Freedom without Wisdom - in Light of Icarus - Essay Example

In this instance, the seagull is symbolic of nature and its natural instinct not to overindulge in matters that are examples of poor judgment. Icarus flies high and dangerously, leading to his eventual demise in the waters below. Lord Frederic Leighton’s example relays the same arrogance, in which Icarus stands high and mighty like the statue behind him.

Thus, arrogance in youth may often result in undesired consequences, as William Carlos Williams points out in “Landscape With the Fall of Icarus:”
when Icarus fell
it was spring
a farmer was plowing
his field. (Williams)

Clearly, the mention of spring invites the reader to consider the lively nature of the season itself, full of life and harboring nature’s return in all its glory. Instead of basking in it, Icarus the youth spends his time testing his limits, going against the warnings of his father not to fly too close to the sun. This, as it turns out, was a perilous move, and Icarus had no one but himself to blame, as noted in “With Nothing But Courage:”

Bird’s feathers fastened with wax
Held in both hands and flew into the sky
Higher than clouds, further and further
With nothing but courage.

Indeed, he flew with nothing but courage, which alludes to his lack of understanding of the gravity of the situation. This action speaks loudly to the mass of youth that let arrogance cloud their judgment. Indeed, he went against his father’s very advisable not to “go too low, or water will weigh the wings down; Don't go too high, or the sun's fire will burn them,” (Ovid 24), causing the wax to melt and leading to his downfall. The freedom of flying did not come free of the perils of arrogance. Read More