Myself By Edgar Guest

"Myself", by Edgar Guest, is a poem about someone who has learned an important lesson in life. The speaker has realized that by being open not only with the world but also with themselves that they can better respect themselves. He understands that life goes on and every choice he makes he will have to live with the consequences. Though at the time a decision seems best, it might not be in the future and the actions will stick with someone. Feeling the emotions of sadness, regret, and remorse about an action will usually happen and those actions can be painful to a person. The speaker wants to be proud of his actions and wants to never feel ashamed of them again.
The speaker never seems to deny any actions that he has done in the past but
shows a brighter thought to the present and his future. He states, "I have to live with myself, and so/ I want to be fit for myself to know," the reader knows that he will never forget his actions, so he wants to change himself for the better. The speaker focuses on what he wants out of life and what he wants to succeed in instead of moping about his decisions. He wants to "deserve all men's respect" to further his new decision because he doesn't want to be seen as someone who hides their true appearance to the world. The speaker wants to be able to show his own self-worth to the world by walking with his head held high for all to notice. The poet uses the literary device, repetition, to show the speaker's self-esteem and its importance by repeating "myself" because the speaker is not only getting the point across to the reader that he wants to change but he is also trying to uplift and assure himself.