PROJECT IN

DEVELOPMENTAL
READING

Submitted to:

Dr. Maria Clara C. Cardano

Submitted by:

Clariza Joy N. Lopez

 Life’s Scars

By: Ella Wheeler

Life's Scars

By Ella Wheeler

They say the world is round, and yet

I often think it square,
So many little hurts we get
From corners here and there.
But one great truth in life I've found,
While journeying to the West-
The only folks who really wound
Are those we love the best.

The man you thoroughly despise

Can rouse your wrath, 'tis true;
Annoyance in your heart will rise
At things mere strangers do;
But those are only passing ills;
This rule all lives will prove;
The rankling wound which aches and thrills
Is dealt by hands we love.

The choicest garb, the sweetest grace,

Are oft to strangers shown;
The careless mien, the frowning face,
Are given to our own.
We flatter those we scarcely know,
We please the fleeting guest,
And deal full many a thoughtless blow
To those who love us best.

Love does not grow on every tree,

Nor true hearts yearly bloom.
Alas for those who only see
This cut across a tomb!
But, soon or late, the fact grows plain
To all through sorrow's test:
The only folks who give us pain
Are those we love the best.
I. Speaker

The speaker of the poem Life’s Scars by Ella Wheeler is a person who is probably
suffering from a painful experience, feeling depressed and questioning the unfairness of the
world. He/She might be asking, why is it that the people we love the most and are most
important to us ended up hurting us so bad.

II. Mood and Tone

Upon reading and analyzing the poem, I felt the mood of melancholy. The author makes
me realize how ironic we are in our actions. We please those we little know and frown with
those we know the most. I felt so sad with the reality that those people we treasure the most
gives us the most painful heartbreaks.

The tone of the poem is something that is somber or dark, serious and gloomy. The
author uses negative words such as pain, hurts, wrath, frowning and sorrow.

III. Paraphrase

We get hurt so many times. We suffered pain from so many causes and places. But, our
major hurts are caused by a loved one. It is because we expect more from them. We expect
them to love, care, and protect us. So if they do the opposite, it is depressing. Although those
people that we hate also cause us pain, it is still incomparable to the aches and thrills caused
by the people we value.

It is indeed ironic for us to treat strangers politely and with a smile but shows worst
treatment to those persons close to us. Only to realize that time passes by so fast, and we
cannot turn back time to correct our behavior towards them.

True love is rare, it is very hard to find. The right time will come, and we will meet the
right person for us. We will experience so much happiness. But sooner or later, we will
experience pain. There we will realize that the only person who caused us true pain is the
person we truly love.

IV. Theme

The poem is full of wisdom. Its theme is that Love and Pain go together. They work
hand-on-hand