Analysis of Does It Pay?

Ella Wheeler Wilcox 1855 (Janesville) – 1919



If one poor burdened toiler o’er life’s road,
 Who meets us by the way,
Goes on less conscious of his galling load,
 Then life, indeed, does pay.

If we can show the troubled heart the gain
 That lies always in loss,
Why, then, we too are paid for all the pain
 Of bearing life’s hard cross.

If some despondent soul to hope is stirred,
 Some sad lip made to smile,
By any act of ours, or any word,
 Then, life has been worth while.


Scheme ABAB CDCD EFEF
Poetic Form Traditional rhyme
Quatrain 
Metre 111101111 111101 1111011101 110111 1111010101 11101 1111111101 110111 1101011111 111111 11011101101 111111
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 440
Words 86
Sentences 4
Stanzas 3
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4
Lines Amount 12
Letters per line (avg) 27
Words per line (avg) 7
Letters per stanza (avg) 107
Words per stanza (avg) 28
Font size:
 

Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

25 sec read
393

Ella Wheeler Wilcox

Ella Wheeler Wilcox was an American author and poet. more…

All Ella Wheeler Wilcox poems | Ella Wheeler Wilcox Books

2 fans

Discuss this Ella Wheeler Wilcox poem analysis with the community:

0 Comments

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "Does It Pay?" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/10590/does-it-pay%3F>.

    Become a member!

    Join our community of poets and poetry lovers to share your work and offer feedback and encouragement to writers all over the world!

    More poems by

    Ella Wheeler Wilcox

    »

    April 2024

    Poetry Contest

    Join our monthly contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.
    1
    day
    7
    hours
    45
    minutes

    Special Program

    Earn Rewards!

    Unlock exciting rewards such as a free mug and free contest pass by commenting on fellow members' poems today!

    Browse Poetry.com

    Quiz

    Are you a poetry master?

    »
    "I walk down the garden paths, and all the daffodils are blowing"
    A Emily Dickinson
    B Amy Lowell
    C Gwendolyn Brooks
    D Elizabeth Barrett Browning