You Will Never See Me Fall
By Joyce Alcantara
You may see me struggle
but you won’t see me fall.
Regardless if I’m weak or not
I’m going to stand tall.
Everyone says life is easy
but truly living it is not.
Times get hard,
people struggle
and constantly get put on the spot.
I’m going to wear the biggest smile
even though I want to cry.
I’m going to fight to live
even though I’m destined to die.
And even though it’s hard
and I may struggle through it all.
You may see me struggle…
but you will NEVER see me fall.
Summary of You Will Never See Me Fall
- Popularity of “You Will Never See Me Fall”: ‘You Will Never See Me Fall’ is an inspirational literary piece written by Joyce Alcantara, an influential contemporary writer. It was published in 2008. The poem touches hearts through its subject matter that shows the value of positive thinking. The poem illustrates how our strong determination helps us overcome all the obstacles we face in life. It also explains how with consistent efforts we can make our life happy and easy. The poet encourages us to face challenges in life, otherwise, they will beat us.
- “You Will Never See Me Fall” A Reflection of the Speaker’s Determination: The poem presents a resolute stance of the speaker who has decided to live life with her head high. The poem begins when the speaker says that people may see her struggling through the heavy odds of life but they will never see her falling. She admits that she is weak but she will never allow her weakness to be a barrier. She wonders how everyone takes life easy when actually living costs us dearly. People have to go through tests and trials that often let them down and make them stand on the verge of disappointment and depression. The speaker is determined to face all the challenges, demonstrating a smile on her face. She knows it is not easy to keep balance in life; sometimes we tremble, we fall but we gather ourselves again to make it worth living. Therefore, she resolves to make the most of her life to not let others see her as weak.
- Major Themes in “You Will Never See Me Fall”: Hardships of life, positive approach, and acceptance are the major themes of the poem. This simple yet inspirational poem speaks about the realities of life. The speaker wants us to realize that life is not a bed of roses. It throws various challenges and tests before us. Sometimes it becomes really hard that we fail to find even the slightest hope of survival, yet with a positive approach, we can overcome such difficulties. Keeping in mind the tough realities of life, the poet decides to live these biting realities keeping a highly positive approach toward life. Also, she resolves never to let anyone see the darkest and the weakest part of her life.
Analysis of Literary Devices Used in “You Will Never See Me Fall”
literary devices are tools that allow writers to convey their ideas, feelings, and emotions to the readers. Joyce has also employed some literary devices in this poem to show the power of positive thinking. The analysis of some of the literary devices used in this poem is discussed below.
- Assonance: Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in the same line. For example, the sound of /ee/ in “You may see me struggle”.
- Consonance: Consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line in the poem. For example, the sound of /t/ in “and constantly get put on the spot.”
- Enjambment: It is defined as a thought in verse that does not come to an end at a line break; instead, it rolls over to the next line. For example,
“You may see me struggle
but you won’t see me fall.”
- Epigraph: It is a device used in a poem in the shape of a quote or a sentence, usually placed at the beginning of the poem to suggest the overall theme. For example,
“You may see me struggle
but you won’t see me fall.”
- Imagery: Imagery is used to make readers perceive things involving their five senses. For example, “I’m going to wear the biggest smile”, “I’m going to fight to live” and “I’m going to stand tall.”
- Symbolism: Symbolism is using symbols to signify ideas and qualities, giving them symbolic meanings that are different from literal meanings. “I’m going to stand tall” and “biggest smile” symbolize the resolute stance of the speaker that she intends to challenge the difficulties of life.
Analysis of Poetic Devices Used in “You Will Never See Me Fall”
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.
- Free Verse: Free verse is a type of poetry that does not contain patterns of rhyme or meter. This is a free-verse poem with no strict rhyme or meter.
- Stanza: A stanza is a poetic form of some lines. This is a seventeen-lined poem with no stanza breaks in it.
Quotes to be Used
The lines stated below are useful for motivational speeches to draw the attention of the audience to the difficulties of life. These can also be used by parents while sharing their biting experiences with their children.
“Everyone says life is easy
but truly living it is not.
Times get hard,
people struggle
and constantly get put on the spot.”
