# Nothing and Something explained — Poetry

> Chapter companion for Poetry by Frances Ellen Watkins Harper.

## What happens

This poem contrasts the dismissive attitudes of various individuals—a beauty, a mother, a young man, a merchant, and a voter—who claim that the dangers of alcohol are 'nothing' to them, only to later face tragic consequences that make it 'something.' It concludes with a call to action, urging readers not to idly sleep but to stand with God against the destructive forces of sin.

## Themes in this chapter

### Social Injustice and Class

The poem illustrates how alcohol abuse devastates families across social roles, from a mother's son to a merchant's family, and criticizes societal indifference that enables such tragedies.

### Resilience and Sacrifice

The final stanza calls for personal sacrifice and active resistance against sin, emphasizing the need to 'learn to labor, live and fight' for a righteous cause.

## Character check-ins

### Unknown Narrator

The narrator presents a moral lesson through a series of vignettes, warning against indifference to the dangers of alcohol.

## Key lines

> It is nothing to me, the beauty said, With a careless toss of her pretty head; The man is weak if he can’t refrain From the cup you say is fraught with pain.

A beautiful woman dismisses warnings about alcohol, blaming the drinker's weakness rather than the drink itself.

_This stanza introduces the theme of denial and its consequences._

> It is nothing to me, the young man cried: In his eye was a flash of scorn and pride; I heed not the dreadful things ye tell: I can rule myself I know full well.

A young man arrogantly claims he can control his drinking, rejecting all warnings.

_This highlights youthful overconfidence leading to ruin._

> It is nothing to me, the merchant said, As over his ledger he bent his head; I’m busy to-day with tare and tret, And I have no time to fume and fret.

A merchant, absorbed in his business calculations, refuses to concern himself with the alcohol problem.

_This shows how economic preoccupation can lead to moral neglect._

> Is it nothing for us to idly sleep While the cohorts of death their vigils keep? To gather the young and thoughtless in And grind in our midst a grist of sin?

The poem asks whether we can remain passive while death and sin ensnare the young and careless.

_This rhetorical question shifts the focus to collective responsibility._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_7_se/chapters/nothing-and-something
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_7_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_7_se/chapters