Try Again | CBSE Class 7 English Notes

This note covers Eliza Cook's poem "Try Again": a stanza-by-stanza summary, the poetic devices, the rhyme scheme, why the poet repeats words, the themes, how the poem builds suspense, the lesson of King Bruce and the spider, key quotations, and answers to the textbook questions.

It explains who King Bruce and the spider are, summarises the poem stanza by stanza, lists the poetic devices and rhyme scheme used, draws out the poem's themes of perseverance and hope, gives key quotations, and answers the textbook's own exercise questions on the poem.

Who wrote "Try Again" and what is this poem about?

"Try Again" is written by Eliza Cook. It appears in Poorvi, the Class 7 English textbook, as the second piece of Unit 1, "Learning Together".

The unit introduction describes the poem as one that "inspires resilience and the power of perseverance, encouraging students to view challenges as stepping stones to success."

The poem is written in a narrative style, meaning it tells a story through verse.

It describes King Bruce of Scotland, who has failed again and again at "trying to do a great deed, to make his people glad" and sinks into despair.

While he sits brooding, he watches a spider trying repeatedly to climb a long silk thread to its web on the ceiling. The spider falls many times but keeps trying, and on its ninth attempt it finally succeeds.

Watching this, King Bruce decides that if the spider can keep trying, so can he, and the poem ends by saying that when Bruce tried once more, "that time did not fail".

The poem's central idea, as the textbook's own exercise phrases it, is about never giving up even after repeated failure, because persistence (continuing to try despite setbacks) eventually leads to success.

What happens in the poem, stanza by stanza?

Stanzas 1 to 2: King Bruce's low mood

The poem opens with King Bruce flinging himself down "in a lonely mood to think". Although he is a monarch who "wore a crown", his heart "was beginning to sink".

The reason is given at once: he had been trying to achieve "a great deed, to make his people glad", but despite trying repeatedly, he "couldn't succeed" and so became "quite sad".

Stanzas 3 to 4: despair and the spider's arrival

Bruce flings himself down again, this time "in low despair", as grieved "as man could be". After pondering a while, he decides, "I'll give it all up".

At that very moment, a spider drops down "with its silken, filmy clue" (a fine, thread-like line), catching his attention and interrupting his gloomy thoughts.

Stanzas 5 to 6: the spider's difficult climb begins

The poet explains that it was "a long way up to the ceiling dome" and the spider hung "by a rope so fine" that Bruce could not imagine how it would reach its web.

The spider begins to "cling and crawl / Straight up with strong endeavour" (great effort), but it slips and comes down "with a slippery sprawl", almost back to the ground.

Stanzas 7 to 8: repeated falls, no complaints

The spider runs "up, up" again without pausing "to utter the least complaint", but it falls lower still and lies "a little dizzy and faint". Yet its "head grew steady" and it tries again, travelling "a half-yard higher" along the "delicate thread it had to tread".

Stanzas 9 to 10: nine attempts and the King's doubt

The spider falls and swings below again, but "quickly mounted" once more. The poet counts "nine brave attempts" made "up and down, now fast, now slow".

Watching this, King Bruce calls the spider "that foolish thing" and predicts it "will strive no more to climb" since it tumbles every time it tries so hard.

Stanzas 11 to 12: the final, successful attempt

Against the King's expectation, the spider goes "up... once more". The poet calls this "an anxious minute" as the spider is "only a foot from his cobweb door".

Then, "steadily, steadily, inch by inch", it climbs higher, and with "a bold little run at the very last pinch" it finally reaches "his native cot" (its home).

Stanzas 13 to 14: Bruce's resolve

King Bruce cries, "Bravo, bravo! All honour to those who try." He notes that the spider "defied despair" and "conquered", asking "why shouldn't I?" The final stanza tells us that Bruce "braced his mind" (prepared himself firmly) and tried once more, and this time, "that time did not fail".

What poetic devices does the poet use in this poem?

Eliza Cook uses several poetic devices in "Try Again" to bring King Bruce's story and the spider's struggle to life.

Repetition

Repetition means repeating a word or phrase for emphasis. The textbook exercise points to phrases such as "tried and tried", "steadily, steadily" and "up, up".

These repeated words stress how long and effortful the trying was: "tried and tried" shows repeated failed attempts, "up, up" shows continuous upward effort, and "steadily, steadily" shows the slow, careful final climb.

Alliteration

Alliteration is the repetition of the same consonant sound at the start of closely connected words. Examples in the poem include "slippery sprawl" and "steadily, steadily". The textbook asks students to pick three such examples themselves from the text.

Metaphor

The textbook explains a metaphor as "a figure of speech that involves an implied comparison between two unlike things without using 'like', 'as', or 'as...as'".

