Success
by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Longfellow presents success as the result of steady effort rather than sudden achievement. Using images of mountains, pyramids, stairs and night-time labour, the poem shows that great heights are reached gradually through patience and perseverance.
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- Human Effort: People may not have wings, but they have feet with which they can climb.
- Pyramids: The huge pyramids appear like gigantic flights of stairs when seen from near and understood.
- Mountains: Distant heights reveal pathways as people rise toward them.
- Great People: Successful people reached their heights through continuous labour.
- Message: Success is gradual and requires perseverance, discipline and sustained effort.
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Climbing without wings
The poem begins by saying that human beings cannot soar like birds, but they possess feet that allow them to climb slowly and steadily. The image presents effort as the human substitute for flight.
Stairs, pyramids and mountains
The pyramids and mountains are used as images of great achievement. What first appears distant or impossibly high becomes a sequence of steps or pathways when approached with patience.
The labour behind success
The poet reminds readers that the heights reached by great people were not attained through a sudden leap. They worked while others slept, emphasizing disciplined effort and perseverance.