CART Comparison Essay

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Date: December 5th, 2021

 When individuals fail to make a decision, a decision is often made on the

individual’s behalf. Without actively taking ownership of one’s own life, one cannot reap

the rewards from one’s life and live to our potential. In Joni Mitchell’s The Circle Game

and Margaret Avison’s The Swimmer’s Moment, self fulfillment is seen by breaking free

of conformity and taking calculated risks that allow individuals to grow and gain insight

into their lives. Both authors suggest that accepting the status quo results in a lack of

ability to attain self-fulfillment. Through the metaphors of a children’s carousel and the

whirlpool in The Circle Game and The Swimmer’s Moment respectively, both authors

urge readers to break free from conformity and take a healthy level of risk.

In Mitchell’s The Circle Game, a child’s development into a man occurs at

lightning speed reflecting humanity’s fleeting existence. The poem highlights the

passage of time through repetition of lines, “we’re captive on the carousel of time. We

can’t return, we can only look” These lines serve to highlight the finite value of time.

Implied is the idea that we cannot rewind events or relive the past, but we must live our

current life to the fullest. There is a general sense of nostalgia that is pervasive in the

poem perhaps showing the poet’s reminiscence of his childhood and young adulthood.

The beginning of the poem describes a child who seems to be passively living through

“the seasons” and awaiting adulthood with “promises of someday making his dreams' '.

There seems to be an eagerness to grow up and fulfill his purpose in life. However, as

time passes, he realizes that he needs to slow down. The wisdom from others tell him to

“take [his] time...it won’t be long now til you drag your feet in to slow [life] down”. The

contrast between his earlier life and his adult life shows a change in perspective and
newfound appreciation for the transient nature of human life. Embedded in the repetition

of the carousel's invariable motion of “up and down” is a metaphor of the “ups and

downs” of life. Mitchell indicates that life goes through cycles of challenges and rewards

and dwelling on the struggles is unnecessary as life continues through these phases. To

attain fulfillment, individuals need to break this monotony and pursue their dreams.

Mitchell also describes “new dreams” that are “plenty” showing that there are always

new goals and achievements that keep individuals in motion.

In Avison’s The Swimmer’s Moment, the whirlpool serves as a metaphor for life’s

struggles. Whirlpools are naturally occurring meetings of the currents that can be seen

as an obstacle for swimmers. Moreover, the imagery of whirlpools evoke fear and

uncertainty and are often described when individuals experience emotional chaos,

internal or external conflict that can promote our fight or flight response. Unlike

Mitchell’s The Circle Game, this poem begins with this obstacle in mind rather than

highlighting the sameness of life. Avison’s poem also lacks individual stanzas which

highlights the urgency and emotional nature of taking risks. Whereas some individuals

refuse to enter the risky unknowns of the whirlpool, others dive into the waters. The

metaphor highlights that those who do not enter are “saved” but ironically also “[saved]

from contesting”. The competition shows that these individuals also cannot reap the

benefits of taking a leap of faith. Avison shows that by “dar[ing] the knowledge”, those

who take risks gain a greater awareness and understanding that separates them from

those who turn away from the challenge. Despite feeling safe from the “suction” of the

“ominous centre”, individuals who did not embrace uncertainty are left unenlightened.
The powerful imagery of the whirlpool shows the fear, discomfort and emotional

avoidance that risks can evoke. Ultimately guessing at the depth of knowledge gained

by their counterparts who behaved differently. Ultimately, Avison pushed for individuals

to avoid conformity and to pursue their goals tenaciously.

In both poems, one’s fulfillment is shown to be in the hands of the individual

rather than circumstances. Both authors show that individuals have the capacity to

influence their own self-actualization and happiness. The tone of Mitchell shows a

sense of nostalgia perhaps the poet’s own reflection of his lost dreams and lost

opportunities to take risks. However, the tone of The Swimmer’s Moment is that of an

urgent calling and cautionary statement to those who decide to conform to the status

quo. Whereas Mitchell shows that the consequence of not pursuing our dreams means

falling victim to the passage of time, Avison shows that not embracing change means

being sheltered from knowledge and enlightenment. Both poets imply that passively

accepting what is safe can lead to immediate satisfaction at the cost of future self-

fullment.