I read the poem “Something to Believe In” by Carl Phillips, and it is amazing. The speaker discusses the relationship between him and his two dogs. In addition, the speaker talks about the things he likes about his dogs and how sometimes they are not perfect. The main message the speaker tries to tell us is that loyalty isn't perfect and it doesn't last forever, but some people tend to be loyal even if they don't have to. My favorite line in the poem is “The same people who / mistake obedience for loyalty think somehow loyalty weighs more / than hunger, when it doesn't.” The reason why this is my favorite line is because it has a hidden message that people don't know. Society misunderstands what truly matters; some people put loyalty over their survival needs. Phillips wants the audience to know that people are expected to obey others even if they don't agree, making people judge themselves or others.
I found this line interesting because it is saying that loyalty is better than anything, but that is not true. You can't expect someone to be loyal if they don't care for themselves or others.
The line reminded me of Antigone because of her character. Antigone wanted to bury her brother's body, and she didn't care if she was going to die; she managed to show leadership and loyalty. In scene II, the sentry confessed that Antigone was the person who buried Polyneices’ body, and Creon confronted her about the situation. Antigone confessed, and in her response she said, “This death of mine is of no importance, but if I had left my brother lying in death unburied, I should have suffered. Now I do not.” (lines 369-372). Antigone confessed her actions because she feels burying her brother’s body is the right thing to do. Antigone doesn't have to do all of this, but she is doing it for the love of her brother. She knows she might die, but giving up on her goal might be worse, and she might judge herself.
In "Something to Believe In," there is a confusing line that I don't understand. In the poem it says, “At night, when it's time for bed, / we sleep together, the three of us: muscled animal, muscled animal, / muscled animal.” The quote talks about his two dogs and the author sleeping together, but the muscled animal line is confusing me. Why would he use the word "muscled animal” three times? Is he saying all of them are strong?In my opinion, loyalty is important. I believe that people should be honest about themselves and keep up with the promises they make. Not only can loyalty build up trust, but also relationships can become more meaningful. No matter what, you should also take care of yourself and others.
The reason why I decided to write this essay is because I loved reading the poem, and I wanted to write my thoughts about the poem. I saw how similar the poem is compared to Antigone, and when I first read it, it immediately reminded me of Antigone. Antigone is brave; she had a goal in mind, and she was willing to sacrifice her life. I also liked how Phillips used an example from a Greek play to talk about the themes of trust, hunger, and nature. For my essay, I discussed the poem and gave a brief summary of what the poem is about; later, I introduced my favorite quote. Second, I talked about why the quote is important and how the quote reminded me of Antigone. I also added a quote from Antigone to describe her personality. Finally, I talked about a quote that confused me, and at the end I discussed what loyalty is based on in my opinion.