Success is counted sweetest
by Emily Dickinson
1 Success is counted sweetest
2 By those who ne’er succeed.
3 To comprehend a nectar
4 Requires sorest need.
5 Not one of all the purple Host
6 Who took the Flag today
7 Can tell the definition
8 So clear of Victory
9 As he defeated—dying
10 On whose forbidden ear
11 The distant strains of triumph
12 Burst agonized and clear!
Use the poem to answer the question.
Which is the best paraphrase of the poem?
A. Success is very sweet. People who win a war feel the sweetness of victory and success. The people on the losing side wish they could experience it, but they never can.
B. People who don’t experience success understand its sweetness the most. The people who are victorious in a battle cannot appreciate victory as much as the dying soldier who suffers the loss.
C. To be successful, you really have to want and need it. Soldiers who experience defeat in a war did not want the victory badly enough. If they had, they would have won.
D. Success is as sweet as the nectar of a ripe fruit. Soldiers in battle strive for victory and capture it from the losing side. The soldiers on the losing side are agonized by the winners’ success.
I'll be glad to check your answer.
To determine the best paraphrase of the poem, we need to analyze the poem and understand its main message.
In the first stanza, the poet suggests that success is most appreciated by those who have never experienced it. The second stanza emphasizes that even though the victorious side may have won the battle, they cannot fully understand or define the true meaning of victory like someone who has experienced defeat. The final two lines describe how the dying soldier, who is unable to achieve victory, can hear the distant sounds of the victorious side's celebration, which only amplifies their agony.
Based on this analysis, the best paraphrase of the poem is B. People who don't experience success understand its sweetness the most. The people who are victorious in a battle cannot appreciate victory as much as the dying soldier who suffers the loss. This paraphrase captures the idea that those who have never succeeded can better comprehend and appreciate the sweetness of success, and that the dying soldier, who experiences defeat, can understand the true impact and value of victory.