Poems about Ambition

Ambition is evident in Stein's avant-garde approach in 'Sacred Emily.' The deliberate departure from conventional poetic norms and the challenging use of repetition and abstraction showcase a poet with the ambition to redefine language and engage readers in an intellectually ambitious exploration of linguistic possibilities.

Argonauts.

That is plenty.

Cunning saxon symbol.

Symbol of beauty.

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Pictor Ignotus

by Robert Browning

‘Pictor Ignotus’ is a poem about an artist who chooses obscurity over fame, painting religious works in solitude rather than seeking public acclaim.

The painter's lack of ambition to seek fame is central. He reflects on his choice to stay obscure, questioning if it was wise. This introspection reveals his struggle with ambition and impacts his sense of self-worth and fulfillment.

I could have painted pictures like that youth’s

Ye praise so. How my soul springs up! No bar

Stayed me–ah, thought which saddens while it soothes!

–Never did fate forbid me, star by star,

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The Planster’s Vision

by John Betjeman

‘The Planster’s Vision’ by John Betjeman satirizes the goals of men who indiscriminately demolish buildings of cultural or aesthetic significance.

Ambition is a powerful topic addressed in the poem, as it is the ambition of people like the "planster" that Betjeman takes big issue with. The whole point of the poem is to satirize the blind ambition of these men who fancy themselves visionaries when in reality, all they're doing is snuffing out much of what already enriches the world.

Cut down that timber! Bells, too many and strong,

Pouring their music through the branches bare,

From moon-white church-towers down the windy air

Have pealed the centuries out with Evensong.

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The Famous Writer

by Daniel Galef

‘The Famous Writer’ by Daniel Galef is a compelling poem about the effects of fame. The speaker is aware that fame is destructive but wants to experience it for himself.

The poem reflects on the ambition that drives people to seek fame. Despite knowing the negative consequences, the speaker wants to experience fame firsthand. This ambition is a powerful motivator, pushing people to strive for success and recognition. The desire to achieve something great often overshadows the risks involved. Ambition can lead to the relentless pursuit of fame.

You’ll think yourself a marble bust. You’re slate,

(...)

Remakes it as their own so they can lunge

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On The Birth of a Son

by Su Tung-Po

Su Tung-Po’s ‘On The Birth of a Son’ explores the place of intelligence in society, examining how it leads to unhappiness rather than joy.

The poem reflects parents' ambition for their children, particularly in the desire for the child to become a cabinet minister. This ambition can outweigh their desire for their child actually to lead a happy life.

Families when a child is born

Hope it will turn out intelligent.

I, through intelligence

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dear white america

by Danez Smith

‘dear white america’ by Danez Smith is a fearless cry for racial equality, exploring concerns of injustice as well as the unwavering hope for a just society for everyone.

The poem radiates the desire to build a new story and life for black people in order to affirm the importance of their lives. The poem emphasizes the desire to resist injustice and to commit to challenging and changing the prevailing social order. This ambition is motivated by the belief that change is possible in the world and that a world devoid of hatred and racial prejudices may exist.

i’ve left Earth in search of darker planets, a solar system revolving too near a black hole. i’ve left in search of a new God. i do not trust the God you have given us. my grandmother’s hallelujah is

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L’Envoi (1881)

by Rudyard Kipling

‘L’Envoi’ by Rudyard Kipling reflects on the nature and purpose of poetry and considers the poet’s legacy.

This poem touches on the theme of ambition, specifically the desire for recognition and fame that drives many writers and poets. The poem speaks to the fleeting nature of such ambitions, suggesting that even the most celebrated writers and poets will ultimately be forgotten.

Rhymes, or of grief or of sorrow

Pass and are not,

Rhymes of today—tomorrow

Lie forgot.

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The White Man’s Burden

by Rudyard Kipling

In this controversial poem, Rudyard Kipling taps into the imperialist mindset and what he, and others, saw as the “white man’s burden.”

In this poem, Kipling expresses a controversial ambition to control and change other cultures considered lesser by his century's standards. It's an ambition that the speaker believes everyone else should share.

