Gone With the Wind Essay

Gone with the Wind Writing Assignment The poem, Non sum qualis eram bonae sub regno Cynarae, contains themes that connect to the themes found in Gone with the Wind. The poem has a nostalgic tone and it is based on themes of passion, love, and pain. The novel shares the same themes and these themes revolve around the protagonist, Scarlett O’Hara. Scarlett is in love with Ashley Wilkes, but in the beginning of the novel, she learns that Ashley plans to get married to Melanie Hamilton. Though she is sad, the news that she received did not discourage her attempts to win Ashley’s heart. Many of the decisions that she made were driven by her love for Ashley and her determination to win him. In the poem, the speaker says, “I am desolate and sick of an old passion.” Scarlett felt unhappy and alone because she kept focusing on how much she loved Ashley. She married Charles Hamilton, Frank Kennedy, and Rhett Butler, not because she loved them, but because she wanted to hurt Ashley. Her marriages were unsuccessful because she was only looking to find love from Ashley. The tone that the poem has is nostalgic. Readers can feel the longing that the speaker has for love that is lost. The speaker loves Cynara and is pleading for Cynara to feel the same love for the speaker. Scarlett’s love for Ashley is undying and unrequited. The speaker held onto the memory of Cynara’s kisses. Scarlett and Ashley have kissed only once, but she held onto that memory. The kiss led her to believe that Ashley feels wanting and passion for her even though he is married to Melanie. This sparks hope in Scarlett’s heart and influences her to believe even more that they could actually be together. The poem and novel speak of a feeling of longing. Scarlett and the speaker of the poem experience longing for love and anguish from the rejection that they receive. They are never able to receive that love, so they are just dreaming of something