The Wonderful Words Summary

Words play an essential role in our life. In this Poem, the word represents language, a medium to express ourselves. Word is the way to express yourself. If you have beautiful thoughts in your mind, you can express them by using words. Words can even hurt us; they can make us feel sad. So, words are essential; language is important. The Poem discusses the contribution of words to our daily life. Without words, we cannot live on this planet as comfortably as we do today. Words help us to transmit messages in a fast manner. Words are used as a medium to express our thoughts physically. There is a word for how you can express each emotion. The emotion may relate to laughter, pain, sorrow, giggling, happiness, etc. We cannot imagine a world without words where people connect through hand movements; it would be a complex situation for all of us. In this Poem, we are going to discuss the importance of words

Summary

Never let a thought shrivel and die
For want of a way to say it
For English is a beautiful
And all of you can play it
All that you do is match the words
To the brightest thoughts in your

Explanation: The poet tells the reader that we should never let a thought of ourselves die and contract just because we do not know how to express it. We must express every thought of our mind. If you have a thought, say it without wasting time thinking how. The poet compares the English language with a game in the following line. She says that English is an easy language; it is like an easy game, and we can learn, speak, and even teach it without difficulty. The poet says the reader must match his brightest thoughts and curiosity with the best suitable word. You must give words to your thoughts and express them.

So that they come out clear and true
And handsomely groomed and fed
For many of the loveliest things
Have never yet been said.

Explanation: Words are significantly crucial for expressing thoughts accurately and transparently. It is essential to give correct words to your feelings, great ideas, and other thoughts so that they are expressible. Our words describe our behavior, mentality, and approach to various handle situations. So, we must speak beautifully prepared words (handsomely groomed), be fruitful (filled with thoughts), and not contain empty talk. There is much more to talk about rather than the nonsense talks. Some many beautiful words and things have never been used in words.

Words are the food and dress of thought
They give it its body and swing
And everyone's longing today to hear
Some fresh and beautiful things

Explanation: The poet says that words are like the food and dress of thoughts because words give thoughts their actual existence. They give them an identifiable body. We cannot identify someone's thoughts that he is thinking in his mind. But we can determine and listen to the words she speaks. In these lines, the poet is being very creative. She says words provide the force that moves a thought from the speaker to the listener. She also specifies a strong desire of humans to listen to something fresh and beautiful. To fulfill this demand of listening to the latest, one must speak fresh and beautiful words that catch the heart. The words significantly impact the human, his way of judging others, thinking, and even making decisions.

But only words can free a thought
From its prison behind your eyes
Maybe your mind is holding now
A marvellous new surprise! ~Mary O'Neill.

Explanation: Thoughts are trapped or locked inside the cage of our mind, and the only thing that can free thought is words. The poet also says that "from its prison behind your eyes," here behind your eyes refers to the human mind. Our mind is full of various thoughts every time. So, we must free older thoughts from our minds to make space for new ones. There is always a possibility of having a great thought in your mind. This thought can be a new surprise to you. Your mind may be holding an excellent opinion, idea, or even a general thought at the instance of time.

Overview

The rhyming scheme of the Poem is abab. The tone of the Poem is motivational and inspiring. Every human mind consists of different thoughts. People are continuously trying to convert their thoughts into words. In this Poem, the poet says that we should not let an idea go just because we do not have appropriate words to represent it. We must try to find the perfect word for that thought or emotion and represent it in front of listeners. English is described as a beautiful language and game in the Poem because it is easy to express and understand. Because of the extensive dictionary of English words allows us to find the best-matched words for our thoughts. It is like a game in which we match the correct word corresponding to thought.

There are always new thoughts coming into our minds related to various topics. Many beautiful thoughts have yet to be discovered because they cannot find their corresponding right word. Let everyone try to provide a body to their thoughts so they can be expressed, and people understand their meanings and appreciate them for this kind of thinking. Words are the food and uniform of the thoughts. They provide the thought, its body, and energy (meaning). Everyone was keen to hear something new. She specifies a strong desire of humans to listen to something fresh and beautiful. To fulfill this demand of listening to the latest, one must speak fresh and beautiful words that catch the heart. The words significantly impact the human, his way of judging others, thinking, and even making decisions. The thoughts are imprisoned in our minds. We can make them accessible only by expressing them with the help of correct words. Many beautiful thoughts are waiting to be expressed by suitable words.

"Maybe your mind is holding now
A marvellous new surprise

This line at the end of the Poem means that, as our mind is constantly generating thoughts, there may be a brilliant thought that might surprise you and change your life.

Literary Devices Used in the Poem

1. Metaphor- English is a beautiful game from its prison.

We have not used the words "as" or "like," so the literary device used here is a metaphor, not a simile. Metaphor is also comparison. But simile represents the comparison of two unlike things, and metaphor compares one thing with
something that points out another.

They give it its body and swing.

Her words are given human characteristics.

3. Alliteration: Want a way that they come out clear, maybe in your mind. Here the same sound is repeated at the beginning of a word.

About the Poet

Marry O'Nei was a dramatist and a famous poet of her time. She writes most of her writings in the Irish language. Her full name was Marry Davenport O'Neil. She was born on 3 August 1879 in Loughrea. She died in the year 1967 at the age of 88 in Dublin. She started her career as a teacher, but later she got interested in writing in the art school. She was inspired by the writer Joseph O'Neil. She had gone through a lot of financial problems in her life. She had changed many houses due to poor financial conditions. When her husband died, she moved to live with her relatives in Dublin and only took her last breath there.

Conclusion

In the poem "The Wonderful Words," Marry O'Neil describes the importance of words. She has used many examples to illustrate the significance of words in our day-to-day life. Words are used as a medium to express our thoughts physically. There is a word for how you can express each emotion. The emotion may relate to ,laughter, pain, sorrow, giggling, happiness, etc. Literary devices have been beautifully used in writing poetry. Overall, this Poem explains that language is the most important way to reveal the inner thoughts hidden behind our eyes.