Your World

Writer of the poem - Georgia Douglas Johnson

Summary
The speaker in the poem tells the readers that the world is as big or as small as
we make it. She knows this fact from personal experience, she had lived in a
corner of her world, respecting its rules of propriety, while longing for the brighter
opportunities available in the wider world until she learnt to break free from her
bonds and soar into the wind like a bird. Then, she found that she could reach
the distant horizons of her dreams naturally with ease.
In the poem the poet uses a bird as a metaphor to represent how man feels
controlled by his own fears and apprehensions. The bird though it has a great
desire to reach distant horizon and travel farthest, fears achieving this task for
apparent reason. Then the bird fights against all difficulties, that had bound it and
flew to the place of its dreams. The bird then realizes that this was the best
experience. The poetess stretches on the fact that similarly anything can be
achieved with perseverance and focus using the bird as a symbol, the poet
seems to indicate that man should free himself from the limitations he has and
strive to reach his goal using his potential to the full.

The poem inspires every reader to leave their comfort zone, venture out into the
unfamiliar and experience intense joy. The theme of the poem is that everyone is
gifted and has the potential to overcome hurdles to achieve their goal. 'Your
World' is a remarkable poem conveying a beautiful message that one can scale
heights by hard work and perseverance.

Text-dependent Evidence-based Answers

Questions
What are some examples The words “abide” and “side” in the second and
of rhyme in the poem? fourth lines rhyme. Other examples of rhyme are “
How does the use of sea” and “immensity” in the second stanza as well
rhyme contribute to the “breeze” and “ease” in the third stanza. Using
poem? these rhymes gives an uplifting song-like quality
to the poem.
What does the opening This line means that each person has the
line “Your world is as big possibility to live as complete a life as he or she
as you make it” (L 1) chooses. What each person must do is strive to
mean? reach his or her fullest potential.
In line 3 the poet uses the This is an example of alliteration because the
words “narrowest nest.” consonant sound is repeated at the beginning of
What sound device is the words. The use of alliteration with the words
this? What does the use “narrowest nest” focuses the reader’s attention on
of this sound device these words, giving them more force. She did
contribute to the poem this because the speaker is talking about his or
and what does the poet her life. The narrowest nest means that she or he
mean by this image? didn’t have a great deal of opportunities to be
creative or free.

What does the speaker These lines mean that as the speaker looked at
mean by these lines: all the possibilities available to make a full life, it
“And I throbbed with a made him or her want that larger life even more.
burning desire/To travel This gave the speaker the courage to set out to
this immensity”? (L. 7-8) accomplish his/her goals for life.
The meter or rhythm of The meter or rhythm of this poem makes it feel
the poem is created by song-like. This song quality helps to reinforce the
the use of stressed and image or symbol of the bird flying freely out in the
unstressed syllables in world.
each line. What effect
does the rhythm of this
poem have on the reader?
What is the meaning of These lines mean that the speaker broke free of
the lines “I battered the the constraints of his/her life and then began to
cordons around me/And live more freely by “taking flight” or setting out to
cradled my wings on the accomplish whatever would lead to a fuller, more
breeze” (L.9-10)? satisfying life.
Think about the first line of The poet begins with the words “Your world is as
the poem. How do the big as you make it.” (L.1) which gives the reader
words such as “distant some advice, inviting the reader to think about his
horizon” (L. 5) and or her own life. Then the speaker goes on to
“immensity” (L. 8) expand explain to the reader how she had trouble making
on the meaning of that her world “big”. Finally at the end the speaker
first line? uses the words “distant horizon” and “immensity”
to show the reader just how large the speaker’s
world has become through her fight to free
herself.

The words “corner” (L. 3), These words are examples of assonance, a
“horizon” (L. 5) and sound device that uses similar internal vowel
“soared” (L. 11) all contain sounds. By using words with open “o” sounds,
the same “o” sound. What the poet has created a feeling of openness in the
sound device describes poem. Since she is writing about being free,
the use of such sounds in these sounds create a soaring, flying effect for the
words? Why did the poet reade
use this sound device?
What does it contribute to
the poem?

Evidence Line Elaboration / explanation of how this

Quote or number evidence supports ideas or argument
paraphrase
“I know because I Lines 2 Rhyme, the words “abide” and “side” end with
used to &4 the same sounds creating rhyme.
abide…My wings
pressing close to
my side.”
“In the narrowest Line 3 Alliteration, these words also continue the
nest” metaphor of the speaker and reader as birds
who need to free themselves from their
“narrowest nests” to be out in the world.
“But I sighted the Line 5 In this line the speaker is talking directly to the
distant horizon” reader explaining how looking beyond her
immediate surroundings, planning for the future
and a bigger life helped the speaker.
To travel this Line 8 This line continues and expands on the idea of
immensity finding a bigger world than the one immediately
in front of a person. The speaker is showing
that there is no limit to what a person can
accomplish or become