Question

Success is counted sweetest by Emily Dickinson

1 Success is counted sweetest
2 By those who ne'er succeed.
3 To comphrehend a nectar
4 Requires sorest need.

5 Not one of all the purple Host
6 Who took the Flag today
7 Can tell the definition
8 So clear of victory

9 As he defeated-dying
10 On whose forbidden ear
11 The distant strains of triumph
12 Burst agonized and clear!

Which is the best paraphrase of the poem?

A.Success is very sweet. People who win a war feel the sweetness of victory and success. The people on the losing side wish they could experience it, but they never can.
B. People who don't experience success understand its sweetness the most. The people who are victorious in a battle cannot appreciate victory as much as the dying solider who suffers the loss.
C. To be successful, you really have to want and need it. Soliders who experince defeat in a war did not want the victory badly enough. If they had, they would have won.
D. Success is as sweet as the nectar of a ripe fruit. Soldiers in battle strive for victory and capture it from the losing side. The soldiers on the losing side are agonized by the winners' success.

Answer 1

B. People who don't experience success understand its sweetness the most. The people who are victorious in a battle cannot appreciate victory as much as the dying solider who suffers the loss.

Step-by-step explanation:

Emily Dickinson's poem Success is Counted Sweetest tells the reality of human life. The poet states that "success is counted sweetest by those who never succeed". This means that a dying, fallen soldier understands the sweetness of victory more than the victorious soldiers. Simply put, success is best understood by those who did not succeed. It is best appreciated by those who did not succeed.

Thus, the best paraphrase for the given poem is option B.