As human beings, we are configured to strive to get the most out of our lives, no matter what that may be. However, this often means that we manage to sacrifice others. Humans are not perfect, however the mistakes that many people make at some point in their lives are unforgivable. Many believe in an afterlife form. Those who do so also believe that one must be deserving and do good during one's time here on earth to earn admission into the afterlife. The poem “The Listeners,” written by Walter de la Mare, attempts to teach its readers that we all must be our kindest and greatest selves during every single moment of our precious lives on earth. He demonstrates this by showing that those who attempt to venture into eternal life and happiness are never worthy of admission. Therefore, we must revamp our lifestyle and truly begin to realize our fullest potential as a group, without major complications, to deserve a place in eternal heaven. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The setting in which the poem takes place is a crucial part of understanding what the speaker is attempting to teach his readers through the poem. The Traveler comes across a house with “only a host of phantom listeners” inside (Line 13), “crowding the faint moonbeams upon the dark stair, / Which descends into the empty hall” (17-18). The reader is immediately able to recognize that no one else lives in that particular part of the house at that moment, considering that the stairwell leads to an “empty entrance”. This may be due to the fact that the phantom listeners do not allow anyone to climb the ladder to heaven, thus explaining why the hall is empty, having no one worthy enough to be in its presence. Ghost listeners are also known to “crowd” the dark staircase, crowding around it to protect it from strangers. They are doing everything in their power to guard that ladder, for it is the one thing that many of the earth's inhabitants have ever dreamed of, yet they are always too imperfect to be allowed to climb the ladder. These ghosts are essentially the judges of who gets to enter heaven. In addition to the interior of the house, the surroundings of the house also have many key features. The horse on which the Traveler was traveling “in silence chewed the grass / Of the ferny forest floor”. The words “countryside” and “in silence” give off a very calm and distracted feeling, as if the horse doesn't want to worry about what its rider is getting into. Horses have always been known and used as an important means of transportation, especially in earlier times. Through this knowledge we can conclude that the horse represents the passage from the material world to the supernatural one. Considering that so many try and fail to enter eternal life, one could only assume that the horse is a little tired of the situation. Furthermore, as the Traveler approaches the house, a bird flies “out of the turret,/ Over the Traveler's head.” Considering that the bird flew over the Traveler's head, and not just in a nonspecific direction, we know that the bird plays a role in the process of admission to the afterlife. Birds are often depicted as spies, so this bird that flew above the Traveler may well be spying on the Traveler, judging his worthiness or, in most cases, unworthiness. Throughout the poem, the setting, both internal and external, plays a key role in its interpretation. De la Mare follows arigid rhyme scheme within lines two and four, six and eight, ten and twelve, and so on. This happy, sing-song rhyme scheme embodies the cheerful, carefree outlook that those who dwell in the material world have about the idea of ​​going to heaven once their time has come. However, the lack of rhyme in verses one and three, five and seven and the like represents a lack of coherence within humans and their beliefs. Human beings constantly falter in their path to success and in their effort to care for others before themselves, and mistakes are very common. This proves that there is a great improvement that mortal human beings must work on to be worthy of being welcomed into the eternal afterlife. This confusing inconsistency within people's beliefs is the explanation for why the afterlife is such a precious privilege; those who are strong enough to stay on the path to prosperity for all are the ones who have earned entry into heaven. Through this unique rhyme scheme, de la Mare is able to skillfully portray that those who deserve to enter immortality must never waver in their loyalty to themselves and others. Since the average human being is truly undeserving of eternal afterlife, it is extremely necessary to learn how the human race can greatly improve itself. To help with this confusion, the speaker provides reasoning, through the Traveler's dialogue, as to why these people do not deserve nirvana. Understanding that the poem hints at an alternative afterlife, we can come to the conclusion that the Traveler has died and has passed into a different world, between heaven and earth. The poem begins with a stark “'Is there anyone there?'” from the Traveler, “knocking at the moonlit door.” Instead of politely knocking on the door, the Traveler makes a rather rude introduction. This clearly describes the aggressive and demanding tendencies of the mortal human being. To deserve a privileged afterlife, we must learn to free ourselves from all the conflicts of our mind and understand the importance of kindness and compassion for others. We must put others before ourselves, rather than ourselves before others. The Traveler, in addition to knocking once recklessly, then knocks again forcefully: “And he knocked a second time at the door;/'Is there anyone?' he said". These two knocks on the door happen within a few lines of each other, which translates to about a few seconds in the time span of the poem. Through this repetition of phrases, the speaker demonstrates the impatient lifestyle of the worldly man; you want everything immediately and in the shortest time possible, otherwise you will be seriously disappointed. Even worse is the fact that the Traveler failed to realize his unnecessarily aggressive attitude the first time and made no effort to correct his mistake the second time. The speaker is attempting to detach us from this worldly way of life by showing the Traveler's failed journey to the afterlife, revealing the consequences of this condescending lifestyle. Later in the poem, when the Traveler begins to give up and accept defeat during his afterlife audition, he angrily knocks on the door and says something to the listeners inside the house: "Why suddenly he knocked on the door, even / louder, and raised his head:/ 'Tell them that I came and no one answered, / That I kept my word,' he said.” From the expression “I kept my word” one can only think that the Traveler did be agreed with someone else; in this case, it would be God. However, the fact that he furiously “banged” on the door shows that he was angry at not getting his part of the deal with God.?