Appreciation : (4 marks)Read the extract and write the appreciation of the poem given below :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…

Answer: Appreciation of ‘Have you Earned Your Tomorrow’ by Edgar Albert Guest (rhyme scheme aabb; interrogation, alliteration, antithesis, metaphor, repetition).

Appreciation : ‘Have you Earned Your Tomorrow’ is an inspirational poem by the American poet Edgar Albert Guest, known as ‘the People’s Poet’. The title itself is a question that makes the reader examine whether he has used the gift of the day in a worthwhile way.

Theme : The poet asks the reader to judge his own day — was he cheerful or rude, selfish or helpful, kind or hurtful? He says that a day is well spent only if we have helped someone, brought joy to a heart or given hope to a man in despair. Only then can we feel that God would say we have earned one more tomorrow. The message is that a meaningful life is built on small daily acts of kindness and selfless service.

Poetic style and language : The poem is written in simple, conversational language, almost entirely in the form of questions, as if the poet is talking to each reader personally. It has long lines arranged in rhyming couplets with the rhyme scheme aabb (along – throng, way – today, fast – passed, said – ahead, spent – discontent, say – today). The steady rhythm and rhyme give it a musical, song-like quality.

Figures of speech : Interrogation runs through the whole poem (e.g. ‘Did you waste the day, or lose it?’). Alliteration — ‘selfish ... simple’, ‘waste ... well’. Antithesis — ‘a cheerful greeting’ and ‘a churlish sort of Howdy’; ‘a trail of kindness or a scar of discontent’. Metaphor — ‘trail of kindness’, ‘scar of discontent’. Personification — ‘the days that’s slipping fast’.

Why I like the poem : I like this poem because it gives a simple but powerful test for living a good life. It reminds me to end every day by asking whether I have helped someone, and it inspires me to be kind, cheerful and useful to others so that I truly earn my tomorrow.