Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

John Frederick Nims’ "Worth in the World" explores the nature of value and significance, questioning conventional measures of worth—fame, political power, financial success, and artistic immortality—before ultimately finding true worth in love and friendship. The poem, a Shakespearean sonnet, follows a contemplative and skeptical movement through various societal constructs of worth, only to conclude with a deeply personal and intimate reassessment of what truly holds value.

The opening question, "Worth in the world, what is it?", immediately establishes the poem’s inquiry into what makes something or someone significant. The speaker presents several possible answers, each representing a different societal metric of value. The first image, "Strand of leaves / Strung in the hair, play-acting old Apollo?", evokes the classical world, where a laurel wreath crowned poets and victors. This suggests that artistic or intellectual achievement might be a form of worth, but the phrase "play-acting" undercuts its seriousness, implying that such distinctions may be little more than performance.

The next possible measure is political influence: "Or a mike-in-fist politico who achieves / Such thunder as resounds from any hollow?" The "mike-in-fist" suggests a charismatic, speech-making politician, someone who commands attention. But the "thunder"—which typically suggests power and grandeur—is immediately qualified as something that "resounds from any hollow." This phrase hints at the emptiness or superficiality of political rhetoric, suggesting that political acclaim might be more noise than substance.

Nims then turns to the realm of commercial success and spectacle: "A neon name curvaceous on façades / Where chink and jingle of coin are offering Sanctus?" The "neon name curvaceous" conjures images of flashing lights on theaters or advertisements, a reference to fame and public recognition. The "chink and jingle of coin" likens financial success to a kind of religious ritual ("offering Sanctus", the sacred hymn in Christian liturgy). This suggests that in the modern world, money and celebrity are often worshiped like deities, though the poem subtly questions their actual worth.

The next image introduces artistic immortality: "Or flesh turned bronze or marble, above quads, / Bird-streaked, graffiti-twitted?" Here, "flesh turned bronze or marble" alludes to statues erected to commemorate historical figures, a traditional marker of legacy and importance. But the mention of "bird-streaked, graffiti-twitted" reminds the reader that even such monuments are subject to defacement and neglect. The presence of "graffiti" suggests that time and public opinion may eventually degrade these once-revered symbols of greatness, making their permanence questionable.

This accumulation of images leads to the speaker’s skepticism: "Such glories ranked us / With those presumptuous fame calls Men of Worth?" The phrase "presumptuous fame" implies that the attribution of worth by public recognition is inherently flawed or overblown. The speaker is questioning whether these conventional accolades—political clout, wealth, celebrity, artistic commemoration—are truly indicative of value, or if they are merely the results of polls, the arbitrary judgments of society.

It is in the volta, the poem’s shift in focus, that Nims presents his alternative answer: "When I sit mulling what avails on earth / Your love at once claims eminent domain." The phrase "mulling what avails on earth" recalls Shakespeare’s existential musings on human significance, particularly from Hamlet and the sonnets. But instead of despairing over the transience of earthly achievements, the speaker finds certainty in love. The phrase "eminent domain"—a legal term for the government's right to claim private property for public use—suggests that love is not just something personally meaningful but an undeniable force that overrules all other claims to worth.

The final couplet personalizes this revelation: "Its world of worth! I've some too, in the end, / My worth in being your unworthiest friend." Here, the speaker finds a paradoxical fulfillment—not in personal accolades, but in being valued by another. The phrase "your unworthiest friend" recalls Shakespearean expressions of humility, where love grants significance to the otherwise insignificant. The poem ultimately suggests that worth is not something externally granted by society, but something intrinsic and relational, found in love and connection rather than in public acclaim.

By structuring the poem as a sonnet, Nims aligns himself with a poetic tradition that often grapples with questions of love and value. The Shakespearean form, with its logical progression from argument to resolution, allows him to contrast societal definitions of worth with his own conclusion. The rhyme scheme reinforces this movement, building toward the final epiphany in the couplet.

"Worth in the World" ultimately rejects material and institutional measures of significance in favor of the personal. While the opening quatrains explore different forms of worldly acclaim, each is subtly undercut by irony or transience. In contrast, love emerges as the only form of worth that is both undeniable and enduring. By framing this realization within the intimate context of friendship, the poem finds in human relationships a permanence that fame, fortune, and even artistic legacy cannot provide.

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