Teamwork - Edgar Albert Guest

Kakatiya Univerfsity Warangal 

III year Sem 6 -Unit 5 Poetry

Teamwork 

                                    Edgar Albert Guest

https://youtu.be/xYPgErSnqXQ?si=NjQuHwevneF1EVug

It’s all very well to have courage and skill

And it’s fine to be counted a star,

But the single deed with its touch of thrill

Doesn’t tell the man you are;

For there’s no lone hand in the game we play,

We must work to a bigger scheme,

And the thing that counts in the world to-day

Is, How do you pull with the team?

They may sound your praise and call you great,

They may single you out for fame,

But you must work with your running mate

Or you’ll never win the game;

Oh, never the work of life is done

By the man with a selfish dream,

For the battle is lost or the battle is won

By the spirit of the team.

You may think it fine to be praised for skill,

But a greater thing to do

Is to set your mind and set your will

On the goal that’s just in view;

It’s helping your fellowman to score

When his chances hopeless seem;

Its forgetting self till the game is o’re

And fighting for the team

Q. Elaborate on the central theme of Guest's poem

 About the Poet

    Edgar Guest was a British-born American journalist who began his career in 1895 at the age of fourteen with the Detroit Free Press. He was a prolific poet known for his simple yet profound verses that often focused on themes of everyday life, perseverance, and optimism. He was referred to as the ‘Poet Laureate of Michigan’ and ‘The Poet of the People'. He started penning verse for the Free Press in 1904 in his weekly column "Chaff." His first book was A Heap o’ Livin’ (1916).

About the Poem

    The rhyme scheme of the poem is abab. The poet emphasises the importance of teamwork over individual performance.In a game, teamwork is very important. It is good that we all have courage and a variety of skills in us. It is also good that we are considered as the best performers, or stars. A single act does not make a player great .A star player may be crucial to winning the game, but he cannot alone lead the team to victory. The most important thing is how you cooperate and coordinate with your team members.

 In any game we play, or even in our game of life, there is no single hand. All of us work for some bigger plans, and the thing that matters most today is the question: how do you pull with the team? People call you "great." Here 'They' refers to people. People give you credit for winning a game, but you must work with your teammates. One must work with other team members to put one's team in a good position. A man who has selfish thoughts and longs for personal fame and glory, cannot do the work of life. 

The presence or absence of team spirit makes the battle win or lose. We should not be egocentric.It is fine to be praised for skill, but the better thing is to focus on the goal, cooperate with the team, and have a strong will. When a fellow player has no hope of winning, the player should help him win. Fight not for yourself, but for your team. One should forget "self' until the game is over and fight for the team to win. This didactic poem glorifies the quality of working with others to achieve a common goal.

Annotations

For the battle is lost or the battle is won

By the spirit of the team.

Reference;-Edgar Guest, a British-born American journalist, started his career at the Detroit Free Press, a daily newspaper, in 1895, when he was just fourteen. Known as the 'Poet Laureate of Michigan' and 'The Poet of the People,' he began writing verse for the Free Press in his weekly column "Chaff" in 1904. In 1916, he published his debut book, A Heap o' Livin'. His poems were mostly inspirational and motivational, and they were widely read in North America.

Context:-.The poet emphasises the importance of teamwork than individual performance. People give you credit for winning a game, but you must work with your teammates. One must work with other team members to put one's team in a good position.

Explanation:-The presence or absence of team spirit makes the battle win or lose. We should not be egocentric.It is good to be praised for skill, but the better thing is to focus on the goal, cooperate with the team, and have a strong will.

This didactic poem glorifies the quality of working with others to achieve a common goal