It states that the spider's climbing is compared to King Bruce's own struggles: "Just as the spider repeatedly attempts to reach its web, Bruce is trying to achieve a great deed for his people." This comparison "strengthens the poem's message about perseverance, keep trying till we succeed", according to the textbook.

Imagery and sound effects

The poet builds vivid imagery (word pictures that appeal to the senses) through phrases like "silken, filmy clue", "a slippery sprawl" and "a bold little run at the very last pinch", helping readers picture the spider's delicate thread and clumsy falls.

What is the rhyme scheme and poetic structure of the poem?

Each stanza of "Try Again" has four lines, and the first and third lines rhyme with each other while the second and fourth lines rhyme with each other, for example "down... crown" and "think... sink" in the opening stanza.

This pattern is the ABAB rhyme scheme, one of the three options given in the textbook's own fill-in-the-blank exercise.

The poem also uses contractions such as "'Twas" (it was) and "'Tis" (it is). The textbook exercise asks students to choose why the poet uses these forms from the options rhythm, rhyme or contraction; shortening the words to a single syllable helps the line keep a steady rhythm, the regular beat of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line of verse.

The word "Bravo" used by King Bruce near the end is an example of an interjection, a word or short phrase that expresses sudden emotion, here, excitement at the spider's success.

Why does the poet repeat words and phrases in the poem?

The textbook specifically asks why the poet repeats "tried and tried", "steadily, steadily" and "up, up". Repetition here is used to stretch out and intensify the action being described, making the reader feel how long and hard the effort was.

"Tried and tried" emphasises that King Bruce did not fail just once, he made many attempts at his great deed before giving up. "Up, up it ran" conveys the spider's continuous, determined upward movement without pause. "Steadily, steadily, inch by inch" slows the pace of the lines to match the spider's careful, controlled final climb, building suspense before its success.

In each case, repetition mirrors the poem's larger theme: real effort is rarely a single smooth action but a repeated, sometimes faltering, process.

What are the themes of the poem?

Perseverance and never giving up

The poem's clearest theme is perseverance, continuing to try despite repeated failure. The spider falls again and again yet "quickly mounted" each time, making "nine brave attempts" before succeeding. King Bruce draws the lesson directly: "All honour to those who try."

Inspiration from unexpected sources

A king, described as sunk in despair, is inspired not by an advisor or a grand event but by a small spider. This suggests that encouragement and lessons can come from the most ordinary, unexpected places if one pays attention.

From despair to hope and renewed effort

The poem traces an emotional journey: Bruce moves from being "in a lonely mood", through "low despair" and wanting to "give it all up", to crying "Bravo, bravo!" and bracing his mind to try once more.

This arc shows that despair need not be the end of effort, and the poem closes on the hopeful note that his renewed attempt "did not fail".

How does the poem build suspense and emotion?

Eliza Cook builds suspense (a feeling of tension about what will happen) through the spider's repeated climbs and falls. Each time the spider nearly reaches its goal and then tumbles, the reader wonders whether it will ever succeed.

The tension peaks near the end, when the spider is "only a foot from his cobweb door" and the poet directly addresses the reader: "Oh say, will he lose or win it?" This question, asked just before the spider's final successful run, heightens the emotional stakes of the small creature's struggle.

King Bruce's own doubt adds to this suspense. After nine failed attempts, he predicts the spider "will strive no more to climb". The spider's success immediately after this prediction makes the final triumph feel more dramatic and more convincing as a lesson for the King.

What can we learn from King Bruce and the spider?

King Bruce's own words sum up the lesson he draws from the spider: "He conquered, and why shouldn't I?" Watching a tiny creature refuse to give up after nine failures makes the King question his own decision to abandon his "great deed" after far fewer attempts.

The spider itself never complains, "not a second to stay, to utter the least complaint", even when it falls "a little dizzy and faint".

Its patient, steady effort, especially the careful final climb described as "steadily, steadily, inch by inch", shows that success can come from slow, controlled persistence rather than one dramatic leap.

The final stanza confirms that the lesson worked in practice: Bruce "braced his mind" and tried again, and "that time did not fail". The poem thus uses the spider as a simple, memorable model of how to respond to repeated failure.

What are the key quotations from the poem?

"He had tried and tried, but couldn't succeed / And so he became quite sad." (narrator, describing King Bruce's early failure)

"'I'll give it all up,' said he." (King Bruce, deciding to abandon his effort)

"Up, up it ran, not a second to stay, / To utter the least complaint." (narrator, describing the spider's effort)

"Till up and down, now fast, now slow, / Nine brave attempts were counted." (narrator, counting the spider's tries)

"Steadily, steadily, inch by inch, / Higher and higher he got." (narrator, describing the spider's final climb)

"'Bravo, bravo!' the King cried out, / 'All honour to those who try.'" (King Bruce, praising the spider's success)

"He conquered, and why shouldn't I?" (King Bruce, resolving to try again)

What are the answers to the textbook questions?

