(Back Exercise Questions)

Book: The Joy of Reading (Orient Longman)


Short Answer Questions:

Answer the following questions in one or two sentences each.


Q1. To whom success is the sweetest?

Ans. According to the poem, Success is sweetest to those who never succeed, or to those who experience defeat.


Q2. What does the poet mean by the word “nectar”?

Ans. By the word "nectar", the poet means the sweet feeling of success or triumph that is savoured by those who have failed.


Q3. Who can best define victory?

Ans. The poem suggests that victory can best be defined by a defeated soldier who is on the brink of death. They understand its value through their loss.


Q4. What are the distant strains of triumph that the defeated soldier hears?

Ans. They are the victorious sounds of celebration and glory from the winning side, which the dying soldier can hear but not partake in.


Q5. Do you think the poet looks down upon those who are defeated?

Ans. No, the poet does not look down upon the defeated. In fact, she grants them a unique position of wisdom. The poem suggests that defeat offers a more profound understanding of victory than victory itself, elevating the defeated soldier's perspective above that of the victorious.


Long Answer Questions:

Answer the following questions in your own words in about 150 words each.


Q1. “Success is Counted Sweetest” makes a case for the defeated human being. Do you agree?

Ans. Yes, I agree that "Success is Counted Sweetest" makes a powerful case for the defeated human being. The poem's central argument is that true understanding and appreciation of success are not found in victory itself, but in the experience of failure and loss. Emily Dickinson argues that those who have never tasted success, the "sorest need" are the ones who truly understand its value. The poem's most poignant example is the defeated, dying soldier. He, lying in the throes of defeat, hears the distant shouts of the victorious army and is able to define victory in a way the winners cannot. The victors are too caught up in their triumph to grasp its full significance. Therefore, the poem elevates the perspective of the defeated, suggesting that their suffering grants them a profound, almost spiritual, clarity that the successful lack. The defeated are not objects of pity but rather possessors of a deeper truth.


Q2. Elaborate the central idea of the poem “Success is Counted Sweetest”.

Ans. The central idea of Emily Dickinson’s poem “Success is Counted Sweetest” is that success is most deeply valued and understood by those who do not attain it. The poet presents the paradox that the people who fail or are deprived of victory often have a greater appreciation for its worth than those who actually succeed. The poem uses metaphors like "nectar" for success and "purple Host" for victorious soldiers to contrast the perspectives of winners and losers. The most powerful image in the poem is of a dying soldier who, despite his defeat, can hear the distant sounds of triumph and thus feels the true cost and significance of victory. Through this, the poet suggests that longing and suffering give meaning to success. Her message is universal: we often take achievements for granted unless we’ve experienced the pain of not having them. The poem beautifully captures the emotional depth of desire, loss, and human experience.