Unit 2.4 Have you Earned your Tomorrow
By Edgar Guest
Is anybody happier because you passed his way?
Does anyone remember that you spoke to him today?
This day is almost over, and its toiling time is through;
Is there anyone to utter now a kindly word of you?
Did you give a cheerful greeting to the friend who came along?
Or a churlish sort of “Howdy” and then vanish in the throng?
Were you selfish pure and simple as you rushed along the way,
Or is someone mighty grateful for a deed you did today?
Can you say tonight, in parting with the days that’s slipping fast,
That you helped a single brother of the many that you passed?
Is a single heart rejoicing over what you did or said
Does a man whose hopes were fading now with courage look ahead?
Did you waste the day, or lose it, was it well or sorely spent?
Did you leave a trail of kindness or a scar of discontent?
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?
- Edgar Guest
Toiling Time- time spent in hard physical work.
Churlish - rude
Howdy - an informal friendly greeting
throng - crowd,large number of people
Sorely - uselessly
Slumber - sleep
PARAPHRASE OF THE POEM
Have you earned your tomorrow by Edgar Guest is a four stanza poem that is separated into sets of four lines, or quatrains. Guest chose to confirm these quatrains to a consistent rhyme scheme. The lines follow the pattern of a a, b b, c c, d d, e e, f f. Immediately noteworthy is the repetition of the –ay’ sound that appears in the first, second and fourth stanzas. It has been used repetitively in order to make a new impact. Both elements of the poem constantly press on the reader’s mind.
As a reader will immediately notice upon beginning,” Have you earned your tomorrow” that the text is marked by questions directed at the reader. Each stanza contains at least two, sometimes three questions which probe at a one’s treatment of others. For example, the second stanza inquires into friendly greetings and kind actions while the third is concerned with helping others and giving hope. The speaker’s words are piercing, leaving no room for interpretation. Any reader who considers them even briefly, will be challenged to analyse their own goodness.
“Have you earned your tomorrow”, by Edgar Guest presents a number of probing questions to a reader about how they spend their days.
The poem begins with the speaker asking a reader if they did everything to improve the day of another human being. He continues on to ask if the reader greeted their friends cheerfully or if Instead they passed them by,” churlish(ly).It is the end of the day and time is running out to guarantee one’s actions are approved by God.
In the second half of the poem the speaker enquires into the reader’s actions further.
He hopes that everyone does what they can to bring hope and courage to those who do not
Have it in the poem concludes with the speaker reminding the reader that it is up to God whether or not, you have a tomorrow. Therefore, one should consider their actions care for if they want the next day.
Stanza One :
In the first stanza, the speaker begins with a question of all the questions to come this one is the most direct. It gets off to the heart of what Guest’s speaker is concerned with. He asks if today, ‘Your’ referring to the reader, made anyone’s day better. He speaks abstractly about ‘him’ the reader might have passed and helped or made happier. The speaker purposely does not define what this means. It is up for interpretation as it could mean any number of things.
This question is followed by a second then later a third. The second asks the reader if there was anyone, “You spoke to” today who remembers,” you” Again this question could mean anything.
The most important parts of these two questions are the emphasis on unprompted kindness and the fact that it is now the end of the day. The hours are running out for,’ You” to make a positive impact .The speaker emphasises this by asking if there is “anyone’ to utter now a kindly word of you?
Stanza Two :
The second stanza begins with another question. Here, the speaker asks if anytime during the day” you” greeted a friend “cheerfully”. Now the kindness is moving inward. The speaker is also concerned with how” you” Treat those known to “you” as well.
In the next lines he presents the opposite, and pushes the reader on their own selfish tendencies rather than a cheerful, heartfelt, “hello” the speaker asks if “you’ were,” churlish’ or rude. This would Also be marked by one’s quick disappearance into the, ‘crowd” and a rushing off to another task. It is clear the speaker feels distaste at the idea of treating a friend in this way. He says very clearly that it is a “Pure(ly)’ “selfish’ way to be. As if he is hoping for the opposite response, he asks, “or” did “you’ act .
Stanza Three :
The third stanza begins with a longer question, probing into any help the reader might have given to a “single brother”. It is enough for the speaker if” you’ were kind to one person out of many “that you pass” An action like this would be sufficient to have “earned your tomorrow”
It is important to note how this way of thinking is connected to a number of different religions and their dependence on “good deeds”. This is backed up by Guest’s tendency to connect his themes to Christianity. In fact, God comes into a play in the fourth stanza as one is forced to contend with how they lived.
In the second half of the third stanza, the speaker uses courage and cowardice as tools to improve or worsen someone’s life. He asks if there is one “single heart” that is now “rejoicing’ due to “your’ actions. Ideally, he would like there to be” a man’ with improved hopes and reinvigorated courage to look ahead.
Stanza Four :
In the fourth stanza, the speaker states that any day not spent, at least in part, improving the lives of others is wasted. It is “lost’ if it was “sorely’ or ‘ badly’ spent on the other hand, if it was well….spent’ there will be a trail of kindness making one’s path through the day. The last lines tells the reader(if they are unsure how their day was spent)that they can’ lose’ their “eyes’ in slumber’ and think about what God would have to say to them.