Take up the White man's burden

Send forth the best ye breed

Go bind your sons to exile

To serve your captives' need;

#10

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Parades, Parades

by Derek Walcott

‘Parades, Parades’ by Derek Walcott is an interesting, allusion-filled poem that discusses Saint Lucia after the end of British colonial rule.

Walcott suggests that the politician's ambition is getting in the way of them actually helping the country.

There's the wide desert, but no one marches

except in the pads of old caravans,

there is the ocean, but the keels incise

the precise, old parallels,

#11

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Portrait of Zimri

by John Dryden

‘Portrait of Zimri’ by John Dryden is a political satire that showcases how people in power can be consumed by hollow and pretentious self interest.

Ambition is an important topic in this poem. It's seen through Dryden's depiction of the poem's main character, particularly in his comparison to Zimiri. The poet focuses on the man's ambition and greed and how it changes his life.

Some of their chiefs were princes of the land:

In the first rank of these did Zimri stand:

A man so various, that he seem'd to be

Not one, but all Mankind's Epitome.

#12

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Spring Letter

by Carl Dennis

Carl Dennis’s ‘Spring Letter’ reflects on change and introspection, finding beauty in everyday moments and the pursuit of personal growth.

It does touch on the theme of ambition, but it's not its central focus. It hints at the idea of ambition through the lines, "Tomorrow I may ask myself again if my staying / Is a sign of greater enlightenment or smaller ambition." However, ambition isn't extensively explored, and the poem doesn't delve deeply into the concept of ambition itself. Instead, it lightly touches on the idea within the context of the narrator's contemplation about their choices and staying in the neighborhood.

With the warmer days the shops on Elmwood

Stay open later, still busy long after sundown.

It looks like the neighborhood’s coming back.

Gone are the boarded storefronts that you interpreted,

#13

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The Fig Tree

by Sylvia Plath

‘The Fig Tree’ by Sylvia Plath is a prose poem wherein the author describes feeling overwhelmed with the amount of choices that are ahead of them.

By discussing how she sees the future, and all of its possibilities, the narrator is demonstrating her ambitions. She describes her hopes for the future, even when they are not fully compatible with each other. She discusses her professional ambitions as well as her ambitions to see the world, and her ambitions for some kind of stability.

I saw my life branching out before me

like the tip is tree in then tie a fat

purple fig, a wonderful future

beckoned and winked. One fig was a

#14

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The Migrant

by A. L. Hendriks

‘The Migrant’ by A. L. Hendriks is an emotional journey of a migrant. It deals with themes of fear and resilience.

This poem touches upon ambition indirectly through the woman's pursuit of better economic prospects. While the poem doesn't explicitly delve into her ambitions, the decision to migrate for improved opportunities suggests an underlying ambition for a better life. The mention of reading travel brochures, considering the onward journey, and studying a new language can be interpreted as the woman's proactive efforts to adapt and succeed in her new environment.

She could not remember anything about the voyage,

Her country of origin, or if someone had paid for the passage.

Of such she had no recollection.

#15

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VIII

by Stephen Spender

‘VIII’ by Stephen Spender is a short symbolic poem highlighting and criticizing the attributes of selfishness. Throughout the poem, Spender refers to selfishness as the “I” character.

The poem highlights the subject's ambition to "advance" and how he believes being selfish will help him fulfil this ambition. Spender speaks more to readers than the subject when he thoroughly rebuts his subject's belief.

An ‘I’ can never be great man.

This known great one has weakness

To friends is most remarkable for weakness

15+ Inspiring Poems about Ambition

(15 to start, 30+ to explore)

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15+ Inspiring Poems about Ambition

(15 to start, 30+ to explore)

by Arthur Yap

by Gertrude Stein

by Robert Browning

by John Betjeman

by Daniel Galef

by Su Tung-Po

by Danez Smith

by Rudyard Kipling

by Rudyard Kipling

by Derek Walcott

by John Dryden

by Carl Dennis

by Sylvia Plath

by A. L. Hendriks

by Stephen Spender

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