Preview

Success Is Counted Sweetest Themes

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
865 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Success Is Counted Sweetest Themes
There are several poets who discuss themes of seizing opportunities and achieving success. Some of these works include: "Success is Counted Sweetest," "After Apple-Picking" and "Mowing." Each writer has their own style to portray these themes in their works. These themes are timeless and also relevant to today's world. People are always looking for success in the world and embracing or straying away from opportunities. In Emily Dickinson's work, "Success is Counted Sweetest," the theme of achieving success is evident. She talks about how "those who ne'er succeed" place a higher value on success and "count it sweetest." People tend to desire things more when they don't have them. When they finally achieve that success, it is more meaningful …show more content…
In order to "comprehend a nectar" you must require the "sorest need," meaning that the only way you will understand the worth of a victory is if you want it bad enough. For example, the defeated, dying man understands victory more clearly than the triumphant army does. Although the man is losing his life, he is reimbursed by gaining an understanding of what victory is. In a way, the theme is ironic because the soldier may never find the success in

being a soldier because the success of a soldier is often dying with honor for the good of their country. The soldier has a "forbidden ear" because he has never won and feels even more defeated when he hears the cheers of the victorious army or "purple Host." Although the "purple Host" won, they are not able to define success because they win all the time. Only those who have worked hard for it can clearly define it. Robert Frost's poem, "After Apple-Picking," talks about the opportunities in life. He uses apples as symbols for new opportunities. The speaker is tired after a long day's work of picking apples. Although he is done with his work, he hasn't filled one of the barrels and has also left a few apples on the tree. He also feels that a strange sleep is overpowering

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    A poem’s deeper meaning is rarely apparent on the surface. Poems, however small or large typically have an ambiguous message. The true beauty of a poem is that they are open for the interpretation. Ellen Hunnicutt, the author of the original “Blackberries,” inspired many others to write poems on the subject of blackberries. Similar to some extent, Robert Hass’, “Picking Blackberries with a Friend Who has Been Reading Jacques Lacan” and Seamus Haeney’s, “Blackberry-picking” share a variety of common ground. Both poems are literally similar as well as figuratively.…

    • 570 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The poem “Blackberries” is about a young man spending his day eating handfuls of blackberries. Narrator Yusef Komunyakaa paints a picture of the day. The perfect stains left from the juices of the berries, as well as concluding the day of picking wild blackberries by describing a memory of when he was younger. His fingers not only stained from the berries, also by the blood from picking the berries that were “too ripe to touch.” This poem is about forgiveness and the affects of how limbo can change a person. Firstly, picking blackberries is a symbol of the narrators need for forgiveness. Secondly, personal feelings are brought into the poem adding a sympathetic feel. Lastly memories become reality, rising to the surface of guilt filled through the vines of the poem.…

    • 637 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Pr in Selfish Pursuit

    • 541 Words
    • 3 Pages

    “You arrive at a goal and that makes you happy, but then you notice that the happiness is composed half of relief, half of self satisfaction; the latter half makes you distinctly nervous, and you fall to chewing on your achievements, discounting them. This then becomes the spur to more achievements, more happiness, and more guilt”…

    • 541 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    We need to recognize that we define what success is to us. Whether we measure success to be the attainment of a house for our family or finding true love as shown in "The Gilded Six-Bits", we set the bar. There is no reason to continually be discontented always longing for that next material thing that you think will bring you success and ultimately happiness. Realize the value in the things that we have because the grass always looks greener on the other side, but one never…

    • 389 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Being successful may imply to accomplishments or other external rewards, but being truly successful solely depends on an individual's way of interpreting their own values and actions in the past.Everybody has their own unique personality shaped by certain situations or cultural norms, but the way one utilize those learned morals determine success in life.Although success seems to be attainable only through gaudy and prestigious backgrounds,simple lives of less fortunate can also contribute to the level of success one can achieve in life.Success is greatly influenced by one's lifestyle and background because they motivate one to strive for change like Malcolm Gladwell, who advocated the importance of underdogs,the poem “if” with the theme of success and the eminent writer,shakespeare's famous quote which provides germane details on the impact of one's background that defines complete success in life.Success is being self actualized by knowing one's incapabilities and yet maintaining persistence to find alternative ways to tackle a challenge and our life backgrounds provide those characteristics required for success.…