The summary fill-in-the-blanks exercise ("Let us discuss" I) uses the words from the given box as follows: King Bruce was feeling low after failing multiple times to achieve something great for his people.

In a moment of despair, he observed a spider trying to reach its web. The spider mounted every time it fell after getting close to its goal, making nine attempts and finally succeeding.

The King said the spider had conquered, so he decided to strive; when he tried this time, he ultimately succeeded.

For the "Let us discuss" V exercise: the rhyme scheme is ABAB; "Bravo" is an interjection; and the poet uses "'twas" and "'tis" for the sake of rhythm.

For "Let us discuss" VI.1, matching metaphor (M) and simile (S): "He ran as fast as a cheetah" (S); "The world is a stage" (M); "The night was as dark as coal" (S); "He sang like an angel" (S); "Her voice was music to his ears" (M); "The classroom was a zoo" (M); "The baby slept like a log" (S); "Her smile was as bright as the sun" (S); "The lake was a mirror, reflecting the sky" (M).

For "Let us learn" I, the opposites of words from the poem are: up × down; fast × slow; glad × sad; win × lose; succeed × fail.

For "Let us learn" II, matching the underlined words to meanings from the box: "endeavour" in "Please make every endeavour to arrive on time" means an attempt to do something new or difficult; "toil" in "Ants toil tirelessly to save food" means work very hard and/or for a long time; "strive" in "We encourage all students to strive to do their best" means to try very hard to achieve something; "braced" in "The sailors braced themselves against the strong wind" means prepared themselves for something difficult.

For the "Let us think and reflect" extract questions: the phrase showing the physical expression of the King's emotional state is "He flung himself down"; the word "low" before "despair" emphasises how deep and intense his despair is; "pondered" means thought; and "silken filmy clue" creates an image of something very delicate and soft.

In the second extract, two characteristics of the spider shown by "up the insect went once more" are its determination and its courage in trying again despite earlier failures; "Ah me!" indicates a sense of stress.

Glossary

• Endeavour — an attempt to do something new or difficult; also, great effort.
• Toil — to work very hard and/or for a long time.
• Strive — to try very hard to achieve something.
• Braced — prepared oneself firmly for something difficult.
• Despair — a complete loss of hope.
• Pondered — thought carefully about something.
• Silken, filmy clue — a fine, delicate, thread-like line, here the spider's silk thread.
• Sprawl — an awkward, spread-out fall or slip.
• Divine — (here) to guess or work out by thought.
• Conquered — overcame or won against a difficulty.
• Interjection — a word or short phrase expressing sudden feeling, such as "Bravo!"
• Metaphor — an implied comparison between two unlike things without using "like" or "as".
• Alliteration — repetition of the same consonant sound at the start of closely connected words.
• Rhythm — the regular pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line of verse.
• Native cot — the spider's own home, here its web.

Common errors and misconceptions

• Misconception: The poem is only about a spider. Correct: The spider's climb is a parallel story used to change King Bruce's mind; the poem is mainly about Bruce's own despair and renewed effort.
• Misconception: King Bruce succeeds at his task within the poem itself. Correct: The poem only says that when he tried once more, "that time did not fail"; it does not describe the deed in detail.
• Misconception: The spider succeeds on its first or second try. Correct: The poem counts "nine brave attempts" before the spider finally reaches its web.
• Misconception: "'Twas" and "'tis" are modern spelling mistakes. Correct: They are deliberate poetic contractions of "it was" and "it is", used for rhythm.
• Misconception: The rhyme scheme is AABB. Correct: Lines 1 and 3, and lines 2 and 4, rhyme in each stanza, giving an ABAB pattern.
• Misconception: "Bravo" is an adjective describing the spider. Correct: "Bravo" is an interjection expressing the King's excitement, not a describing word.

Exam-style questions with model answers

Q1. What was King Bruce trying to do before the poem begins, and how did he feel about it? [2 marks]

2. He had been trying to do a great deed to make his people glad, but despite trying repeatedly he could not succeed.
3. This failure made him sad and, later, filled with despair.

Q2. In the lines "He flung himself down in low despair, / As grieved as man could be", identify the phrase describing the King's physical action and explain what it shows about his state of mind. [2 marks]

1. The phrase "flung himself down" describes his physical action.
2. It shows that his despair was so great that he threw himself down heavily, reflecting deep hopelessness rather than calm sitting or thinking.

Q3. How does the spider's behaviour change King Bruce's attitude by the end of the poem? [4 marks]

1. At the start, Bruce is in despair and decides, "I'll give it all up," after failing at his great deed.
2. While watching the spider's climb, he initially doubts it, calling it "that foolish thing" after it fails nine times.
3. When the spider succeeds on its final attempt, Bruce cries "Bravo, bravo!" and praises "all honour to those who try".
4. He directly compares himself to the spider, asking "why shouldn't I?" and resolves to try once more, which succeeds, showing a complete change from giving up to renewed determination.

