Success is counted sweetest – Summary MCQs by Emily Elizabeth Dickinson

By: Prof. Dr. Fazal Rehman | Last updated: June 29, 2025

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1. : What is the central theme of the poem “Success is counted sweetest”?





2. : According to the poem, who appreciates success the most?





3. : What metaphor is used to represent success in the poem?





4. : How is the concept of defeat presented in the poem?





5. : What imagery does Dickinson use to describe the defeated soldier?





6. : What is the tone of the poem?





7. : What literary device is used in the line “Success is counted sweetest by those who ne’er succeed”?





8. : What does the poem suggest about human nature?





9. : How many stanzas does the poem have?





10. : What best describes the structure of the poem?





“Success is counted sweetest – Summary”

Emily Dickinson’s short but powerful poem “Success is counted sweetest” explores the idea that those who never achieve success are the ones who understand its value most deeply. The poem opens with the paradox that success is best appreciated not by those who win, but by those who fail.

Dickinson uses the metaphor of “nectar” to symbolize success—suggesting that the taste of victory is sweetest to someone who has never had it. The poem contrasts a victorious army (“the purple Host”) with a dying soldier on the defeated side, who, although he has never tasted success himself, can hear the celebration of triumph from afar and truly grasps what it means.

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