-Arthur Guiterman
The main theme of this poem is that it’s useless to be proud of our
earthly greatness and achievements. These things aren't permanent. The only
permanent thing is ‘Time’.
Everything else including our earthly greatness and achievements has to bow
before time. “On the Vanity of Worldly Things” is written
by Arthur Guiterman, an American poet and journalist. He is best known
for his humorous verse. Through humor, he has tried to depict the reality of
human beings and animals caused by the change in time. It shows the bitter
reality that the power of animals or human beings doesn't remain same when time
and situation change. We always run after reputation and prestige. We become or
want to be great and we think it will remain the same forever. We earn
reputation and prestige and we think it will remain the same forever. We earn
reputation and we think that the credit won’t be lost but actually we won’t
think that is destroyed in due course of time. Our greatness is dismissed by
time. So, time laughs at our blindness and pride.
Time is such a thing on which we cannot get victory. The nature has
given us limited time to live and exercise our power. Beyond that time, we
cannot move according to our desire. Only in favorable time and situation we
can perform our actions or activities. The “vanity” actually means the
degrading value of reputations of any persons and animals in the world. To
clarify this point the writer has presented few examples. Julius Caesar was a
great warrior and a famous general statesman. He earned a great name and fame
in his time through his strength and power. But that power lost its value with
the change in the time and situation. He does not possess any arm and power to
show his power of the past. His head is on the shelf and weapons and other
things belongings are only in the museum in the form of history.
The roman emperor Charlemagne was a great in his time by his sword,
power. But the power of his sword also became meaningless due to the change in
time. Now that sword has been rusted and is kept useless in the museum. Not
only the great kings and warriors, but there is also good presentation of
powerful animals whose value has been decreased. Grizzly bear, whose embrace
was very dreadful, has become nothing more than a rug to give warmth. Tusks of
mighty brawls of mastodons have been changed into playing things like billiard
balls.
All the given examples are concerned with the greatness but the
greatness has been turned and reduced to valueless things. The vanity human
greatness and animals’ strength have become a good subject to present irony.
That irony makes one feel unwell and quite indifferent to the person.
Everybody becomes great in his time and situation but later on he
becomes helpless and valueless. All reputation and achievements will be
dismissed quickly. So, it is useless to take pride in one’s power as everything
decays and fades away in due course of time. Thus, the poet is of the opinion
that our name, fame, and greatness are noting because they will be collapsed in
the course of time. The poet also satirizes the human supposition of being
great and power seeking tendencies in the modern age. This poem indirectly
suggests that it is useless to be proud of our present achievement because the
value of our greatness vanishes in the course of time.
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