Analysis of To John C. Freemont
John Greenleaf Whittier 1807 (Haverhill) – 1892 (Hampton Falls)
THY error, Frémont, simply was to act
A brave man's part, without the statesman's tact,
And, taking counsel but of common sense,
To strike at cause as well as consequence.
Oh, never yet since Roland wound his horn
At Roncesvalles, has a blast been blown
Far-heard, wide-echoed, startling as thine own,
Heard from the van of freedom's hope forlorn!
It had been safer, doubtless, for the time,
To flatter treason, and avoid offence
To that Dark Power whose underlying crime
Heaves upward its perpetual turbulence.
But if thine be the fate of all who break
The ground for truth's seed, or forerun their years
Till lost in distance, or with stout hearts make
A lane for freedom through the level spears,
Still take thou courage! God has spoken through thee,
Irrevocable, the mighty words, Be free!
The land shakes with them, and the slave's dull ear
Turns from the rice-swamp stealthily to hear.
Who would recall them now must first arrest
The winds that blow down from the free Northwest,
Ruffling the Gulf; or like a scroll roll back
The Mississippi to its upper springs.
Such words fulfil their prophecy, and lack
But the full time to harden into things.
Scheme | AABCDEEDFBFCGHGHIIJJKKLMLM |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 1101110111 0111010101 0101011101 1111111100 1101110111 1110111 1111010111 1101110101 1111010101 110100011 1111010101 11010100100 1111011111 011111111 1101011111 0111010101 11110111011 01000010111 0111100111 11011111 111111101 011111011 10001110111 001011101 111110001 1011110011 |
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 1,137 |
Words | 202 |
Sentences | 9 |
Stanzas | 1 |
Stanza Lengths | 26 |
Lines Amount | 26 |
Letters per line (avg) | 35 |
Words per line (avg) | 8 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 912 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 200 |
Font size:
Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 1:02 min read
- 124 Views
Citation
Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:
Style:MLAChicagoAPA
"To John C. Freemont" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 30 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/23253/to-john-c.-freemont>.
Discuss this John Greenleaf Whittier 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