Everyone in today’s society has their own issues, fears or challenges. Each individual can let these obstacles to take them down or drive them to be a better person. Obstacles can change individual’s emotions, way of thinking or their character. Each encounter can either add or take away from them. Typically, people let their obstacles define them while others arise from them. Despite someone who lets their obstacles define them, it’s important for them to overcome them. A way to overcome them is with a positive attitude. In Edgar Albert Guest’s “It couldn’t be done,” he used particular words and phrases to emphasize his theme of your ability of doing anything if you try your best.
Guest chose to use those particular words and …show more content…
phrases to show that he has determined to attempt any difficult task. He does not care about other individual’s negativity: “somebody said that it couldn’t be done, but he with a chuckle replied that “maybe it couldn’t but he would be one who wouldn’t say so till [I] tried” (1-4). He also said “if he was worried he hid it, he started to sing as he tackled the thing that couldn’t be done and he did it” (6-8). Guest is the type of person who is very determined and will not let anyone put him down. Guest offered this advice a few times during his poem “buckled right in with a trace of a grin” (5). Once Guest had accomplished something that was once overlooked as something that could not be done he was very happy. When he was happy he would “start in to sing as [he tackled] the thing,” (7) that was once viewed as something that couldn’t be done.
Guest describes how others told him “oh, you’ll never do that; At least no one ever has done it” (9-10).
Whenever someone told him he couldn’t do something “the first thing we knew he’d [had] begun it” (12). No matter what “it” was he always tried before he said he couldn’t do it. Guest was definitely a risky guy and hard said no. He was the type of person to get up “without any doubting” (14) and started tackle anything that was put his way. Guest would look at an obstacle “that couldn’t be done, and [he’d do] it” (16). There are not a lot of individuals similar to Guest. Individuals see something that has not been done and get scared; However, Guest does not get scared “he [takes] off his coat and [takes] off his hat and the first thing we knew he’d begun it” (11-12).
Guest tried to encourage others to have his mind set. His mindset was, even if “there are thousands to tell you it cannot be done (17),” all you have to do is “buckle in with a bit of a grin, just take off your coat and go do it” (21-22). There are “dangers that wait to assail you” (20). However, individuals cannot let those dangers become an obstacle. Those individuals have to conquer those fears. Guest conquers his fears by “[taking] off [his] coat and [goes straight] to it” (22). Guest encourages others to conquer their fears and do things that aren’t usually done or “cannot be done,” and you’ll do it”
(24).
Guest chose words and phrases to create a sense of optimism and hope despites the many obstacles and challenges in one’s life. What each individual does with the obstacles and challenges put in their way will determine whether each person succeeds or fails. Guest’s use of words and phrases motivated and proved that success can be achieved by looking forward and deciding whether to give up or overcome their challenges and try anything that someone says cannot be done. Guest main messaged is that others may something cannot be done, but you as individual can change that. You just have to try, and you’ll do it. Anything can be done, there has to be a first person for everything.