I imagined a psychic pain growing inside him (myself) that demanded some physical outlet. Suicide must have been … - Phillip Lopate

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No matter what kind of backgrounds two men are from, if you go, 'Hey, man, women are crazy,' you've got a friend.

Phillip Lopate

I imagined a psychic pain growing inside him (myself) that demanded some physical outlet. Suicide must have been his attempt to give Pain a body, a representation, to put it outside himself. A need to convert inner torment into some outward tangible wound that all could see. It was almost as though suicide were a last-ditch effort at exorcism, in which the person sacrificed his life in order that the devil inside might die.

Exorcism, Pain, Person, See, Suicidal, Suicide

Same Author Quotes

The prospect of a long day at the beach makes me panic. There is no harder work I can think of than taking myself off to somewhere pleasant, where I am forced to stay for hours and 'have fun'.

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Most good essays are conversations with yourself - not just your decided thoughts but your dilemmas.

Conversation, Decided, Dilemma, Essays, Thoughts

Doubt is my boon companion, the faithful St. Bernard ever at my side. Whether writing essays or just going about daily life, I am constantly second-guessing myself. My mind is filled with 'yes, buts,' 'so whats?' and other skeptical rejoinders. I am forever monitoring myself for traces of folly, insensitivity, arrogance, false humility, cruelty, stupidity, immaturity and, guess what, I keep finding examples. Age has not made me wiser, except maybe in retrospect.

Daily, Humility, Stupidity, Writing, Yes

The essay must be artistically rendered: You must keep the reader engaged, whether with wit, conflict, mischief, and
or yes, with honesty.

Artistically, Conflict, Honesty, Reader, Wit

In new work, we need to see the shadow, however faint, of previous literary effort.

Effort, Literary, Needs, See, Shadow