D e s i d e r a t a 1 2 7

terary Devices:
S i m i l e
O 'it is as perennial as grass'
sound)
, Alliteration
compare yourself with others'('r
feign affection'(T sound) loneliness
are born of fatigue and
Personification
O Many fears
Hyperbole for the world is full of trickery

LONG ANSWER QUESTION (SOLVED)

O1 Desiderata is an inspirational poem. Discuss.
Ehrmann mentioned about
inspired by a sudden urge that
Ans Desiderata was
in his diary that had
a humble gift- a bit of chaste prose
1 should like, if I could, to leave
eaught upP some noble moods'.
u s some
valuable pieces
The poem is oneof the most popular poems that gives the virtues of
Ehrmann advocates
of u n e v e n stanzas,
of advice. In c o u r s e eight can be
control, love to cite a few. The poem
peace, patience, integrity, modesty, become a transformed
art of living and
regarded as a list of rules to improve the and
of on how to live peacefuly
human being. It can be viewed as a set guidelines wisdomn
values. The token of personal philosophy and
act with integrity and right The poem appeals
imparts to all his readers has a universal appeal.
that the poet life following a pattern
reader. It teaches u s to live a meaningful
to cach and every virtues and
teaches us that we must
inculcate in us some noble
of rules. The poem
to call us complete individuals
and attain true s u c c e s s in life.
qualities amid
of confusion and we must be placid
The poct says that this world is full
and remain undisturbed by the pandemonium
this. We must be serenely quiet He urges u s
We should know that silence is more peaceful and desired.
outside.
However, in doing so, we must not
to be polite with everyone "as far as possible'.
oblitcratc our self-respect or dignity.
Another virtue that we
We must express our opinion 'quietly and clearly'.
to others. We should be receptive to all
should imbibe in us is the act of listening
'dull and ignorant' have their story to share. So, we
and sundry because even the
must be willing to listen to them patiently.
Inculcating these values will help us to
better ourselvcs as humans.
"loud and aggressive persons' as they are
We should keep away from the
ourselves with others. Comparison puts
harmful to us. We must not compare
us of the gratitude, joy and fulfilment. We
focus on the wrong person and robs
128Geesa' ISC guide to Reverie
always rcgret about the things we lack in us. Many a contented lie has been
stoi,
by the unhealthy habit of comparing ourselves to others. It prevents us from li stolen
Our hie fully. We should recognise the inherent problems in comparing ourse elves
with others and celebrate our own identities. We should focus inward. The.
The ard. poer
warns us:
"If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain or bitter,
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself

Another practical suggestion given by the pocet is to be cautious in managine.

business affairs'. The world is full of imposters waiting to take advantage of
innocent pcople. Hcncc, we Despite this
should cxercise caution at cvery step.
must not forget the importance of virtue and goodness. We should not fall ne
The world also contains pea
prey to
cynicism and become excessively strict and rigid. ople
who have lofty aspirations and are heroic and brave. The poet says to incul
in us a sense of unwritten discipline but we should not stretch it too far It ulcate
can
adverscly affect us. He says:

"Beyond a wholesome discipline,

be gentle with yourself."
The poet asks us to hold on to our own personality. He promptly says:
Be yourself. We should not forget who we are and our roots to which we are
firmly tied. We must celebrate our unique individuality. We should value goodness,
humility, generosity and focus on our own individual self. We all are different from
one another and we should never try to imitate others because it takes away our
individuality.
Another moral lesson he imparts to all of us is we should never pretend to have
affection' for others if we do not feel the same from inside. We should not pretend
to be someone else that we are not.
He asks us not to have a distrustful attitude towards love' because in this
world of dejection and disillusionment, love is like fresh 'grass', it is eternal and
everlasting, unaffected by the ravages of time.
Ehrmann asks us to be at péace with God and have complete faith in his spiritual
powers. The universe is working accordingly and we must abide by it always.
Most
of the things may appear dificult for us to follow, yet we should patiently wait for
the universe to unfold things it has been doing since antiquity.
Though the world is full of 'sham, drudgery and broken dreams', it is stilla
beautiful place to live in. So we need to be cheerful and strive to be happy and calm
The meaningful lines make the poem an inspirational piece to read. Nothing that
the poet has said, seems irrational in spite of being difficult to achieve. It focuses
 Desiderata 129
/ bright, optimistic side of life, discarding
the.
all the
ines motivate us to achieve our goals
hclinesm a negativities and obstacles.
and obstacies
aimia
id the difficulties. sincerely and developaa peaceful outlook
peaceful Ou
What is the main theme
2 of the poem Desiderata?
(The following answer is given in point-form. You can use
Ans
trame the whole answer
p frame
these points
Max Ehrmann has assumed a didactic tone
throughout his poem
His brilliant piece of poetic craftsmanship has made his poem not Desiderata
only deepiy
motivating but also poignant and penetrating.
The poem revolves around the moral lessons of life- the noble and virtuous
qualities needed to make our life a complete one. The poem paints a wonderful
and inspiring picture of how a man can lead an ideal, happy and peaceful life.
The world is a chaotic place. It is full of clamour and disturbance. In such a
tumultuous situation, it is extremely difficult to maintain internal peace. However,
the poet advises us to go 'placidly' amid this clamour and confusion. It is desirable
to maintain a meaningful silence when we are troubled by adversity.
The main theme of the poem is to remain peaceful and contented with our
own life. We should focus on us instead of constantly comparing with others.
Comparison places our focus on the others and results in waste of energy. It often
leads to resentment. Comparisons can make us either boastful or disillusioned. It
is damaging to our sense of self.
The poem teaches us that we should accept the world as it is, with all its beauty and
Haw. We must consider the fact that no one is perfect. The world we live in have its
own contradictions. However, we must not grudge every time, complaining about
the pessimism and disillusionment. We should look at the essential goodness
that it conveys to us.
We should avoid being cynical and give importance to love as well. Love plays an
indispensable role in our life and helps us to grow and prosper emotionally. Love
is human companionship. Love is powerful enough to awaken, transform and
heal a blistered soul.
We should cultivate strength of spirit to face the 'sudden misfortune'. Any type
of danger should not daunt us. We should always be prepared from inside. A
strong mind and body and combat any tough situation. The poet says:
"Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune'.
He also asks us to make peace with God and with ourselves. This would help us
to prosper in the long run. We should place ourselves under the complete charge
of the omnipotent Almighty. We should always remain cheerful and strive to be

happy.