Analysis of The Contrast
Robert William Service 1874 – 1958
Fat lady, in your four-wheeled chair,
Dolled up to beat the band,
At me you arrogantly stare
With gold lorgnette in hand.
Oh how you differ from the dame
So shabby, gaunt and grey,
With legs rheumatically lame,
Who steers you on your way.
Nay, jewelled lady, look not back
Lest you should be disturbed
To see the skinny hag in black
Who boosts you up the curb.
Of course I know you get her cheap,
Since she's a lady too,
And bite to eat and bed to sleep
Maybe are all her due.
Alas for those who give us aid
Yet need more help than we!
And though she thinks the wages paid
Are almost charity,
I'd love to see that lady fat
Lug round that hefty chair,
While with lorgnette and feathered hat
Her handmaid lounges there.
Scheme | ABABCDCD EXEXFGFG HIHIJAJA |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 11001111 111101 11110001 110101 11110101 110101 1111 111111 1110111 111101 11010101 111101 11111101 110101 01110111 101101 01111111 111111 01110101 11100 11111101 111101 11010101 01101 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 822 |
Words | 141 |
Sentences | 7 |
Stanzas | 3 |
Stanza Lengths | 8, 8, 8 |
Lines Amount | 24 |
Letters per line (avg) | 23 |
Words per line (avg) | 6 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 186 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 46 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 42 sec read
- 129 Views
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"The Contrast" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/32521/the-contrast>.
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