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Success is counted sweetest
By those who ne'er succeed
To comprehend a nectar
Requires sorest need.
Not one of all the purple Host
Who took the Flag today
Can tell the definition
So clear of victory
As he defeated - dying -
On whose forbidden ear
The distant strains of triumph
Burst agonized and clear!
Success is counted sweetest
By those who ne'er succeed
To comprehend a nectar
Requires sorest need.
Not one of all the purple Host
Who took the Flag today
Can tell the definition
So clear of victory
As he defeated - dying -
On whose forbidden ear
The distant strains of triumph
Burst agonized and clear!
Emily Dickinson may have written this poem during the Civil War. She uses a soldier who has won a victory as a metaphor to the bittersweet success of a sufferer. The soldier in her poem may or may not live to see what his battalions victory is. However, he had to persevere in order to obtain the victory.
So in essence, we are all sufferers in some sort or another. If we didn't have struggles before we accomplished a goal, it wouldn't be as cherished. The soldier probably sheds joyful tears at the news of this great feat, although agonized.
This is a true statement. We wouldn't treasure our accomplishments as much if we had them easily handed to us. The meaning being "work hard" says this very thing, except Dickinson explains if in further detail what is rendered from hard work and determination.
America is the epitome of what hard work will do in a short period of time. An American value is you can become whatever you put your mind to. From less than 200 years, America went from a fractured, newly-created, assemblage of a multifaceted culture and influences into the most powerful country on the planet! If the Founding Fathers hadn't went through the Revolutionary War, the freedom wouldn't have been so powerful, nor would it have been so appreciated.
This one had a lot of meaning for me, it made me think of my daughter and how she struggles at some things, the same things that come easy for my niece and nephew. They were naturally gifted at sports, she's more artsy, it was never as much of a celebration when my niece and nephew won because that's what was expected, but it was always a sweet victory when my daughter won, it means a little more. So what you said hits home for me, it does mean more for those who don't always have everything handed to them.
ReplyDeleteThat's a wonderful story, Kellie! My kids struggle with things, as well. So when they succeed in the areas they struggle with, it's a bigger victory than anything else. I can totally relate to you. Yet, Dickinson did not have kids or any of the such. Her poems still reach a chord within us in modern society.
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