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Analyzing Berton Braley's Poem 'Start Where You Stand'

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Analyzing Berton Braley's Poem 'Start Where You Stand'
Always Look Ahead

In life, it can be hard not to dwell on the past, but the past is gone and the present is what truly matters. If something happened in the past, then it can be hard to move on and focus on what matters. The future will bring a new challenge to focus. In “Start Where You Stand”, Berton Braley tells the reader to never look back and to not dwell on what has already happened. Braley also states that no one will care about what yesterday brought. Today is what matters, not past defeats. Braley’s use of metaphors and imagery, with an encouraging tone, leaves the reader feeling inspired, with the theme of “always move forward in life.”

Metaphors and imagery are used to help form a picture in the reader’s mind, as Berton Braley
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His comment, “ . . . never mind the past. . . “ ( stanza 1, line 1), tells the reader to forget about the past and move on to what is happening right now. Buzz Lightyear said, “To infinity and beyond!” Berton Braley is telling everyone to go forward and go to, “Infinity and Beyond!”, by saying, “ … What has been, has been; yesterday is dead” ( Stanza 3, line 22), meaning that everyone should push their limits further than they ever thought that their limits could go. “ … The world won’t care about your old defeats…” (Stanza 2, line 9), tells the reader that no one will care about who could not do something in the past, but, they will care about what achievements have been made since then. “ … And leave the past to ancient history, … “ (Stanza 3, line 20), tells the reader that the past is history and is not as important as the future. Moving forward in life will help anyone have a positive outlook on life. Life can be hard sometimes, but dwelling on the past will not help the future . Berton Braley’s poem, “Start Where You Stand” tells everyone that the future is what matters, not the past, and to never look back. Braley’s use of metaphors and imagery help the reader visualize what he is declaring. “Start Where You Stand’’ tells the reader to keep moving forward in life. Braley encourages the reader to never mind what has already happened and to look forward to the future. After reading the

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