Comments on: Manvotional: Opportunity by Edward Rowland Sill

By: manly mike

manly mike — Mon, 03 Dec 2012 16:18:05 +0000

im going over this poem right now and im in 7th grade and i love it [ a manly kinda love]

By: matt

matt — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 18:05:30 +0000

Memorized this 15 years ago in junior high and its probably the only poem I can still recite from memory

By: G2Guitars

G2Guitars — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 17:37:00 +0000

A sword does not a man make.

By: Jason Gekeler

Jason Gekeler — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 02:57:05 +0000

I asked my 14 year old son if he understood the meaning of the poem. He replied, “Of course dad. It’s about the man, not the sword.”

I have to say I am proud of that boy.

By: Alexander

Alexander — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 02:49:51 +0000

Very nice poem. Had to reread it twice to get the full message.

Didn’t know that craven means a coward. I required the assistance of a dictionary to learn that.

By: Brucifer

Brucifer — Sun, 15 Aug 2010 23:54:49 +0000

aside from opportunity, the moral of the story of course = is it not the weapon, but the wielder.

what’s the saying? ,,,,, amateurs discuss caliber, magazine capacity and stopping power, …. professionals discuss tactics.

But yeah Dave, roger that.

By: Josh

Josh — Sun, 15 Aug 2010 23:06:32 +0000

Princes should know better…always carry a spare sword.

By: Derrick

Derrick — Sun, 15 Aug 2010 22:20:29 +0000

By George, you hit the nail square on the head Dave!

By: Michael

Michael — Sun, 15 Aug 2010 15:02:07 +0000

Oh yeah, well I know all the words to Kumbaya.
All nine of them.

By: Dave Lewis

Dave Lewis — Sun, 15 Aug 2010 13:09:39 +0000

I memorized that back in 7th grade (1964). Today you wouldn’t be allowed to read the poem to yourself or even think about it (and that’s probably coming). Why? It tells of a prince – not democratically elected and obviously a member of an evil ruling class. The prince is engaged in a battle and did not take the time to reach out to and negotiate with his enemies. Instead the prince glorified violence. The hero of the story, a fellow named Craven, showed that he was too proud to fight and quickly voted with his feet in order to go home to booze and babes. In the last couple of lines the evil prince snatches up the illegal discarded M-16 assault sword and slaughters his enemies who were probably members of minority and otherwise disadvantaged groups.