Letter One of
Letters to a Young Poet was the beginning of the correspondence
between the young, nineteen year old aspiring poet Frank Kappus and
writer Rainer Maria Rilke. At the time, Kappus was a student at a
military academy, similar to one Rilke had attended. Kappus felt
that poetry was his true calling, therefore, he sought advice from
Rilke. Rilke made it abundantly clear in his letter that criticism
is what destroys art and is irrelevant since art comes from within.
He remains perceptive throughout his writing, and he chooses
specific words that convey a particular tone and helps establish
two central ideas. Rilke establishes a brash and frank tone in the
beginning of his letter. He begins by thanking Kappus for sending
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After writing
from within, Rilke says Kappus will see his
poetryas, [his]
dear natural possession, a piece of [his] life
(2). These phrases
establish a strong emotional connection with ones writing,
suggesting to the reader that Rilke has a passionate tone. Rilke
continues his letter by explaining to Kappus what to do if it is
his true calling to be a poet. Rilke says to, take the destiny
upon [him]self, and bear its burden and its greatness
(3). Rilke
using the word destiny shows that he believes that ones life
must be consumed with writing poetry if they feel its their
calling, which shows he is passionate about it. The words burden
and greatness convey that art is a serious way of life and one
should take full responsibility for all of the ups and downs one
would experience living this way. This further establishes that
Rilke believes that living a life that revolves around art is a
grave decision that a person should make very carefully, therefore
showing that Rilke is passionate about poetry and art in this half
of his letter. Rilke also becomes friendly with Kappus when giving
his closing remarks at the end of his letter. He tells him that a
full life is, what [he] wish[es] for [him](3). This
phraseshows that
Rilke becomes more friendly towards Kappus, completely opposite to
his callous nature at the start of his letter. Moreover, Rilke is
also more comfortable with Kappus; he has more of a connection with
him. This is simply shown by the use of the rhetorical question,
What else can I tell you?(3). The use of a question conveys a
more informal tone, which someone would use if they were conversing
with a friend. Because of this, the reader can come to the
conclusion that Rilke is more friendly with Kappus at this point in
his letter. In the very last
sentenceof his
letter,
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