Quiet Work

Quiet Work

By Matthew Arnold

One lesson, Nature, let me learn of thee,
One lesson which in every wind is blown,
One lesson of two duties kept at one
Though the loud world proclaim their enmity–
Of toil unsever’d from tranquility!
Of labor, that in lasting fruit outgrows
Far noisier schemes, accomplish’d in repose,
Too great for haste, too high for rivalry.

Yes, while on earth a thousand discords ring,
Man’s fitful uproar mingling with his toil,
Still do thy sleepless ministers move on,
Their glorious tasks in silence perfecting;
Still working, blaming still our vain turmoil,
Laborers that shall not fail, when man is gone.

Summary of Quiet Work

  • Popularity of “Quiet Work”: The sonnet ‘Quiet Work’ written by Matthew Arnold. The poem stands out from others due to its unique and unparalleled description. It was first published in 1848. This poem captures attention because of its unique feature of employing apostrophe, as it starts by addressing Nature and emphasizing its significance through capitalizing on its initial, even though it is a sonnet. Its uniqueness lies in highlighting the impressive accomplishments that people have achieved in silence and calmness without making much furore in the world.
  • “Quiet Work” As a Representative of Hard Work: The poet opens the poem with a bang, seeking Nature’s attention after personifying it. In his work, Matthew Arnold used an apostrophe to beseech Nature for the chance to learn a key lesson — that despite society’s emphasis on managing two responsibilities, genuine achievement is never attained in this manner. It is rather done in silence and quietness. There is no noise, no rivals, no haste, and no announcements to be heard. Although there is a great noise on this earth such as “discords ring” yet such ministers do not care about these things. In a complete absence of noise, they flawlessly finish their work while the world attributes the failure of the laborers to specific individuals and other justifications. However, extraordinary individuals diligently work in silence.
  • Major Themes in “Quiet Work”: Hard work, working in silence, and working with little ado are three major themes of this poem. In the opening lines of this sonnet, the poet clarified that he has arrived at a sole conclusion regarding lessons. This is that great people always work silently and do their best. This hard work could only be done in silence with little brouhaha and noise. If that happens, then finger pointing starts and noise ensues, which does not take care of the work. The great work endures and progresses, unaffected by the constant flow of people entering and exiting.

Analysis of Poetic Devices Used in Quiet Work

literary devices are crucial instruments in crafting poetic or prose compositions, adding beauty and enchantment to the piece. The analysis of these devices in the poem as given below shows this fact.

  1. Assonance: Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in the same line, such as the sound of /e/ in “One lesson, Nature, let me learn of thee”, the sound of /i/ in “Man’s fitful uproar mingling with his toil” and the sound of /a/ in “laborers that shall not fail, when man is gone”.
  2. Anaphora: The poem shows the use of anaphora as the repetition of “One lesson…” in the first two verses.
  3. Consonance: Consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line, such as the sound of /r/ in and /n/ “One lesson, Nature, let me learn of thee”, the sound of /r/ in “Of toil unserver’d from tranquillity!” and the sound of /n/ and /s/ in “Their glorious tasks in silence perfecting”.
  4. Enjambment: It is defined as a thought in verse that does not come to an end at a line break; rather, it rolls over to the next line. For example,

One lesson which in every wind is blown,
One lesson of two duties kept at one
Though the loud world proclaim their enmity–

  1. Imagery: Imagery is used to make readers perceive things involving their five senses. The poem shows the use of imagery such as “Of labor, that in lasting fruit outgrows”, “Too great for haste, too high for rivalry” and “Man’s fitful uproar mingling with his toil”.
  2. Juxtaposition: The poem shows the juxtaposition of opposite ideas, such as “Too great for haste, too high for rivalry”.
  3. Metaphor: It is a figure of speech in which an implied comparison is made between the objects that are different. The poem shows the use of metaphors such as nature, the world, and uproar.
  4. Parallelism: The poem shows the use of parallelism in several verses such as “Too great for haste, too high for rivalry” and then “Laborers that shall not fail, when man is gone”.
  5. Personification: The poet has shown the use of nature and the world as if they have life and emotions of their own.
  6. Symbolism: Symbolism is using symbols to signify ideas and qualities, giving them symbolic meanings that are different from literal meanings. The poem shows the use of the symbols of wind, world, toil, and tasks.

Analysis of Poetic Devices Used in Quiet Work

Poetic and literary devices are the same, but a few are used only in poetry. Here is the analysis of some of the poetic devices used in this poem.

  1. Diction: The poem shows the use of figurative language with metaphors and personifications at work.
  2. Rhyme Scheme: The poem follows ABCAADD in the 1st half of the poem’s rhyme scheme that lasts until the end.
  3. Sonnet: This poem is a sonnet having sestet as its first part comprising eight verses and an octave second part having six verses.

Quotes to be Used

These lines from “Quiet Work” are relevant to use when something important thing is to be accomplished for the public service.

Still do thy sleepless ministers move on,
Their glorious tasks in silence perfecting;
Still working, blaming still our vain turmoil,
Laborers that shall not fail, when man is gone.