Seed: The Juggler

We recently wrote an essay about the Juggler, a poem that talked about the description of a man who's prowess included wowing the audience with his tricks, such as juggling multiple balls or balancing a table and a chair. We were asked to write an essay about the poem, and how the speaker talks about The Juggler. In my essay, my main focus was religion, and how the speaker portrayed The Juggler as a sentient being. However, looking at the poem after I wrote my essay I started to realize something. The speaker talks about The Juggler as a being above all, yes, but why does he do that? Why does the speaker put someone else above himself? Aren't we taught to value ourselves and be confident in who we are? Then I hit a realization: the speaker does not like how he is right now. The speaker uses the idea that The Juggler is the guide to excitement and action, to cloud the depressing, anxiety-filled life the speaker is experiencing. It's like when someone puts a fake smile for another person's achievements. I can just visualize the speaker recording on his phone The Juggler performing with the crowd cheering on him, but behind the camera the speaker is stone-faced, zero reaction. Idk, that's my take on the poem I really don't know if its right, or I'm just yapping. But yea, the speaker does NOT like his life, and uses The Juggler to distract himself from that.