experiences and feelings and this poem is only one idea. This poem has an interesting view on the beauty industry and how it impacts it’s customers and I think this would be beneficial for those who feel as though they are under pressure from this industry and help them learn that these things being marketed to you will not make you feel beautiful, that it comes from inside.

Join the conversation! 2 Comments

  1. I must read some of her writing…

    Reply
  2. Very good!

    Reply

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