How did you die poem summary pdf download

1Because I could not stop for Death –

2He kindly stopped for me –

3The Carriage held but just Ourselves –

4And Immortality.

5We slowly drove – He knew no haste

6And I had put away

7My labor and my leisure too,

8For His Civility –

9We passed the School, where Children strove

10At Recess – in the Ring –

11We passed the Fields of Gazing Grain –

12We passed the Setting Sun –

13Or rather – He passed Us –

14The Dews drew quivering and Chill –

15For only Gossamer, my Gown –

16My Tippet – only Tulle –

17We paused before a House that seemed

18A Swelling of the Ground –

19The Roof was scarcely visible –

20The Cornice – in the Ground –

21Since then – 'tis Centuries – and yet

22Feels shorter than the Day

23I first surmised the Horses' Heads

24Were toward Eternity –

Did you tackle that trouble that came your way

With a resolute heart and cheerful?

Or hide your face from the light of day

With a craven soul and fearful?

Oh, a trouble's a ton, or a trouble's an ounce,

Or a trouble is what you make it,

And it isn't the fact that you're hurt that counts,

But only how did you take it?

You are beaten to earth? Well, well, what's that?

Come up with a smiling face.

It's nothing against you to fall down flat,

But to lie there -- that's disgrace.

The harder you're thrown, why the higher you bounce;

Be proud of your blackened eye!

It isn't the fact that you're licked that counts,

It's how did you fight -- and why?

And though you be done to the death, what then?

If you battled the best you could,

If you played your part in the world of men,

Why, the Critic will call it good.

Death comes with a crawl, or comes with a pounce,

And whether he's slow or spry,

It isn't the fact that you're dead that counts,

But only how did you die

Edmund Vance Cooke on June 5th 1866, in Port Dover, Ontario, Canada. His first job after leaving school was in a Sewing Machine Factory. In 1893 he left that job to earn a living as a poet, writer, and public speaker .
He published his first book of poems, A Patch of Pansies in 1894 and went on to publish a further 15 books of poetry and several books for children
He married Lilith Castleberry in 1898 and they had five children
He became a broadcaster on station, WWJ in Detroit broadcasting his poems live to thousands of listeners.
Cooke died in Cleveland, Ohio on December 18th 1932.

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by Edmund Vance Cooke

Photo by Kristopher Roller on Unsplash

For most of us, life is a journey to the grave. I think we should live each day considering it our last day. This poem taught me how to hold my head in all circumstances. I like the questioning tone of the poet when he asks whether you have accepted life with cheerful and resolute heart.

I love the theme when poet justifies saying that what is wrong in falling down or…

How did you die poem summary pdf download

Why do I have to be born like this? Why can’t I get anything without trouble? Why? Just why? Let’s be true, we have always tried to blame something other than ourselves when we fail. Not everyone is born with silver spoons in their mouths and we shouldn’t excuse ourselves from challenging ourselves to great heights. Maybe we cannot determine our birth, but we can always determine how we are going to live.

Edmund Vance Cooke’s ‘How Did You Die?’ is a motivational poem telling us to go head-on with our challenges in life. Life throws challenges at everyone of us. And when it does, how we react to it is all that matters. Are we going to accept the challenges with a cheerful mindset and strong heart? Or are we going to cower and hide from the outer world? The decision is ours. Where there are challenges, there are troubles. But how we perceive these troubles is up to us. It is our mindset which decides if our troubles are a ton or an ounce. When we challenge ourselves, we are not always going to win. We may fall many times. So, it doesn’t matter how many times we fall, but how many times we pull ourselves up.

Oh, a trouble’s a ton, or a trouble’s an ounce,
Or a trouble is what you make it,
And it isn’t the fact that you’re hurt that counts,
But only how did you take it?

So, what if we fall and get hurt. It isn’t embarrassing. If we had thought so as a child, we wouldn’t be here walking. What is really embarrassing is when we don’t get up after falling down and give up without even seeing the end. All we have to do is put on a smile and get up. A ball bounces up as hard as it hits the floor. Hence, we should be proud of our failures. It doesn’t matter if we fail as long as we have fought well. We should try our best so that we don’t regret it even when we fail. 

The harder you’re thrown, why the higher you bounce;
Be proud of your blackened eye!
It isn’t the fact that you’re licked that counts,
It’s how did you fight —  and why?

If we had fought well and had done our best in whatever role we are given in this mortal world, then the Critic will conclude that we did well. The Critic who will judge us is not the society or family or acquaintances but the Creator, the supreme power. Death comes to everyone. Death doesn’t look at our age, gender, status or power. It treats everyone equally and may come to anyone at any time. Whether we die early or late, whether we die in a moment or experience a slow death, it isn’t our death that matters but how we died. 

Death comes with a crawl, or comes with a pounce,
And whether he’s slow or spry,
It isn’t the fact that you’re dead that counts,
But only how did you die?

We can equalize the phrase ‘how did you die’ to how we lived. Life is full of choices and we may regret some. But we have to make sure that we turn such regrets into life lessons. Maybe we will die today or tomorrow, but would death matter if we live well?    

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How did u die summary?

How did you die poem summary. Edmund Vance Cooke through the poem How did you die motivates and inspires readers to reason out life and understand it's purpose. The poem seems to be justification for one's life. Through the poem Edmund tries to show readers that life is more significant than death.

How do you die poem analysis?

Analysis. This poem tells us the real vision Siegfried Sassoon had of the war. This poem gives us a sense of a soldier who has died a noble death and despite the harsh realities of war, he dies with honor and dignity.

What is the summary of the poet?

First published in the 1844 edition of Essays, "The Poet" contains Emerson's thoughts on what makes a poet, and what that person's role in society should be. He argues that the poet is a seer who penetrates the mysteries of the universe and articulates the universal truths that bind humanity together.