Question

Read the following lines from "Success Is Counted Sweetest" by Emily Dickinson. What does the speaker mean by "To comprehend a nectar / Requires sorest need"?

Success is counted sweetest
By those who ne'er succeed.
To comprehend a nectar
Requires sorest need.

A person can only succeed by trying something new.
B The world praises success and victory, but it ignores failure.
C People who lack success understand the true value of it.
D People who do not succeed live bleak and unhappy lives.

Answer 1

I believe the answer is C because it speaks of how success is sweeter to those who have not reached it.

Answer 2

Answer:

The speaker means the following by the line "to comprehend a nectar / Requires sorest need":

C. People who lack success understand the true value of it.

Explanation:

The first stanza expresses the idea that understanding and experiencing failure is important to fully comprehend and appreciate success. Nectar is a sugary fluid secreted within flowers to encourage pollination, in Greek mythology, it was the drink of the gods. The nectar is used in the poem, to refer to success, and it states that to value the "nectar" one needs to experience suffering.