courage

"Courage" pg 512

1st Stanza

"It" is courage--comparisons made using similes and figurative language:

	"as awesome as an earthquake" in reference to a child's first steps implies the fright a young child must feel when taking his first steps. The instability the child exhibits is similar to what an adult would feel if actually going through an earthquake in real life
	"wallowing up the sidewalk" as a child is unstable and frightening
	"When your heart went out on a journey all alone" refers to the first spanking a child receives from his parent(s). Formerly givers of love and understanding, eventually parents must become dolers of punishment. The child may feel unloved, thus his heart is all alone.
	"made you into an alien...you drank their acid"--as a child, the protagonist is ostracized or otherwise separated from the group. The protagonist is made fun of and teased. Rather than face his offenders, the protagonist passively accepts their taunts and does the damage to himself

2nd Stanza

We begin to see a definite '' lack of courage''

	'' bombs and bullets'' arefaced '' with not a banner, '' but
	'' with only a hot to cover your heart''
	''courage was a small cool....you lupt swallowing''
	in stressful situation, where courage is ruded, the speaker says that it becomes absent. rather them face problems, the speakers says he turns away (hide)

3rd stanza

	'' in divide great despair ... alone''
	picked seabs off you heart ... there wringing it out like a sock''
	powdered sorrow.. gave it a back rub ... put a blanket over it.''
	as the character gets older, it begins to muture its wounds when he is hurt emotionally, he goes to one for help . He has become skilled into hiding it from everyone, including himself. Though devial of has feelings, the characateris able to overcome grief temporarily.

4th stanza

	By the end of his life the character is able to handle the pain more easily. By keeping there into don't hurt him close, he limit the disture he most endure. Finally, though, a life where courage is hard to come by into with the character '' put (try) on (his) carpet slippers and strid (ing) out)''
	character has finally found courage to face despair

or

character has no courage and dies meekly