Poetry #1

1.  This commercial borrows the poem “The Laughing Heart” from Charles Bukowski without credit.
2.  The use of this poem by a corporation might be considered ironic because the poem is saying “your life is your life, don’t let it be clubbed into dank submission” but at the same time they are trying to sell you a pair of Levis, essentially eliminating your individuality and forcing you into submission through thoughtless consumption.
3.   For the most part the poem reflects the reputation of Bukowski in the sense that he was poor and a working class citizen for most of his life. The fact that he probably came from a poor family and being that he was German must have put a strain on his childhood that followed him into his adult life. The poem is all about rising above whatever obstacle is standing in your way, and this does reflect Bukowski because he worked hard to become a successful writer. It doesn’t reflect him, however, when you learn of his alcoholism because the poem is about rising above and finding the light when all he found was the bottom of a bottle.
4.  I found answers 1 and 3 by googling Charles Bukowski and going on www.poetryfoundation.org