Q4. Identify the rhyme scheme of the poem and quote one example from the first stanza to support your answer. [2 marks]

1. The rhyme scheme is ABAB.
2. In the first stanza, "down" rhymes with "crown" (lines 1 and 3), and "think" rhymes with "sink" (lines 2 and 4).

Q5. Why does the poet repeat the phrases "tried and tried", "steadily, steadily" and "up, up" in the poem? [3 marks]

1. "Tried and tried" emphasises that King Bruce made many attempts, not just one, before giving up.
2. "Up, up" stresses the spider's continuous, determined upward movement without pausing to complain.
3. "Steadily, steadily, inch by inch" slows the pace of the lines to match the spider's careful, controlled final climb, building suspense before its success.

Q6. Explain, with reference to the poem, how the spider's climb is used as a metaphor for King Bruce's own struggle. [4 marks]

1. A metaphor is an implied comparison between two unlike things without using "like" or "as".
2. The spider repeatedly tries, fails and tries again to reach its web high on the ceiling, falling nine times before succeeding.
3. King Bruce has similarly been trying repeatedly to achieve a great deed for his people and has failed and lost hope.
4. By watching the spider succeed after many failures, Bruce sees his own situation reflected in it, which strengthens the poem's message that perseverance leads to success.

Q7. "The poem teaches us that failures are stepping stones to success." Explain this statement with reference to the spider's attempts. [5 marks]

1. The spider does not reach its web in one attempt; it falls repeatedly, described as coming down "with a slippery sprawl" and later lying "a little dizzy and faint".
2. Despite nine falls, it does not give up, and each attempt takes it closer, for example "it travelled a half-yard higher" after an earlier fall.
3. Its final, successful run, "steadily, steadily, inch by inch", would not have been possible without the practice and learning gained from the earlier failed attempts.
4. King Bruce draws the same lesson for himself, deciding that his own past failures need not mean the end of his effort.
5. The poem's ending, where Bruce tries again and "that time did not fail", confirms that repeated failure can lead directly to eventual success if effort continues.

Q8. Give the meanings of "toil", "strive" and "braced" as used in the poem's related exercise sentences, and use each in a sentence of your own. [3 marks]

1. "Toil" means to work very hard and/or for a long time; for example, farmers toil in the fields from dawn to dusk.
2. "Strive" means to try very hard to achieve something; for example, she continues to strive for better marks every term.
3. "Braced" means prepared oneself firmly for something difficult; for example, the team braced themselves for a tough match.

Key takeaways

• "Try Again" by Eliza Cook is a narrative poem about King Bruce of Scotland, who is inspired by a persistent spider.
• Bruce had failed repeatedly at "a great deed" for his people and decides, "I'll give it all up," before watching the spider.
• The spider makes "nine brave attempts" to climb a thread to its web, falling each time but trying again.
• On its final attempt, the spider climbs "steadily, steadily, inch by inch" and finally reaches its home.
• Bruce cries "Bravo, bravo!" and asks "why shouldn't I?", then tries once more and succeeds.
• The poem's rhyme scheme is ABAB, and it uses repetition, alliteration and metaphor as key poetic devices.
• "'Twas" and "'tis" are contractions used for rhythm, and "Bravo" is an example of an interjection.
• The central theme is perseverance: continuing to try despite repeated failure, inspired by an unexpected, ordinary source.

Test yourself

What task had King Bruce been trying and failing to do before the poem's events?

He had been trying to do a great deed to make his people glad, but he tried repeatedly and could not succeed.

How many attempts did the spider make before it finally reached its web?

The spider made nine brave attempts, falling and climbing repeatedly, before it finally succeeded on the final try.

What does King Bruce call the spider after it fails nine times, and what does this show?

He calls it "that foolish thing" and predicts it will strive no more, showing he doubts persistence can succeed.

What is the rhyme scheme of "Try Again"?

The rhyme scheme is ABAB, with the first and third lines rhyming and the second and fourth lines rhyming.

Why does the poet use the contractions "'twas" and "'tis" in the poem?

They are used for the sake of rhythm, shortening the words to keep the regular beat of each line.

What does King Bruce decide to do after watching the spider succeed?

He decides to try his great deed once more, asking "why shouldn't I?", and this time he does not fail.

What is a metaphor, and how is one used in this poem?

A metaphor is an implied comparison without "like" or "as"; the spider's climb is compared to Bruce's own struggle to succeed.

What part of speech is the word "Bravo" as used by King Bruce?

"Bravo" is an interjection, a word expressing sudden emotion, here the King's excitement at the spider's success.