Analysis of The Poor Little Toe
Ella Wheeler Wilcox 1855 (Janesville) – 1919
I am all tired out, said the mouth, with a pout,
I am all tired out with talk.
Just wait, said the knee, till you're lame as you can be-
And then have to walk-walk-walk.
My work, said the hand, is the hardest in the land.
Nay, mine is harder yet, said the brain;
When you toil, said the eye, as steadily as I,
O then you'll have reason to complain.
Then a voice, faint and low, of the poor little toe
Spoke out in the dark with a wail:
It is seldom I complain, but you all will bear your pain
With more patience if you hearken to my tale.
I'm the youngest of five, and the others live and thrive,
They are cared for, and considered and admired.
I am overlooked and snubbed, I am pushed upon and rubbed,
I am always sick and ailing, sore and tired.
But I carry all the weight of the body, small or great,
Yet no one ever praises what I do;
I am always in the way, and 'tis I who have to pay
For the folly and the pride of all of you.
Then the mouth and the brain and the hand said, 'tis plain
Though troubled be our lives with woe,
The hardest lot of all, does certainly befall
The poor little, humble little toe,
The snubbed little, rubbed little toe.
Scheme | XAXA XBXB CDBD XEXE XFXF BCXCC |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 111101101101 11110111 111011111111 0111111 111011010001 111101101 111101110011 111110101 101101101101 11001101 11101011111111 1110111111 1010110010101 111100100010 1110011110101 11110101010 11101011010111 1111010111 1110010111111 10100011111 101001001111 110110111 010111110001 011010101 01101101 |
Closest metre | Iambic hexameter |
Characters | 1,135 |
Words | 234 |
Sentences | 10 |
Stanzas | 6 |
Stanza Lengths | 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 5 |
Lines Amount | 25 |
Letters per line (avg) | 35 |
Words per line (avg) | 9 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 145 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 39 |
Font size:
Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on April 18, 2023
- 1:11 min read
- 74 Views
Citation
Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:
Style:MLAChicagoAPA
"The Poor Little Toe" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 21 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/10886/the-poor-little-toe>.
Discuss this Ella Wheeler Wilcox poem analysis with the community:
Report Comment
We're doing our best to make sure our content is useful, accurate and safe.
If by any chance you spot an inappropriate comment while navigating through our website please use this form to let us know, and we'll take care of it shortly.
Attachment
You need to be logged in to favorite.
Log In