Essay Il Postino Essay, Research Paper

The Power of Poetry

Pablo Neruda was exiled from Chile after criticizing a Chilean politician. He consequently, moved to Italy where everyone loved his poetry, especially women. Mario Ruoppolo was hired to be his personal postman and becomes interested in poetry. He has Pablo teach him about poetry and its many techniques. Not only does Mario learn about poetry from Pablo, but he also learns about life and his country.

Neruda teaches Mario how to use poetry in everyday life. He informs Mario that poetry can be used to show how he views his life and how beautiful the world around him is. In the beginning, Mario sees the ocean as an enemy. It makes him sick and he cannot tolerate the smell of the fish. But, Neruda shows him that the ocean is the source of income for many people in Italy. He writes a poem for Mario to read and help him understand why he should befriend the ocean. Mario then begins to appreciate the ocean and even records his own poetry about the ocean and how it is important to all the people of his town.

Neruda also teaches Mario how to express himself thoroughly. He tells Mario that he needs to reveal his thoughts and feelings. When Mario first meets Neruda, he is very quiet and bashful. He does not show any emotions. He is attracted to Beatrice Russo but he does not know what to say to her. Neruda shows him the beauty of nature where there is inspiration. He takes Mario to the ocean and teaches him about how it helps him create metaphors. He writes a poem to show Mario how to compare the waves to different things in life, like how the waves flow back and forth just like the words to a poem. Towards the end of the movie Mario begins to understand and appreciate what Neruda is saying about the ocean. He believes it is beautiful and even creates his own poem about the sea and how magnificent it is.

After Mario learns how to express himself his life changed drastically. He finally worked up enough courage to talk to the woman he loves and later marries her. He also learns to stand up for what he believes in. When a fisherman was asked to lower his price, Mario told the customer that the fisherman was going to be firm with his prices. Finally, in the end Mario was asked to read his poetry in front of hundreds of people and he gladly agreed. Neruda s influence changed Mario from a quiet expressionless person to an outspoken poet.

Through conversation and poetry, Neruda inspires Mario to see the world in a different prospective. Mario learned how to analyze the world and express it in poetic form. He finally realized that nature is beautiful and inspiring instead of being unpleasant. In the beginning Mario was a timid person, but after being taught by Neruda, he becomes very outspoken, writing poetry and even reading it in front of hundreds of people.