Success is Counted Sweetest, Emily Dickinson: Summary & Analysis

In "SUCCESS IS COUNTED SWEETEST," Emily Dickinson explores the concept of success and its true value through paradoxical and thought-provoking imagery. The poem delves into the idea that those who have never experienced success fully understand its sweetness, while those who achieve it often fail to appreciate its significance. Through vivid contrasts, the poem highlights the bittersweet nature of success and the perception of victory. SUCCESS IS COUNTED SWEETEST SUCCESS is counted sweetest By those who ne'er succeed. To comprehend a nectar Requires sorest need. Not one of all the purple host Who took the flag to-day Can tell the definition, So clear, of victory, As he, defeated, dying, On whose forbidden ear The distant strains of triumph Break, agonized and clear. Summary "SUCCESS IS COUNTED SWEETEST" explores the idea that the true value of success is often better understood by those who have not experienced it firsthand. The poem suggests that the thirst for …