English Reader

Solitude

Ella Wheeler Wilcox (1850-1919)

Ella was an American author and poet. Her best known work is Poems of Passion. Her most enduring work is solitude which contains some oft quoted lines. Her autobiography The Worlds and Eye was published in 1918, a year before her death.

Laugh, and the world laughs with you; Weep, and you weep alone; For the sad old earth must borrow its mirth, But has trouble enough of its own. Sing, and the hills will answer; Sigh, it is lost on the air; The echoes bound to a joyful sound, But shrink from voicing care.

Rejoice, and men will seek you; Grieve, and they turn and go; They want full measure of all your pleasure, But they do not need your woe. Be glad, and your friends are many;

Be sad, and you lose them all,— There are none to decline your nectared wine, But alone you must drink life’s gall. Feast, and your halls are crowded; Fast, and the world goes by. Succeed and give, and it helps you live, But no man can help you die. There is room in the halls of pleasure For a large and loudly train, But one by one we must all file on Through the narrow aisles of pain.

:

to cry

: take and use things belonging to someone else with the intention of returning it

:

happiness

: a long deep breath expressing sadness. :

move away (in fear or disgust)

: :

try to find :

:

feel or show great happiness

feel or show great sadness great distress

: say no to someone/ something

: :

: : seats

sweet and delicious a large celebratory meal

refusing to eat a passage between rows of

1. What does the opening line tell us about the present day world? 2. ‘Life is a mixture of joy and sorrow’. How differently do people react to each of them? 3. Even the earth is indifferent to human suffering. Identify lines from the poem that hint this idea. 4. ‘Succeed and give and it helps you live’. Is this line an exhortation to help and support others in need? 5. Every human being must undergo pain as part of life. Which lines give you this idea? 6. The poem throws light on the need to be ‘self-reliant’. Do you agree? Why? 7. Does the poem establish the idea that this is essentially a pleasure-seeking world? How? 8. What does the poet mean by the expressions ‘nectared wine’ and life’s gall?

Identify ideas that are in contrast with each other from the poem and fill in the box. Eg: Laugh

weep

Write a profile of the author Ella. W. Wilcox using the following hints. Hints: Full Name: Ella Wheeler Wilcox Born on: 5 November 1850 Died on: 30 October 1919 Nationality: American Specialities: Essays and poems Famous works: Poems of Passion (1883) Drops of Water (1889), Maurine and other Poems (1888), Poems of Pleasure (1888)

ACTIVITY III Did you enjoy the poem? Now fill in the spider’s legs and write a critical appreciation of the points you found.

Sadness and lonliness

Self- reliance

Solitude

pessimistic

Alliteration : measure your pleasure

THANK YOU