Success is Counted Sweetest by Zander Ceballos (Student FVHS)

mhnematalla102 — 2024-02-16 21:54:39 UTC

Question 5

zaceballos100_ — 2024-02-16 22:06:23 UTC

The symbol of death is a big part of the poem. This symbol is even used in the first two lines, "Success is counted sweetest-By those who ne'er succeed." This means that not even those who have won appreciate success as much as those who don't have it. When she says those who ne'er succeed she is talking about those who are dead because they will never be able to achieve success or anything else in their life. Death is also used later in the poems in lines 5-9, "Not one of all the purple Host Who took the Flag today Can tell the definition So clear of Victory As he defeated-dying-" What she means by this is that no one can define victory as well as those who have lost the battle of life and died. This is another example of death being a symbol in the poem. The symbol of victory is repetitive in the poem as well because the poem is about war and those who have died. The symbol of victory is used as an example of something that the dead missed out on and will never achieve. The symbol of victory and death are used and contribute to the theme of the poem.

Question 4

mhnematalla102 — 2024-02-16 22:09:28 UTC

A figure of speech used in the poem is irony. An example of irony is when the author says "Success is counted sweetest by those who ne'er succeed" which means that those who died in the war wished they could have success. They are done, but they cannot have success because they are dead. Another figure of speech is a simile. An example of this is "Not one of all the purple Host who took the flag today can tell the definition so clear of victory as he defeated - dying." This is a simile because it compares two different people in war, those who died, and those who are alive. This means that those who are alive cannot tell what victory is as much as those who have died. These examples of figurative speech contribute to the tone of the story which is grief. This is because words were used such as " as he defeated dying" and "success is counted sweetest by those who ne'er succeed". The context around these phrases is No one knows the true meaning of victory as those who are dead. And those who are dead think that victory is sweet however those who are alive think the opposite.

Question 6

zaceballos100_ — 2024-02-16 22:19:34 UTC

The theme of the poem is "Win or loss it does not matter because you died and cannot even benefit from the victory." For example, "Not one of all the purple Host-Who took the flag-today can tell the definition so clear of victory-As he defeated-dying-" This is her saying that no one can define victory as well as the man who will never achieve it or the man who fell short of victory. The two first lines of the poem also have to do with this hypothesis that she writes about. "Success is counted sweetest-By those who ne'er succeed." This means success is considered the best by those who will never achieve it because they have passed away and this also has to do with the idea that victory is best known by the dead. The theme can be stated in a single sentence. Win or loss, it doesn't matter because you died and cannot even benefit from the victory.

mhnematalla102 — 2024-02-16 22:25:38 UTC

zaceballos100_ — 2024-02-16 22:27:21 UTC

Question 1

zaceballos100_ — 2024-02-16 22:29:16 UTC

The tone is grief, and the words that reveal this are, that no one can tell the definition of victory as clearly as the defeated-dying-the distant strains of triumph burst agonized and clear. This is referencing the dead and how they have the clearest definitions of victory because of what has happened to them, unfortunately. The dead will never be able to achieve anything and victory is one of those things. They were trying to win the war and achieve success, which is why they would have the best definition of victory. This is also why the tone of the poem is grief, because they could've achieved and done a lot more but unfortunately, they have died and didn't get to finish what they started but instead died in the process. Yes, the poem is ironic because examples of irony are evident in the first two lines, "Success is Counted Sweetest by those who ne'er succeed." This is ironic because she is saying the people who will never succeed appreciate it more than those who will achieve it. After all, they fell short of it and will never get the chance to do anything else in their life. This supports another theme that people will always idolize the things that they don't have. However, it is different because these people who consider success the sweetest will never get it.

Biography

zaceballos100_ — 2024-02-16 22:50:55 UTC

Dickinson had a strange obsession with death and used it in her poems. Death is the biggest symbol of Success is Counted Sweetest. She uses the symbol of death when she writes about winning a war and how only those who died will appreciate the victory the most. There is also a paradox in this poem and her use of paradoxes was also mentioned in her biography. The paradox is when she writes, "Success is counted sweetest to those who ne'er succeed." Here, the paradox is between success and the people who will never achieve it even though they count it as sweet. She also uses the ABCB rhyme scheme in the poem, Success is Counted Sweetest.