1. Have You Earned Your Tomorrow - Edgar Guest
Poetic devices and activities
Figures of speech
1. Is anybody happier because you passed his way?
Ans. The figure of speech in the given line is Interrogation. In this line,
a question is asked not to get an answer but to put emphasis on a point
and for dramatic effect. (note: this figure of speech is also called as
rhetorical question. There are numerous other examples of
Interrogation in the poem)
2. This day is almost over, and its toiling time is through;
Ans. The figure of speech in the given line is Alliteration. In this line,
the sound of the consonant ‘t’ is repeated.
3. Is a single heart rejoicing over what you did or said;
Ans. The figure of speech in the given line is Synecdoche In this line,
‘heart’ refers to a whole person. (note: Synecdoche is a figure of
speech in which a part represents the whole or vice versa. e.g. I got
a new set of wheels. Wheels here, means the whole car. Similarly,
‘Hungry mouths to feed’, here ‘mouths’ refers to people.)
4. This day is almost over, and its toiling time is through;
Ans. The figure of speech in the given line is Personification. In this
line, the day is personified by giving it a human like quality of toiling.
5. Were you selfish pure and simple as you rushed along the way
Ans. The figure of speech in the given line is Oxymoron. In this line,
‘selfish’ and ‘pure’ are two contradictory terms used together. (note:
Oxymoron is a figure of speech in which two words in a phrase
contradict each other. for e.g. It is an open secret that he cheated.
2. An oxymoron is a phrase that uses two contradictory or opposing
terms, while an antithesis is a device that presents two contrasting
ideas in a sentence (but not in the same phrase).)
3. Activities (Brainstorming section)
A2
(i)… ‘was it well or sorely spent’? Explain the meaning and give
illustrations.
Ans. This is one of the rhetorical questions that the poet has used to
make the reader think about how he/she has spent the entire day. In light
of the poem, a well spent day is one when we make others happy, when
we are remembered by others and make someone’s day better by
greeting them cheerfully. A day is well spent when we do any deeds that
help others overcome their problems and when at least one person
rejoices because of the kindness shown to him/her. On the other hand, a
day is sorely spent when we don’t care about our friends and when we
don’t greet them. When we are selfish and go about our day without
caring for others, the day is a complete waste. So according to the poet,
our tomorrow depends on the way we spent our today. Our actions in
the present will earn us a better tomorrow.
(ii) ‘As you close your eyes in slumber do you think that God would
say,
You have earned one more tomorrow by the work you did today?’
Elaborate the idea expressed in these lines.
Ans. The poet advises us to be kind towards our fellow human beings
and to help them whenever possible. According to him, our life is a
waste if it is not in service of others. The above lines urge the reader to
think if God almighty will approve of the reader’s actions. These lines
mean that at the end of the day, we should know it in our hearts if we
have done a difference in someone’s life. Once we know that we have
contributed towards making someone's life better, we can be sure of
earning our tomorrow.
4. A3
(i)Pick out the describing words from the poem and add a noun of your
own. (note: A descriptive word describes or gives us more
information about things. It can be an adjective or even an adverb)
(iii) There are few examples of homonyms in the poem. List homonyms
in the poem and give their meanings.
(note: The word homonym is often used to describe all words that
look or sound the same, but have different meanings. There are two
subsets of homonyms – homophones and homographs.
Homophones are words that sound the same but have different
spellings and meanings: air, heir / bear, bare
Homographs are words that are spelled the same and have the same
or different sound, but different meanings: lie (untruth) / lie (lie
down), lead (show the way) / lead (metal))
5. (iv) Find out expressions / phrases which denote, ‘going away’, from
each stanza.
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