Literary Analysis of The Poem Borrowed Time by Ruth Fainlight

Most poems always have a pretty vague underlying story line leaving the direction of the mood up to the readers discretion. Hardly ever can a person actually relate to a poem in the context that is meant. In the poem Borrowed Time by Ruth Fainlight, she simply gives us an inspirational poem we can all relate to in our own personal way that doesn’t leave us to self loathe over our own life choices rather being good, nor bad. By looking at Fainlight’s reflective tone and symbolism of life, we understand how our life is a symbol of time being borrowed, and this is important because it reminds us that we need to take advantage of the time we are given since another day is not promised.

So many people don’t understand the reality of this concept. Life itself is symbolized as borrowed time and the poem explains the relationship between the two. “Maybe because we’re livin’ on borrowed time” are part of the poem lyrics Fainlight uses to clarify that this poem is not just about her and her personal thoughts. She plays on the value that everyone has his or her own life to enhance. This particular set of lyrics also explains that her ideas apply to each and every single person and there is not one human being that can avoid death itself. “He’s amazed you’re still alive” meaning why would on be surprised? There is so much to live for and so much meaning to life. Fainlight proceeds to solidify the symbolism between life and time by providing a picture of the end date. She does this by saying “later I will pay my debts” meaning let her live her life with no regret.

When the time comes, she will go. The ideology present in the symbolism is very meaningful and transcends into the other various parts of the poem such as the attitude and tone. The reflective tone Fainlight demonstrates in the following lyrics are based off of her own feelings but are easy for anyone to relate to. “Do not allow this moment to be, or to become, even maybe, the very last time” makes the reader realize that there is no going back and there is only one shot at experiencing all that life has to offer. There is no starting over or ways to erase the past as much as a person may want to. Throughout the poem, the attitude present in the tone mature to be very meaningful, meditative, and lastly develops into encouragement. “We both look up at the moon, and silently I beg” Fainlight mentions as if she is begging for more time. There is no deadline on learning from mistakes and making yourself into a better person than one you were the day before. Loving who you are offers contentment and loving and respecting those around you ensures you leave a pleasant piece of you behind for those to cherish once your time is up. A combination of those two along with making choices without regrets are the building blocks for living a life that leaves you and others in peace. As a reader, it is easy to grasp onto the tone used in the poem because of Fainlight’s use of simplistic words and meaninful state of mind. The diction used in the poem is low and informal. This makes the poem unpretentious and the message relatively easy to understand. This poem has a common theme that condescends throughout one’s life.

People are constantly reminded that choices will always have consequences. Even as a kid, a parent’s job is to try to teach their kid right from wrong in hopes that these teachings will be instilled in their child and transform them into a decent human being. Part of the message is to embrace mistakes and learn from them. It is human nature to have faults and that element is something no one can avoid. It’s human nature to make mistakes, some just have to pay for the consequences a little more than others. Anybody can relate to making a mistake or having a regret. All of humanity faces such circumstances at some point in his or her life but the point in the poem is to obviously avoid those circumstances and try to become a better person with each mistake. “Be as generous as you can, kindly userer”, this reflecting to the moon to please be kind with the amount of time one has left. Please do not rob one of their life. Again, she chooses words that are easy to understand and relate to. The diction used is appealing to a wide age range, culture, and ethnic background. There is no bias in the poem, allowing most readers to be able to easily relate to these lyrics. This makes the poem fun, engaging, and gives it an easy message to follow.

Through the use of tone, symbolism, and diction, Ruth Fainlight accomplishes keeping the reader involved by using her own reflection to draw out the thoughts and feelings of others. Fainlight proves to us in her poem, Borrowed Time, it is true that not every poem has to have such a far, drawn out underlying meaning. Some poems can be easily relatable, clearly written, and theme obvious. Borrowed Time provides an encouraging message to persevere in one’s hopes and dreams and to dust yourself off if you fall down. We all face trials and tribulations, have needs and wants, and nobody is promised tomorrow, but one should also take into consideration that when it’s your time to go, it’s your time so you should live your life to the fullest each day and try to have little regrets. The poem is a reminder of all above mentioned principles and to incorporate what is actually important into each and every day. After all, no one knows when it will be the end of their story.