A Plea for Fame by Ella Wheeler Wilcox

Name: A Plea for Fame
Author: Ella Wheeler Wilcox

"A Plea for Fame" is a lyric poem by Ella Wheeler Wilcox in which the speaker mounts a personal and passionate defense of Fame as a worthy pursuit and a faithful companion, countering the conventional wisdom that fame is a hollow or deceptive prize. The poem opens with a direct challenge to the cynics who slander Fame, calling her a cheat and condemning her ways. The speaker acknowledges that such criticism may carry some truth, but refuses to be persuaded by it. Instead, she commits to praising Fame on the strength of her own lived experience, positioning herself as a first-person witness rather than a theoretical admirer. The speaker traces her relationship with Fame from its earliest beginnings, when she first saw Fame's hand beckoning from above her "lowly plain" — a phrase that establishes both the speaker's humble origins and Fame's elevation as an aspirational force. From that moment of beckoning onward, the speaker claims she never needed to calculate her losses or gains. Fame transformed her existence: she caused flowers to bloom in the speaker's path, turned dark ways bright, and filled an empty cup with pleasure — replenishing it each time it was drained. The imagery here is one of abundance and renewal, portraying Fame not as a one-time windfall but as a sustaining, generous presence. The poem then elaborates on Fame's reliability. Unlike other prizes that disappoint by promising much and delivering little, Fame has consistently exceeded her promises. She has stood by the speaker in moments of danger, converted strangers into friends, generated warmth and welcome wherever the speaker traveled, and opened doors that were previously closed. The accumulation of these benefits — social access, safety, hospitality, opportunity — frames Fame as a practical and transformative ally, not merely a flattering abstraction. In the final movement, the speaker places Fame in direct comparison with other goods commonly held to be more wholesome or trustworthy: Youth, Love, and Wealth. Youth and Love are dismissed as "fleeting things," and Wealth is described as having "light and airy wings" — meaning it too is impermanent and unreliable. Fame alone, the speaker insists, once attained, will never flee. This is the poem's central argumentative claim: that Fame, so often maligned, is paradoxically the most steadfast and enduring of all life's rewards. The poem closes as it opened, with a defiant reaffirmation: let others condemn Fame's ways — the speaker will always sing her praise. The circular structure reinforces the speaker's unwavering loyalty and mirrors the very constancy she attributes to Fame herself. Wilcox writes in a direct, declarative style with a regular rhyme scheme and brisk meter, typical of her accessible and emotionally candid verse. The poem is fundamentally a counter-argument to Romantic-era and Victorian-era moralizing about the vanity of earthly glory. Rather than treating ambition for fame as spiritually dangerous or socially unseemly — particularly fraught territory for a woman writer of the late nineteenth century — Wilcox reframes it as a legitimate and richly rewarding relationship, one defined by mutuality, faithfulness, and genuine return. The poem functions as both personal testimony and literary manifesto: a declaration that the desire to be known and recognized is not shameful but honorable, and that Fame, properly understood, is not a seductress but a friend.

By Ella Wheeler Wilcox · First published 1873 · Genre: Lyrical Poetry, Ode, Philosophical Poetry · 349 words

First lines

Let those slander fame who will -- / Call her cheat and blame her ways. / It may all be true; and still / I shall give her words of praise. / She has been my faithful friend, / True and constant to the end.

Since I saw her hand first beckon / Far above my lowly plain, / I have had no need to reckon / What my loss, or what my gain. / She has made sweet blossoms blow / In whatever path I go; / She hath made the dark ways light. / Made the somber places bright; / She has filled my empty cup / Full to overflow with pleasure, / And, though I may drink it up, / She again refills the measure.

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Genres

Lyrical Poetry — The poem is fundamentally a personal, emotionally expressive verse employing rhyme, rhythm, and poetic devices to convey the speaker's intimate relationship with fame as an abstract subject.
Ode — The work follows the formal ode tradition of addressing and exalting a particular theme, here offering sustained praise to fame despite societal criticism.
Philosophical Poetry — The poem explores profound themes about fame's permanence and value compared to transient pursuits like youth, love, and wealth, questioning what deserves allegiance in life.
Devotional Poetry — The speaker expresses unwavering devotion and loyalty to fame, treating it with reverence and commitment that parallels spiritual or religious dedication.

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A Plea for Fame is listed on Textopian as a poem by Ella Wheeler Wilcox, dated 1873 CE.

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Work type: Poem
Author: Ella Wheeler Wilcox
Date: 1873 CE
Language: English
Genres: Lyrical Poetry, Ode, Philosophical Poetry, Devotional Poetry, Allegorical Poetry
Length: 349 words
Structure: 1 section, 4 paragraphs
Reading fit: Easy (6th Grade)

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