How is island use in the essay each man is an island?
In Joseph Galdon's essay Each Man is an Island, the island is a
symbol of separation from the community, as each person tries to
protect him or herself. We tear the bridges down and only connect
to close friends and family, but not to each other as a larger
community or as a world. The island delineates the limits of our
love. In some ways it is selfishness, and in others it is a need
for self-protection, hiding behind walls where others cannot hurt
us. What Galdon tries to get across is that we have to risk and
allow ourselves to be vulnerable to be fulfilled. We have to reach
out to others and love them and help them... we need that contact
as much as others need our help.