Have You Earned Your Tomorrow

Have You Earned Your Tomorrow– Get detailed information

Title: Have you earned your tomorrow

The title is a verbal question to the readers to rethink the treatment that they are giving to others. It gives hint that we must help people around us. It confirms our bright future.

The title suggests us ‘as you sow, so you shall reap’ or ‘today’s good investment is tomorrow’s gain’.

About Poet:

Edgar Albert Guest was a British-born American poet who was popular in the first half of the 20th century and became known as the People’s Poet. His poems often had an inspirational and optimistic view of everyday life. In 1904 he began writing verse for the Free Press under the heading “Chaff.”

About the poem:

‘Have you earned your tomorrow’ is an inspirational poem. In this poem, the speaker is asking the readers whether they have done anything to improve the life of another human being or not. It is up to you whether you will have a better future or not. Therefore, one should consider one’s actions and deeds carefully and plan accordingly for a better future.

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Ice- Breaker Activities-

A) Give different ways to help others.

Answer-

1) To give financial help to the poor.
2) To donate blood.
3) To give company to lonely persons.
4) To give carrier guidance to the needy persons.
5) To give help in study to younger siblings.
6) To help the blind persons to cross the road.
7) To give seat to the handicapped persons in the public transport.
8) To join the social welfare organizations.
9) To take part in a charity run.
10) To comfort someone in grief.
11) To give food for a homeless person.
12) To do household chores.

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B) Write different idioms / proverbs related to word ‘tomorrow’.

Answer-

1) Never put off until tomorrow what you can do today.
2) Tomorrow belongs to the people who prepare for it today.
3) Nobody is too young to die tomorrow.      
4) Tomorrow never comes.
5) Tomorrow is often the busiest day of the week.
6) Who has ever seen tomorrow?
7) Say what you have to say, tomorrow.
8) The rich man plans for tomorrow, the poor man for today.
9) The lazier a man is, the more he plans to do tomorrow.
10) Fools look to tomorrow; wise men use tonight.
11) Never put off to tomorrow what you can do today.
12) Give me wool and tomorrow you will have a sheep.

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C) When you make your future plans you think of –

Answer-

1) Career
2) Expectations of the family members          
3) Job opportunities            
4) Social status  
5) Financial condition
6) Chances for development
7) Learning
8) Success  in the plan

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D) ‘Plan your tomorrow’ by completing the table given below.

Answer-

Examination	College Function	Function at your home
Making a time table	Preparing the list of duties	Cleaning the house
Concentrating on important topics	Choice of programmes	Give invitations to guests
Revision	Participation in various activities	Help to family members

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New words and their meanings   Toiling time– time spent in hard physical work.   Through – over   Utter (v)– speak.   Utter(adj)– complete, absolute, total   Cheerful– gay, happy, merry   Greeting– polite words or sign of welcome.   Came along-arrived, accompanied someone.   Churlish-rude, i’ll mannered.   Howdy– an informal friendly greeting, (How are you?)   Vanish– disappear   Throng– a large crowd   Rushed (v)-moved with urgent haste,ran towards something in hurry   Rushed(n)-sudden quick movement towards something.   Mighty– gigantic, vast, strong, powerful.   Deed– doing   Part(ing) with– to give up, let go   Slipping fast– going or moving quickly, sliding, here getting over   Rejoice-joy, glee, thrill, mirth   Fading– gradually growing faint, disappearing, here losing hope   Courage– bravery   Sorely– extremely hard, painfully, mortally   Trail(n)-a mark or a series of signs or objects left behind by the passage of someone.   Trail(v)-leave behind   Scar– scratch, wound   Discontent– dissatisfaction   Slumber-sleep   Earned– rewarded, deserved to live for one more day

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Brain Storming Activities-

Have You Earned Your Tomorrow

Activity-1

Discuss with your friend how she/he spent the whole day that was beneficial for  others.

Answer-

1) Helped in daily chores to family members.                 

2) Read newspaper to grandfather.      

3) Participated in cleanliness movement organized by Rotary Club.

4) Gave own seat to a handicapped person in the bus.

5) Assisted illiterate woman in the bank to withdraw the amount.

6) Gave food to the beggar.

7) Carried the patient to the hospital

8) Donated blood.

9) Helped younger siblings in their school project.

10) Gave last year books to the needy poor students.

Activity-2 

(i) ….’was  it  well  or  sorely  spent’?  Explain  the  meaning and give illustrations.

Answer-

The line ‘was  it  well  or  sorely  spent’? means that we should check our daily routine and introspect (examine) if we spent it properly or not. The poet suggests that we must utilize our valuable time for doing good to others. We should not involve in wrong things. It may disturb others and at the end of the day you feel that you have spent the day hurting others. If we insult others and behave wrongly, we have wasted our day. It is called day sorely spent. So behave properly and make our day fruitful.

