Boredom

The word boredom is used now quite loosely,
But I just can't condone its existence.
Information arises profusely
It's the root of all opportunistence.



If you're bored
You aren't trying.
In fact, the word Boredom should be synonymous with opportunity.

Hap

The poem "Hap" by Thomas Hardy begins with the speaker suggesting that his or her sadness is the result of a cruel act of the Gods. In the second stanza the speaker goes on to claim that this hate from the Gods is completely undeserved, but he or she is at least "half-eased" that their suffering is being used for some good since it is giving the Gods pleasure. I concluded this from the following lines:

Half-eased, too, that a Powerfuller than I
Had willed and meted me the tears I shed

These lines may also mean that since the speaker knows that the Gods are the ones controlling his emotional fate, then he knows that there is indeed a greater power and this is somehow reassuring to them. In the third stanza, the poem turns to propose that the speakers suffering is not the work of the Gods but it is much more simple than that. Their sadness instead comes from the inevitable workings of Time and Chance, and the speaker believes that chance and time have treated them very poorly throughout the years. It seems as though the speaker does not enjoy happiness because they knows how likely it is that sadness is in their near future and that the short happiness is just a tease.

This poem is similar to many of Hardy's poems since they all seem to have a common theme. The theme that he uses a lot is that everything you perceive is not always what it seems. In this poem, the speaker at first thinks that his sorrow is the work of Gods but then reasons to himself that it is just the result of Time and Chance. In the poem "An, Are You Digging On My Grave" the woman believes that the person digging on her grave is a loved one since she thought everyone missed her so much, but in reality she was not as important as she thought. Also, in the poem "The Ruined Maid" 'Melia's old friend thought she had moved up in the world and gotten a better job because she looked as if she was rich when in reality her new job was as a prostitute.

I agree with Hardy in that it seems as if Time and Chance play the two major roles in determining the outcomes of all situations. In contrast to his overly depressing view I believe that with time and the desire for healthy introspection and reflection upon events, the human mind can turn any adversity into a lesson learned at the very least and maybe something much more mentally beneficial.