Try Again

Recap: King Bruce of Scotland is in despair after repeatedly failing to achieve a great deed for his people. As he contemplates giving up, he observes a spider trying to reach its web in the ceiling. The spider falls numerous times but relentlessly continues its efforts, eventually succeeding. Inspired by the spider’s unwavering determination, King Bruce regains his resolve, tries again, and finally succeeds in his endeavor. The poem emphasizes the lesson of perseverance and not giving up despite failures.

• King Bruce’s Despair
  • King Bruce of Scotland is feeling lonely and sad.
  • His heart is sinking because he has tried repeatedly but failed to achieve a great deed to make his people glad.
  • He is in “low despair” and is ready to give up.
• Observation of the Spider
  • At that moment, a spider drops and the King stops to watch it.
  • The spider is trying to reach its cobweb home high up on the ceiling.
  • It begins to cling and crawl straight up with strong effort.
  • However, it repeatedly falls down, sometimes getting dizzy and faint.
  • The King counts nine brave attempts where the spider fell after getting close to its goal.
• The Spider’s Perseverance
  • Despite failing multiple times, the spider continues to strive and try again.
  • The King initially believes the “foolish thing” will stop trying.
  • However, the insect goes up once more, inch by inch, and finally reaches its cobweb door.
• King Bruce’s Inspiration and Success
  • Inspired by the spider’s success, the King cries out “Bravo, bravo!”
  • He realizes that the spider “defied despair” and “conquered,” and decides that he too should not give up.
  • King Bruce braces his mind, tries once more, and this time he does not fail.
  • The poem conveys the message that perseverance leads to success.

Important Vocabulary:

• monarch: a sovereign head of state, especially a king, queen, or emperor.
• flung: threw or hurled forcefully.
• despair: the complete loss or absence of hope.
• pondered: thought about something carefully, especially before making a decision or reaching a conclusion.
• divine: discover by intuition or guesswork.
• endeavour: an attempt to achieve a goal.
• sprawl: sit, lie, or fall with one’s arms and legs spread out in an ungainly or awkward way.
• utter: make (a sound) with one’s voice.
• faint: feeling dizzy and likely to pass out.
• tread: walk in a specified way.
• mounted: climbed up or onto something.
• strive: make great efforts to achieve or obtain something.
• toils: works extremely hard or incessantly.
• anxious: experiencing worry, unease, or nervousness.
• pinch: a difficult situation.
• cot: a small bed with barred sides for a baby or young child; here, refers to its home/web.
• defied: openly resisted or refused to obey.
• braced: prepared (oneself) for something difficult or unpleasant.
• gossips: casual or unconstrained conversation or reports about other people, typically involving details that are not confirmed as being true.

Grammar Focus:

• Repetition: The poet repeats words or phrases like “tried and tried,” “steadily, steadily,” and “up, up” to emphasize the ongoing effort and perseverance.
• Rhyme Scheme: The rhyme scheme of the poem can be identified.
• Interjection: “Bravo” is an example of an interjection, which is a word or phrase that expresses a sudden feeling or emotion.
• Contraction: The poet uses contractions like “‘Twas” and “‘Tis” for the sake of rhythm or rhyme.
• Metaphor: A figure of speech that involves an implied comparison between two unlike things without using ‘like’, ‘as’, or ‘as…as’. It suggests one thing is another to add deeper meaning.
  • Example: “The spider’s climbing is compared to King Bruce’s own struggles.”
  • Example: “The world is a stage.”
  • Example: “Her voice was music to his ears.”
  • Example: “The classroom was a zoo.”
  • Example: “The lake was a mirror, reflecting the sky.”
• Simile: A figure of speech that directly compares two unlike things using ‘like’, ‘as’, or ‘as…as’.
  • Example: “He ran as fast as a cheetah.”
  • Example: “The night was as dark as coal.”
  • Example: “He sang like an angel.”
  • Example: “The baby slept like a log.”
  • Example: “Her smile was as bright as the sun.”
• Words that show distance: The poem uses phrases like “a long way up,” “inch by inch,” “higher and higher,” and “half-yard higher” to indicate distance.

Phrases/Idioms:

• beginning to sink: Meaning to lose hope or courage.
• low despair: A deep feeling of hopelessness.
• silken, filmy clue: Refers to the fine, delicate thread of the spider’s web.
• toils so hard: Meaning to work with great effort.
• anxious minute: A moment filled with worry or suspense.
• foot from his cobweb door: Meaning very close to its destination.
• lose or win it: Meaning succeed or fail.
• steadily, steadily, inch by inch: Showing consistent and gradual progress.
• bold little run at the very last pinch: A final burst of effort in a difficult situation.
• defied despair: Meaning to resist or overcome hopelessness.
• braced his mind: Meaning to prepare oneself mentally for something difficult.
• tried and tried: Repeated efforts.

One Word Substitutions:

• endeavour: an attempt to do something new or difficult
• toil: work very hard and/or for a long time
• strive: to try very hard to achieve something
• braced: prepared themselves for something difficult