The war for Tomorrow

I must toil tomorrow, and sleep is evasive.  

I can close my eyes, but not keep at it.  

I’d rather let time pass quickly.  

If you could,  

Take your leave, ask the Sun to bring its beam.  

I’d rather curse my body and mind for being tired  

Than admit the daylight ruins my sleep.  

Like most, I want to complain too.  

Am I not entitled? And says who?  

Make haste. Be gone. You bring me no joy.  

This half-rested body feels like Troy 

And a horse was dragged into its gates.  

So let me not fight this fight of trying.  

I’d rather fall from exhaustion tomorrow,  

Pretend to be labouring hard, making no excuses.  

Then, perhaps, I could feel more like an honest man.

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Deep Analysis of “The War for Tomorrow”

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1. Central Conflict: Sleep vs. Obligation

The poem’s driving tension is the speaker’s battle between bodily need and external demand. “I must toil tomorrow, and sleep is evasive” sets up an unavoidable duel—rest as a sanctuary, work as an inescapable siege. This frames the rest of the piece as a reluctant war, where the self becomes both soldier and battleground.  

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2. Mythic Resonance: Troy as Fatigue

By likening the half-rested body to Troy, you tap into a millennia-old symbol of endurance under siege.  

- Troy: A proud city under relentless pressure.  

- Trojan Horse: The unforeseen breach—here, exhaustion—that renders defenses moot.  

This metaphor deepens the personal struggle, casting physical tiredness in epic proportions.  

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3. Personification of Celestial Forces

You enlist Moon and Sun as characters in this drama:  

- Moon: A nocturnal ally, urged to hasten departure—an inversion of its usual comforting role.  

- Sun: A blameable intruder blamed for disrupting any chance of restful escape.  

These appeals highlight how the speaker externalizes internal turmoil, bargaining with forces beyond control.  

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4. Tone and Voice

The diction shifts subtly between resignation and defiance:  

- Phrases like “I’d rather let time pass quickly” express weary surrender.  

- “Am I not entitled? And says who?” flips to indignation, revealing anger at one’s own constraints.  

This oscillation mirrors insomniac frustration—sometimes pleading, other times railing.  

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5. Structure and Rhythm

Short lines and abrupt enjambment accelerate the reading, echoing the desire for time to speed up.  

- Frequent caesuras (“Make haste. Be gone.”) punctuate the poem with staccato urgency.  

- The loose stanza breaks suggest a mind unable to settle—each pause a gasp for rest.  

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6. Philosophical Undercurrent

At its core, the poem wrestles with authenticity:  

- The speaker would rather “pretend to be labouring hard” than confess exhaustion.  

- This pretense hints at societal expectations around work ethic and honesty.  

Such an ending asks: is our self-worth tied to visible struggle?  

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