A Nation's Strength By Ralph Waldo Emerson

American poet, essayist and philosopher, Ralph Waldo Emerson was born in Boston, Massachusetts. He attended the Boston Latin School, Harvard University and the Harvard School of Divinity. His philosophy is characterised by its reliance on intuition as the only way to understand reality.

What makes a nation's pillars high
And its foundations strong?
What makes it mighty to defy
The foes that round it throng?

It is not gold. Its kingdom grand
  Go down in battle shock;
  Its shafts are laid on sinking sand,
  Not on rock.
Is it the sword? Ask the red dust
Of empires passed away;
The blood has turned their stones to rust,
Their glory to decay.
And is it pride? Ah, that bright crown
Has seemed to nations sweet;
But God has struck its luster down
In ashes at his feet.
Not gold but only men can make
A people great and strong;
Men who for truth and honour's sake
Stand fast and suffer long.
Brave men who work while others sleep,
Who dare while others fly...
They build a nation's pillars deep
And lift them to the sky.

1.
The poet has used a metaphor in the very first stanza of the poem. What is the comparison being made here?
2.
What does Emerson say about gold in the poem? What is gold synonymous with?
3.
What are the three important questions the poet asks in 'A Nations's Strength'?
4.
What does the poet equate 'pride' with. What does the poet say about it?
5.
What does the poet have to say about the 'sword'?
6.
Fill in the blanks with a derivative form of the headword given in the brackets.
1. (suffer)
  1. The end result made the problems ____________.
  2. People with ____________ egos rarely acknowledge other people's existence.
2. (work)
  1. The plan was _____________.
  2. While trying to implement the plan, it was found to be _____________.
3. (fast)
  1. ____________ your seatbelt before the car starts moving.
  2. You may _____________ the seatbelt when the car comes to a halt.
4. (turn)
  1. The battle _____________ the nation into a graveyard.
  2. No stone was left _____________ to defend the nation from its enemies.
5. (do)
  1. War can _______________ all the work done to build a nation.
  2. Building a nation is a ____________ task if all its people are united in their efforts.

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Skywalk Coursebook 8

Alathea D'Rozario, Falguni Chak, Wordworth

Chapters

A Nation's Strength

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Available Answers