If after considering the response of God, a reader feels as if they’ve done well, then tomorrow is assured, otherwise, God might look kindly on the actions or inactions of the day and tomorrow might not come.
Read the given extract and do all the activities that follow it:
A1. True or False : (02)
State whether the following statements are true or false.
a) The poet asks the reader whether he/she is kind to others or not. (T)
b) The poet expects that we should be rude and ungrateful to the people around us. (F)
c) The Poet believes that one should always help others and bring a smile on their
faces. (T)
d) If you are good to others ,God will be angry with you that you earned your day by being good the people. (F)
A1. Complete : (02)
Complete the sentences by choosing the information given in the extract.
1) The toiling time is over in the stanza means………….
a) Time spent in hard physical work
b) Happy and prosperous time ends.
c) Cooking time is over.
d) The time to party its over
2) The poet expects the readers to be …………… with the people around them.
a) Cheerful and not rude.
b) Funny and humorous.
c) Rude and arrogant
d) Angry and upset.
3) The poet expects the reader to be …………………………. to one and all.
a) Helpful b) jealous c) arrogant d) irritating.
4) If you are good to others, God would surely say ……………………..
a) You have earned one more tomorrow.
b) You have wasted your life.
c) You are hopeless and useless.
d) You have no right to live in this world.
A2. Elaborate : (02)
“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.
The speaker states that if you do not want to help others or being rude to people the day is “Lost” or badly spent. On the other hand it was “well spent” if there will be a trail of kindness “Making one’s path through the day. The lines tell the reader that they can close their eyes in slumber and think about what and God would have to say them.
If after considering the response of God, a reader feels as if they’ve done well, then tomorrow is assured.
A2. Find out : (02)
Find out the expressions/phrases which denote,” going away” from the extract.
The expressions are
“time is through”, “vanish in the throng’, “slipping fast”, “many that you have passed”, “Hopes were fading”, ‘sorely spent” etc.
A3. Personal Response : (02)
“Courtesy costs nothing but pays everything’ Share your views with suitable examples in Fifty words.
A3. Personal Response : (02)
“Goodness always wins” share your views on this with suitable examples in about Fifty words.
A3. Personal Response : (02)
Moral and ethical virtues are the most preferred values in life.Justify your answer with suitable examples in Fifty words.
A3. Personal Response : (02)
God help those who help themselves as well as others share your views on this in about Fifty words.
A4. Poetic Devices : (02)
“Is anybody happier because you passed his way?
Name and explain the figure of speech used in the above line.
The figure of speech used here is an example of an interrogation because the poet is asking the question to the readers.
A4. Poetic Devices : (02)
This day is almost over and its toiling time is through.
Identify the figure of speech used in the above line.
The figure of speech used here is called as an ALLITERATION because the initial sound / letter “t’’ is repeated in a pleasant manner.
A4. Poetic Devices:. (02)
Identify an example of Synecdoche from the poem.
The example of Synecdoche is
1." Is a single heart rejoicing over what you did or said
( The word heart which is a part of human body represents the whole i.e person)
A4. Poetic Devices : (02)
Complete the table
Complete the table by writing down the examples/lines of the figure of speech mentioned in the extract.
NO
POETIC DEVICE
LINES
01 ALLITERATION. ............
1)This day is almost over,and it's toiling time is through (The initial sound/ Letter 't' is repeated)
2) Or a Churlish sort of " Howdy"and then vanish in the throng.
3) Does a man whose hopes were fading now with courage look ahead?
02 INTERROGATION. ..............
The examples of interrogation are
there in first second and fourth stanzas line numbers 1,2 and 4
In the third Stanza second and fourth line.
A4. Poetic Devices : (02)
Complete the table.
Note down the Rhyme scheme used in the poem and also note down the Rhyming pair of words and complete the activity.
Stanza
Rhyme scheme
Rhyming pair of words
Stanza one
a a b b
Way-today, through-you
Stanza two
C c d d
Along-throng, way-today
Stanza three
e e f f
Fast-passed, said-
Stanza four
g g h h
Spent-content, say-today
 |
A5. Poetic creativity : (02)
Compose two to four lines on your own on , "Good deeds”
( This is a practice Activity )
A5. Poetic Creativity:. (02)
Is anything happier because you passed his way?
Does anyone remember that you spoke to him today?
This day is almost over, and is toiling time is through
Is there anyone to utter now a kindly word of you?
Replace the underlined (second and fourth)lines by composing your own.
A5. Poetic Creativity : (02)
Can you say tonight, in parting with the day that slipping fast
That you helped a single brother of the many that you passed,
Replace the underlined words/phrases and make use of your own words/phrases and create new lines.
Activities prepared by
TUSHAR J BAGWE
K J SOMAIYA COLLEGE OF SCIENCE AND COMMERCE VIDYAVIHAR EAST MUMBAI 77
Mobile 9820928141
E Mail ID : tushar@somaiya.edu