(ii) As you close your eyes in slumber do you think that God would say, ‘You have earned one more tomorrow by the work you did today?’

Elaborate the idea expressed in these lines.

Answer-

The poet suggests that everyone should do such good work that God would allot one more day to live. As per the poet’s view, God gives future life only to those who do something good in their life. He wants to encourage all for doing fruitful and worthy work.

(iii) The poet suggests that one should do good to others. Complete the table by giving examples of doing good to following people.

Family members	Friends	Neighbours

Answer-

Family members	Friends	Neighbours
Assist in need	Help in difficult situation	Keep loving relationship
Help in daily work	Increase confidence	Give co-operation
Give company	Work together	Help in need
Deal with problems	Help in study	Keep area clean
Take care of old persons	Share study material and other needy things	Celebrate festivals, assist in work

Activity-3 

i) Pick out the describing words from the poem and add a noun of your own.  One  is  done  for  you.

(Toiling) time

Answer-   

Describing word	Noun
Happier	Children
Cheerful	Players
Selfish	Friend
Grateful	Neighbour
Fading	Roses
Kindly	Behaviour
Churlish	Howdy
Rejoicing	Heart
Slipping	Moments

ii) Match the words given in ‘column A’ with their meaning in ‘column B’.     

A	B
1) Cheerful	a) with the feeling of disappointment
2) Selfish	b) lack of satisfaction
3) Sorely	c) happy
4) Discontent	d) concerned with one’s own pleasure

Answer-

A	B
1) Cheerful	c) happy
2) Selfish	d) concerned with one’s own pleasure
3) Sorely	A) with the feeling of disappointment
4) Discontent	b) lack of satisfaction

iii) There are a few examples of homonyms in the poem.

e.g. ‘spoke’.

List homonyms from the poem and give their meanings.

Answer-

Homonyms – a word that is spelt and pronounced like another word but that has a different meaning.

दुसऱ्या एखाद्या शब्दासारखाच उच्चारला जाणारा पण अर्थामध्ये फरक असणारा शब्द म्हणजे होमोनिम्स होय.

See homonyms from the poem-

Passed-

1) To be successful in examination

2) Left behind

Deed-

1) work

2) A legal document

Waste-

1) Use carelessly

2) Discarded material

Part-

1)Oneofthe pieces

2) A role or character in a play or film 

iv) Find out expressions/phrases which denote, ‘going away’, from each stanza.

Answer-

Stanza 1:

1) is almost over 

2) passed his way

3) is almost over

Stanza 2:

1) vanish in the throng

2) rushed along

Stanza 3:

1) were fading now

2) slipping fast

3) parting with

4) passed

Activity-4

(i)The poet has used different poetic devices like Alliteration and Interrogation in the poem. Identify them and pick out the lines.

Answer-

Poetic Device	Lines
Alliteration	1) Were you selfish pure and simple as you rushed along the way’   2) As you close your eyes in slumber do you think that God would say’,  (The sounds ‘s’ and ‘sh’ are repeated in both lines.)
Interrogation	1) Is anybody happier because you passed his way?   2) Does anyone remember that you spoke to him today?   3) Is there anyone to utter now a kindly word of you?   4) Did you give a cheerful greeting to the friend who came along?   5) Or a churlish sort of “Howdy” and then vanish in the throng?   6) Or is someone mighty grateful for a deed you did today?   7) Can you say tonight, in parting with the days that’s slipping fast, That you helped a single brother of the many that you passed?   8) Does a man whose hopes were fading now with courage look ahead?   (The poet has asked questions to emphasize a point and make the reader think.)
Synecdoche	Is a single heart rejoicing over what you did or said.   The word heart – a part – refers to a whole or the person who is rejoicing.
Rhyme Scheme	a a b b
Transferred Epithet	1) This day is almost over, and its toiling time is through. (The adjective ‘toiling’ is transferred from person to time.)   2) Is there anyone to utter now a kindly word of you? (The adjective ‘kindly’ is transferred from person to word.)   3) Did you give a cheerful greeting to the friend who came along? (The adjective ‘cheerful’ is transferred from person to greeting.)
Antithesis	1) Did you give a cheerful greeting to the friend who came along? Or a churlish sort of “Howdy” and then vanish in the throng? (Opposite ideas are expressed in ‘cheerful greeting’ and ‘churlish sort of “Howdy’’..’)   2) Does man a whose hopes were fading now with courage look ahead? (Opposite ideas are expressed in ‘hopes were fading’ and ‘courage look ahead’.)

See More-

• Song of the Open Road
• Indian Weavers
• The Inchcape Rock
• Father Returning Home

See activities on the poem and their model answers in –