Paradoxical Commandments
People are foten unreasonable, illogical,
and self-centered
Forgive them anyway
If you are kind,
people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives;
Be kind anyway
If you are honest and frank,
people may cheat you;
Be honest and frank anway.
What you spend years building,
someone could destory overnight;
Build anyway.
If you find serenity and happiness,
they may be jealous;
Be happy anyway.
The good you do today,
people will often forget tomorrow;
Do good anyway.
Give the world the best you have,
and it may never be enough;
Give the world the best you've got anyway
Analyze
TPCASTT
T-title: Paradoxical Commandments - this tells the story is paradoxcial
P- paraphrase: Even though other people don't acknowledge good deeds and honesty from the others, they should continue to do good deeds and be honest.
C- connotation: "What you spend years building, someone could destory overnight; Build anyway." Building doesn't literally mean that he is building a tower. It means he accumulates his achievements.
A- attitude: Tone is like poet teaches reader such as giving some lessons.
S- shifts: "People" is repetitive, and "Anyway" is repetitive. These are making rhymes.
T- title: Usually people do something which will helpful for them, but poet wants to do something which other people didn't acknowledge. This is paradoxcial. I think this is the reason why poet put the name, "Paradoxical Commandments".
T- theme: The theme of this peom is to do a good deed even if it will not helpful for us or nobody acknowledge it and to consider other people before we consider ourrselves.
