The things that haven’t been done before - Summary

 The things that haven’t been done before 

                     -  Edgar Albert Guest


The things that haven't been done before,

Those are the things to try;

Columbus dreamed of an unknown shore

At the rim of the far-flung sky,

And his heart was bold and his faith was strong

As he ventured in dangers new,

And he paid no heed to the jeering throng

Or the fears of the doubting crew.


The many will follow the beaten track

With guideposts on the way,

They live and have lived for ages back

With a chart for every day.

Someone has told them it's safe to go

On the road he has traveled o'er,

And all that they ever strive to know

Are the things that were known before.


A few strike out, without map or chart,

Where never a man has been,

From the beaten paths they draw apart

To see what no man has seen.

There are deeds they hunger alone to do;

Though battered and bruised and sore,

They blaze the path for the many, who

Do nothing not done before.


The things that haven't been done before

Are the tasks worth while to-day;

Are you one of the flock that follows, or

Are you one that shall lead the way?

Are you one of the timid souls that quail

At the jeers of a doubting crew,

Or dare you, whether you win or fail,

Strike out for a goal that's new?


Summary

    Edgar Albert Guest (20 August 1881 – 5 August 1959) was a British-born American poet who became known as the People’s Poet. His poems often had an inspirational and optimistic view of everyday life. His poem, The things that haven’t been done before like the title says is about doing things that has never been done before. In the first stanza the author just gives an example of Christopher Columbus and his dream of finding a shore. The author says he was strong and had faith that’s why he succeeded. Most people today don’t take risks and follow the footsteps of others because they know what the outcome will be.

      The poem tells us to follow our dreams and try new ways do things that haven’t been done before. This is one of his inspirational poems where he motivates us to forget our daily routine and just enjoy life our own unique way. He gave us the example of Columbus because, he actually went through a lot before he discovered America. First of all he spent years trying to get someone to pay for his voyage and at one point his men threatened to mutiny and wanted to turn back. However Columbus never gave up and continued. That is what the poem teaches us that there are people who will do things that have been done because they now know the results and won’t take risks

     He says that there are individuals who follow paths that are successful because they have been told that it is and they won’t try something out until they have been told it is safe to do so. The way Edgar Guest writes this poem changes the mood along the way. It awakens an emotional response in the reader readers because it instigates them to get out of their comfort zone and take risks as part of their enjoyment in life.    

      “Are you one of the timid souls that quail,” is a personification because our soul can’t actually tremble from fear but it is a great personification because this actually makes the reader question themselves that are we brave enough go out and set new paths for ourselves? The poem is simple, yet really inspiring because we have to remember that trying out something different may turn out way better than expected . 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Where the Mind is Without Fear - Gitanjali song no 35 -Summary

  Where the Mind is Without Fear - Gitanjali song no 35 Rabindranath Tagore Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high  Where knowledge is free  Where the world has not been broken up into fragments  By narrow domestic walls  Where words come out from the depth of truth  Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection  Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way  Into the dreary desert sand of dead habit  Where the mind is led forward by thee  Into ever-widening thought and action  Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake.  Summary of the poem "Where the Mind is Without Fear" is a celebrated poem written by Rabindranath Tagor, first published in his collection of poems titled "Gitanjali" The poem is a plea for a free and awakened India,urging the people to rise above the shackles of ignorance, narrow-mindedness, and feat, and embrace a higher vision of life. The poem is ...
Read more

A Short summary of Mahatma Gandhi's Autobiography "The Story of My Experiments With Truth " (Chapter 1,2,3)

  A Short summary of Mahatma Gandhi's Autobiography "The Story of My Experiments With Truth " (Chapter 1,2,3)  Chapter 1: Birth and Parentage The Gandhis belong to Bania Caste, who were originally grocers. For three generations, they have been Prime Ministers in several Kathiawad states. Gandhi's grandfather Uttam Chand Gandhi, Diwan in Porbandar, is a man of principle. Situation made him leave Porbander and seek refugue in Junagadh. At Junagadh, he saluted the Nawab with left hand, he explained the discourtesy saying his right hand is already pledged to Porbandar. Gandhi's father, Karamchand Gandhi, was fifth of the six children. He was a Prime Minister in Porbandar and a member of Rajasthanik Court. He married four times having lost his wife each time by death. Gandhi is the youngest of all children. Karamchand Gandhi is brave and generous but short-tempered. He was incorruptible and impartial in his family and outside. He never had any ambition to accumulate ri...
Read more

Summary -The Boy Who Broke the Bank

  The Boy Who Broke the Bank    Ruskin Bond is one of the most famous Indian writer. His story "The Boy Who Broke the Bank" is a humorous story published in 1988 in the compilation Night Train at Deoli and Other Stories . It describes Nathu’s suffering in the opening lines. He works as a sweeper boy in the Pipal nagar Bank. For a long time he has  been requesting for a hike of two rupees in his pay. Seth Govind Ram, the owner of the bank, has not agreed to raise his pay.   Nathu grumbles to himself about  not being paid his regular salary though it was already the twentieth of the month. At this point of time Sitaram, the washerman’s son happened to pass by the bank. He was on delivery rounds. He observed Nathu's sufferings. Nathu replies that he has not even received his regular pay yet. He also mentioned that he would leave the bank as soon as he got his pay. Sitaram wishes him good luck and also adds that he would keep a lookout for any job t...
Read more