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The overall theme of the poem is that the actions and characteristics of a generation depend on that age group planning and accomplishing fulfilling goals for itself rather than relying on the beliefs of doomsayers. Reed hopes to show misguided people in life, like the reader, that they can change their ways for the better and improve the world they live in.
The title is a reference to a generational period from around 1886 to 1909, popularized by many authors who survived after World War One, whose title emphasizes the many who died during the war. Acknowledging that fact when observing the title for the first time, it can be inferred that the poem would most likely hint at one of humanity's next generations, possible the actual lost generation, undergoing catastrophe or apocalypse, sharing the feelings of those who went through what seemed like that at the time, possibly even reflecting on the differences and similarities the poem's generation had compared to those during the Great War. After reading the poem, however, the title seems more symbolic for the term "lost cause" rather than the actual definition for the lost generation, as the poem lists off all the chances the generation had to change or improve the world. Thus, the title shows the cynicism older generations and even this generation have for its laziness.
I am part of a lost generation
and I refuse to believe that
I can change the world
I realize this may be a shock but
“Happiness comes from within.”
is a lie, and
“Money will make me happy.”
So in 30 years I will tell my children
they are not the most important thing in my life
My employer will know that
I have my priorities straight because
work
is more important than
family
I tell you this
Once upon a time
Families stayed together
but this will not be true in my era
This is a quick fix society
Experts tell me
30 years from now, I will be celebrating the 10th anniversary of my divorce
I do not concede that
I will live in a country of my own making
In the future
Environmental destruction will be the norm
No longer can it be said that
My peers and I care about this earth
It will be evident that
My generation is apathetic and lethargic
It is foolish to presume that
There is hope.
And all of this will come true unless we choose to reverse it .
The speaker of the poem is most likely a member of this new, lost generation, as the poem is in first person. This person is also relatively young, as he or she references having kids and a divorce in the next 30 years, suggesting they might be a young adult considering these important life decisions. With this perspective in mind, as well as the two different ways one could read the poem at hand, the tone varies exponentially. Through reading the poem normally, the speaker has a dispassionate tone about his entire situation and the other people around him or her. In lines 26 through 29, he or she states, "No longer can it be said that/ My peers and I care about this earth/ It will be evident that/ My generation is apathetic and lethargic (Reed)." This shows how the speaker's doubt for the future influences not only his or her disdainful beliefs, but also his or her extreme harshness, creating distance between him or her and the reader, developing an off put, and even depressed mood, especially regarding the subject matter of a forlorn future. When read backwards, however, the tone is much stronger and more tireless when the speaker discusses his or her place in the world. Through lines four through one, he or she declares, "I realize this may be a shock but/ I can change the world/ and I refuse to believe that/ I am part of a lost generation (Reed)." Here, more emphasis is placed on what the speaker can do rather than what they cannot do, and this immediately makes him or her a more dynamic character, and in turn, a more relatable protagonist with the reader, The reader now builds a bright and optimistic mood, as he or she wants the speaker to now succeed and his or her goals.
Read Normally
My generation and I are lost, and we have no power to change the world. Business is the center of my life, family and the world mean nothing to me. Unless we change our ways, this is where we are headed.
Read Backwards, Line by Line
There is hope that we can change our ways. We will put our family, planet, and happiness ahead of our jobs. We are not lost.
When the poem is read normally, it is about a hopeless person listing off the details of the downward spiral he or she and his or her equally lazy generation are going down, and their lack of an ability to stop it. When read backwards, however, the poem is about a determined person listing off the ways he or she and his or her generation plan to change the world for the happier and better.
The poem shows two scenarios: one where the speaker has given up on his or her life and sees the world pessimistically, and the other where the speaker pursues his goals to spread joy and love not under the control of others, but by his own accord. While it literally shows looking at certain situations at different angles, it could also demonstrate the conflict one has when viewing their position in the world and the people around them, from family to friends to business to even the entire planet. It could representational of multiple struggles at that point, from minor, individual skirmishes to grand battles with everyone's life at stake. However, the poem always suggests that all of these are connected with each other in some way by collecting them all as a generation.