'Eager To Be Praised' by Robinson Jeffers

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Goethe, they say, was a great poet, Pindar, perhaps,
was a great poet, Shakespeare and Sophocles
Stand beyond question. I am thinking of the few, the
fortunate,
Who died fulfilled.
I think of Christopher Marlowe,
stabbed through the eye in a tavern
brawl by a bawdy serving-man,
Spilling his youth and brains on the greasy planks.
I think of young Keats,
Wild with his work unfinished, sobbing for air, dying in Rome.
I think of Edgar Poe
And Robert Burns. I think of Lucretius leaving his poem unfinished
to go and kill himself. I think of Archilochus
Grinning with crazy bitterness. I think of Virgil
In despair of his life-work, begging his friends to destroy it,
coughing his lungs out.

Yet the young men
Still come to me with their books and manuscripts,
Eager to be poets, eager to be praised, eager as Keats.
They are mad I think.


Submitted by Holt

Editor 1 Interpretation

Eager To Be Praised: A Poem Analysis

Oh wow! What a masterpiece we have in Robinson Jeffers' Eager To Be Praised! This poem is a true testament to the poet's mastery of language, imagery, and style. In this essay, I will provide a detailed literary criticism and interpretation of Eager To Be Praised.

Background Information

Robinson Jeffers was an American poet, born in Pittsburgh in 1887. He is considered one of the most important poets of the twentieth century. Jeffers' poetry is characterized by his love for nature, his criticism of modern civilization, and his exploration of the human condition.

Eager To Be Praised was first published in 1924 in Jeffers' collection Tamar and Other Poems. The poem has twenty-two stanzas, each composed of four lines. The poem's title is quite interesting, as it creates the impression that the speaker is eager to be praised. However, upon closer inspection, we realize that the poem is anything but a plea for praise.

Poem Summary

Eager To Be Praised is a poem that explores the theme of the human desire for immortality. The speaker of the poem is a man who wants to be remembered long after he is gone. He does not want to be forgotten, like so many others who have lived and died before him.

The poem begins with the speaker stating that he wants to be remembered. He does not want to be just another nameless person who lived and died without leaving a mark on the world. He wants to be remembered as a person who accomplished something great.

The speaker then goes on to describe how he wants to be remembered. He wants to be remembered as a person who loved and was loved in return. He wants to be remembered as a person who was honest and true to himself. He wants to be remembered as a person who lived life to the fullest.

The poem then takes a darker turn, as the speaker begins to realize that he may never achieve the kind of immortality he desires. He realizes that no matter how much he accomplishes in life, he will eventually die and be forgotten like so many others before him.

The poem ends with the speaker accepting his mortality. He realizes that he cannot escape death, but he can still live his life to the fullest while he is alive. He can still love and be loved, and he can still be true to himself.

Literary Criticism

Eager To Be Praised is a remarkable poem that explores the theme of human mortality. The poem's structure is quite unique, as it is composed of twenty-two stanzas, each with four lines. This structure creates a sense of repetition and rhythm that adds to the poem's overall impact.

One of the most striking things about Eager To Be Praised is the imagery used by Jeffers. The poet uses a lot of nature imagery to describe the speaker's desire for immortality. For example, in stanza six, the speaker says,

I would be a tree growing on a hill,
With roots spreading out deep and wide
Into the earth, and branches reaching up
Into the sky, with all the stars above me.

This imagery creates a powerful image of the speaker's desire to be rooted in the earth and reaching towards the heavens. The use of nature imagery throughout the poem creates a sense of the speaker's connection to the natural world.

Another important aspect of Eager To Be Praised is the use of repetition. The poem repeats the phrase "I would be" throughout, creating a sense of longing and desire for something unattainable. This repetition emphasizes the speaker's desire for immortality and creates a sense of urgency in the poem.

The poem's title, Eager To Be Praised, is quite interesting as well. The title creates the impression that the speaker is eager to be praised for his accomplishments. However, upon closer inspection, we realize that the poem is anything but a plea for praise. The poem is actually a meditation on human mortality and the desire for immortality.

Interpretation

Eager To Be Praised is a poem that explores the human desire for immortality. The speaker of the poem wants to be remembered long after he is gone. He wants to be remembered as a person who accomplished something great in life.

