EDGAR A GUEST
About Edgar Albert Guest
Edgar Albert Guest was an American poet, though originally born in
Britain. Guest’s poetry became extremely popular in the early half of the
20th century. He started his career writing poetry for a newspaper
column, but eventually wrote his own poetry collections. His first poetry
collection, “A Heap O’ Livin'” (1916) was incredibly successful. He
released 4 other poetry collections; “Just Folks”(1918), “Rhythms of
Childhood” (1924), “Life’s Highway” (1933), and “Living the Years”
Learning Objective
● To read and understand the poem
● To infer the main idea of the poem
● To analyse the theme of the poem.
Edgar Albert Guest’s poem ‘It Couldn’t Be Done‘ is a motivational
poem that encourages the reader not to give up easily. The poem
is a warning that throughout life, people will tell you that certain
things are impossible to achieve and that you should quit. The
narrator of the poem states that many people have accomplished
things that were allegedly impossible once they put their minds to
it. The narrator argues that if you go into a task with a positive
attitude and the will to succeed, you will be victorious.
Structure and Form
The poem is 3 stanzas long, with each
stanza being 8 lines long. The poem mostly
follows an ABAB rhyme scheme, but doesn’t
always follow a set formula throughout.
SUMMARY
‘It Couldn’t Be Done‘ is a poem that warns the reader not to be discouraged by
the negativity of others.
The poem begins with somebody telling the protagonist that something
“couldn’t be done”. The protagonist then says that he would not say for sure
until he gave it a try. He then goes into the task with a positive attitude and
confidence, which produces positive results. He ends up proving that he could
do it.
The next stanza of the poem progresses very similarly to the first: someone
tells the protagonist that a task is impossible, and he once again refuses to
give up. He goes into the task with the same confidence, and he ends up
completing it.
The poem ends with the narrator speaking directly to the reader about the
message of the poem. The narrator states that there are thousands of things
Stanza One
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 he’d tried.
So he buckled right in with the trace of a grin
On his face. If he worried he hid it.
He started to sing as he tackled the thing
That couldn’t be done, and he did it!
In the first stanza, the speaker begins by utilizing the phrase that
would become the title of the poem, “it couldn’t be done. “ The
phrase appears as a reference to a previous statement the
reader does not have access to. The speaker is describing how
“Somebody” told the male main character of this narrative that
something “couldn’t be done.” As a reply to that statement the
man “chuckle[s],” dismissing it. He is not willing to accept that
From these lines, it is clear that Guest was hoping a reader would feel admiration for
the main and dedicated nature. Even without knowledge of what the thing is, it is
admirable to attempt something that has never been completed before.
In the fifth line of the stanza, the speaker describes how the man is “buckl[ing]”
down to the task at hand. He doesn’t appear to be too intimidated by what he is
about to attempt. There is a “trace of a grin / On his face” that hid any worry that
might also be present. He also “started to sing” when he went to “tackle…the thing.”
The first stanza ends with the revelation that the man accomplished the thing that
could not be done.
Stanza Two
Somebody scoffed: “Oh, you’ll never do that;
At least no one ever has done it;”
(…)
He started to sing as he tackled the thing
That couldn’t be done, and he did it.
The second stanza follows the same pattern as the first.
It begins with the speaker relaying the same scenario in
different terms, that there is “Somebody” who is passing
judgment on the situation before the determined main
character can attempt the feat. The unnamed
“Somebody” says that the man will “never do that”
because “no one” has ever done it.
Just as with the first stanza, the second describes to the man readying
himself to do “it.” He “took off his coat” and then “took off his hat” and did
“it.” Whatever “it” might be, it was done quickly. The narrator was surprised
by how fast it happened.
The final lines speak to the man’s confidence and how it was that
confidence that enabled him to “do it.” Again, the man is clearly pleased
with himself. He lifts his “chin” with pride and smiles at the onlooker’s
surprised faces. The speaker emphasizes the upbeat attitude the man took
Stanza Three
There are thousands to tell you it cannot be done,
There are thousands to prophesy failure,
(…)
Just start in to sing as you tackle the thing
That “cannot be done,” and you’ll do it.
In the final lines, as is customary with Guest’s poetry, the speaker
summarizes the main points of the previous verses. Although by this point
the main themes have been made very clear, Guest reiterates them again.
His speaker tells the reader that throughout life there are always going to
be those who tell you something “cannot be done.” They will “prophesy” or
predict, your “failure” at any number of things you care about. The poet
uses anaphora in his repetition of the words “There are thousands” for the
third time in the third stanza. There is a great emphasis placed on the
number of people who want to see “you” fail.
When this happens, the speaker tells the
reader that they should “buckle in with a
bit of a grin,” just as the man in the first
two stanzas did, and “go to it.” It does not
matter what “it” is, anything can be
accomplished by someone dedicated
enough.
Similar Poetry
If you like ‘It Couldn’t Be Done,’ you may also like these similar poems:
● ‘See It Through,’ another inspirational poem by Edgar Albert Guest with similar
themes to ‘It Couldn’t Be Done.’
● ‘On Quitting,’ another poem by Edgar Albert Guest that encourages the reader
to never give up.
● ‘If‘ by Rudyard Kipling, which is widely considered one of the most inspirational
poems ever written.
● The rest of Edgar Albert Guest’s poetry. A lot of his poetry tackles similar
TASKS (Choose any one)
TASK 1: Write a paragraph summarizing the poem in your own words. Focus on main
idea and key themes.
TASK2 : Identify and analyze the use of symbolism and imagery in the poem 'It couldn't
be done'
TASK 3:imagine that you are the speaker of the poem. Write a monologue expressing
your thoughts and emotions. You should address the challenges you encountered, the
doubts you faced, and how you ultimately persevered.
