The Patriot

Poetry | Robert Browning

Paid by the World,—what dost thou owe

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Explain the following with reference to the context Paid by the World what dost thou owe Me God might question now instead 'Tis God shall repay I am safer so These lines are taken from Robert Browning s - poem The Patriot In this poem a patriot tells the story of how the people once loved him but now hate him One year ago they welcomed him with flowers and cheers But now they believe he has done wrong so they are taking him for execution These lines appear in the last stanza where the poet shows the patriot s deep faith in God In the lines the patriot imagines God asking him a question Paid by the world what dost thou owe me This means God knows people and society have done injustice to the patriot They have forgotten his sacrifice They have given him betrayal and pain So

the patriot imagines that God will ask him what reward he wants The patriot knows that God never makes mistakes like people God is always just So he says Tis God shall repay I am safer so It means he believes he will receive justice from God He feels safe because God will reward him for his honesty and sacrifice The world may misunderstand him but God will understand everything So these lines show Browning s strong belief in God s justice The poem ends with hope For the patriot God s reward is more important than human praise

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