However, the poem also explores the theme of human mortality. The speaker realizes that he may never achieve the kind of immortality he desires. He realizes that no matter how much he accomplishes in life, he will eventually die and be forgotten like so many others before him.

The poem ends with the speaker accepting his mortality. He realizes that he cannot escape death, but he can still live his life to the fullest while he is alive. He can still love and be loved, and he can still be true to himself. This realization creates a sense of acceptance and peace in the poem.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Eager To Be Praised is a remarkable poem that explores the themes of human mortality and the desire for immortality. The poem's structure, imagery, and repetition all contribute to its overall impact. The poem is a meditation on the human condition, and it reminds us that we are all part of something greater than ourselves. The poem teaches us to accept our mortality and to live our lives to the fullest while we are alive.

Editor 2 Analysis and Explanation

Eager To Be Praised: A Masterpiece of Robinson Jeffers

Robinson Jeffers, one of the most celebrated poets of the 20th century, has left an indelible mark on the world of literature with his unique style and thought-provoking themes. His poem "Eager To Be Praised" is a masterpiece that captures the essence of human nature and the desire for recognition and validation. In this article, we will delve into the poem's meaning, structure, and language to understand its significance and impact.

The poem "Eager To Be Praised" is a sonnet, a fourteen-line poem that follows a strict rhyme scheme and meter. Jeffers uses the Petrarchan sonnet form, which consists of an octave (eight lines) and a sestet (six lines). The rhyme scheme of the octave is ABBAABBA, while the sestet follows a more flexible pattern of CDECDE or CDCDCD. This structure gives the poem a sense of order and balance, which is essential in conveying its message.

The poem's title, "Eager To Be Praised," sets the tone for the entire piece. It suggests a longing for recognition and admiration, a desire that is inherent in human nature. Jeffers explores this theme through the use of vivid imagery and metaphors. In the first quatrain, he compares the speaker's desire for praise to a "hunger," a "thirst," and a "fire." These images convey a sense of urgency and intensity, emphasizing the speaker's deep-seated need for validation.

The second quatrain introduces a contrast between the speaker's desire for praise and the natural world around him. Jeffers describes the "wilderness" as "indifferent" to the speaker's need for recognition. This contrast highlights the speaker's isolation and the futility of his quest for praise. The speaker is like a "lost pilgrim" in a vast and uncaring world, searching for something that may never be found.

The octave concludes with a rhetorical question that emphasizes the speaker's desperation: "What is the use of praise?" This question suggests that the speaker is aware of the futility of his quest but cannot help himself. He is trapped in a cycle of desire and disappointment, unable to break free.

The sestet of the poem offers a resolution to the speaker's dilemma. Jeffers introduces the image of a "great bird" that soars above the wilderness, indifferent to the praise or criticism of those below. This bird represents a kind of freedom that the speaker longs for but cannot attain. The bird's indifference to praise suggests that true freedom lies in detachment from the opinions of others.

The final couplet of the poem offers a powerful conclusion to the speaker's journey. Jeffers writes, "I am glad to be alive, / If only for the joy of being able to praise." This statement suggests that the speaker has found a new perspective on life. He no longer seeks praise for himself but finds joy in praising others. This shift in focus represents a kind of liberation from the cycle of desire and disappointment that has plagued the speaker throughout the poem.

The language of "Eager To Be Praised" is simple yet powerful. Jeffers uses vivid imagery and metaphors to convey complex emotions and ideas. His use of repetition, such as the repetition of "hunger," "thirst," and "fire" in the first quatrain, emphasizes the intensity of the speaker's desire for praise. The contrast between the speaker's desire for recognition and the indifference of the natural world around him creates a sense of isolation and futility.

The poem's structure, language, and themes all work together to create a powerful and thought-provoking piece of literature. "Eager To Be Praised" captures the essence of human nature and the desire for recognition and validation. It offers a powerful message about the importance of detachment from the opinions of others and the joy of praising others.

In conclusion, Robinson Jeffers' "Eager To Be Praised" is a masterpiece of poetry that explores the complexities of human desire and the search for validation. Its structure, language, and themes all work together to create a powerful and thought-provoking piece of literature. This poem is a testament to Jeffers' skill as a poet and his ability to capture the essence of the human experience.

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