    • 509 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Because success is not easy to achieve for many, it becomes a priceless "commodity." Success becomes every person's dream or illusion. Some people respond to such a dream by taking action through the use of one's talents and strengths to grab it little by little along the course of their lives. A few have luck along their side and so are able to grab success on the large scale as a result of their hard work. Yet others choose not to respond and take a step towards the success they are aiming for. These people are the ones who are stuck in the rut and remain to dream their illusion of success.…

    • 980 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Poem begins with metaphors which make comparisons to the beauty of youth. “Natures first green is gold,” compares the precious beauty of first stages to the priceless value of gold. “Her early leaf’s a flower,” demonstrates personification of “her” which represents beauty and care, adding a gentle outlook. Flowers are often viewed with admiration of their beauty and grace, to compare a leaf to a flower exhibits the young beauty, of which all flowers and leaves eventually lose, when they wither and die.…

    • 332 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Success is one thing most humans strive for. That the purpose or end goal of life is to be successful in of any kind of task. The true feeling accomplishment is a joyful, never ending happiness. Knowing everything you have worked for payed off in the end is just about the most pleasant emotion. Success is achieving one’s true desire in the soul and mind.…

    • 281 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Therefore, no matter the goal you are trying to reach, always know failure comes with the enjoyment of success. If I felt like a failure after finding out I did not receive the opportunity to be accepted into the school, I would not have been able to push myself to become greater. Try and you shall succeed. If being successful or achieving a goal was easy; many people would be successful already. However, since being successful or achieving a goal takes a great deal of time and comes with failure; some people rather give up than keep on…

    • 309 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Defining success is never as simple as it seems. People spend their entire lives aiming to be successful in their goals, but in actuality, many individuals don’t even know what it is they’re striving to achieve. The reason for this is that success can be defined in a number of different ways depending on the person that you ask. In particular, countless individuals associate success with the widespread idea that achieving milestones such as gaining wealth or power; but for others, defining success is a more difficult, personal, and complex experience.…

    • 457 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    According to McClelland's learned needs theory; individuals exhibit some behaviors to increase social relations with others, influence others, and gain a certain success with using their talents and skills in order to fulfill their needs. Aiming to achieve success is one of the reasons behind these behaviors. Perception of being successful is subjective; as personal attained value for the achievements varies through individuals. When a person completes a task, wins a contest, scores high on the exam, get overs a complicated situation he/she may feel succeeded something…

    • 1816 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The “purple Host” that is being referred to is an army. The narrator explains that the army is unable to define “victory” because they are unaware of how loss feels. The soldiers cannot fully comprehend how great their victory was, because they aren’t aware of the devastation they would feel at their loss. The third stanza…

    • 248 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Perseverance, patience and dedication results in success this means that if one does not give up he/she results in success. This is shown in “The Happiest Refugee” as the family struggles to get out of Vietnam and to live the life they want to live and it is also shown in ”The Pursuit Of Happiness” as the family move from one place and struggle to find a job and get money. Perseverance, patience and dedication leads to success, success does not mean reaching set goals but gaining something that is more beneficial.…

    • 548 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the first stanza the author repeats the ‘s’ sound and to a lesser degree ‘n’. This is alteration since the word ‘sorest’ is used with the older meaning of greatest. This causes us to think the similarity of the words and the associations of ‘nectar good, bad’ indifferent. In the second stanza the word ‘purple’ seem to signify royalty in relation to the robes worn by the kings and emperors which were purple. This is a connotation in the poem as well as the flag in a battle associated with victory. In stanza three there are words that are connected by ‘d’ sound and ‘s’ sound. Connecting these words brings emphases on those words. The author compresses the language and omits connections in the last three lines in the last stanza. The ears of a man who is dying are not forbidden instead the sound of victory is the one that is forbidden to him because his side did not win the battle. All the victory sounds that this man hears are not agonized although they seem clear to him instead he I agonizing from hearing the clear sounds of victory on the other side. The distance is literally far off and it is…

    • 900 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    For the true experience of life, failures are inevitable. For, what we learn from our failures, success can never teach us. The alliteration with the repetition of the 's' sound lays emphasis on 'success'. Success also tastes sweeter to the person who has persevered very hard for it, than to a person who has found success effortlessly. The former is also more thankful to God, and cherishes his accomplishment. The word 'nectar' here implies water. However, it is perception that renders it 'nectar'. To the thirsty ones with parched throats, a drop of water tastes as sweet as nectar. Here 'sorest' is utilized with reference to its old meaning ,that is 'greatest'.Only the one in the direst need, can treasure any sort of sanction.…

    • 719 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays

Related Topics