“On the Vanity of Worldly Greatness” is a poem written by Arthur Guiterman, an American poet and journalist, is best known for his humorous verse. Through humor, he has tried to depict the reality of human beings and animals caused by the change in time. It shows the bitter reality that the power of animals or human beings doesn’t remain the same when time and situation change.
Time is such a thing on which we cannot get the victory. Nature has given us limited time to live and exercise our power. Beyond that time, we cannot move according to our desire. Only in a favorable time and situation, we can perform our actions or activities.
Julius Caesar was a great warrior and a famous general statesman. He earned a great name and fame in his time through his strength and power. But that power lost its value with the change in the time and situation. He does not possess any arm and power to show his power of the past. His head is on the shelf and weapons and other things belongings are only in the museum in the form of history.
The Roman emperor Charlemagne was great in his time by his sword, power. But the power of hi sword also became meaningless due to the change in time. Now that sword has been rusted and is kept useless in the museum. Not only the great kings and warriors, but there is also a good presentation of powerful animals whose value has been decreased. Grizzly bear, whose embrace was very dreadful, has become nothing more than a rug to give warmth. Tusks of mighty brawls of mastodons have been changed into playing things like billiard balls.
All the given examples are concerned with the greatness but the greatness has been turned and reduced to valueless things. The vanity human greatness and animals’ strength have become a good subject to present irony. That irony makes one feel unwell and quite indifferent to the person.
Everybody becomes great in his time and situation but later on, he becomes helpless and valueless. All reputation and achievements will be dismissed quickly. So, it is useless to take pride in one’s power as everything decays and fades away in due course of time.
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