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From the backbone of this Understanding Literature class, I have came to the comprehension of what it takes to partake in this engagement. This originated from what I came to realize what it means to be enrolled in a Jesuit university. By being engaged in this community, a Jesuit education tells me that there is more to life than just education and jobs, but having loving and enduring relationships along that ride. While this is held to be true, students at this institution strive to be great outside of the classroom. Considering that I have previous experience with this kind of education where I attended Loyola Academy in Illinois, the teachings of both schools have further inspired me to take in what it truly means to have a Jesuit education. Acceptance is also a key attribute that aligns with what the Jesuits vouch for, and is one that Phil Kaye experiences through his life.

Phil Kaye had a rough upbringing due to the fact that he came from a diverse family that was a Japanese Jewish background. This made things challenging for him where people around him would judge him based on unknown knowledge. He took this into account and it just went on to fuel his energy to the writings and wisdom he brought to poetry. He was heavily inspired by the connections that he found in his life that were interrupted by the complications of society stemming from family and friend disconnections. Although he went on to become one of the most wealthiest poets to come out of California, to this day if I were him, I would still have a feeling of loss. 

In the second part of the book, the poem I felt deep compassion for was Depression. This was a short poem that expressed Kayes’ emotions toward depression where he woke up in the morning feeling down. In this he personified the depression as if it was a companion. This companion followed him throughout the morning tending up his bodily parts to the point where they adjust and became senseless. This feeling that he felt was harsh in that his feelings of depression were apparent and hurt him to the point where he was hopeless to do anything about it. Overall, from the poems I read about people and things around him, this brought it all together by showing how greatly it all affected him and how it shaped his emotions. Phil Kaye was hurt as a kid, and by looks of it things would be different if he had the education and people around him that serve in the Jesuit education like the one at Loyola.