Analysis of Passing The Buck

Ella Wheeler Wilcox 1855 (Janesville) – 1919



Whatever the task that comes your way,
Just take it as part of your luck.
Look it right square in the eyes, and say,
'This is
my
task, I'll do it to-day':
Don't pass the buck.

Oh! whether you cook, or whether you fight,
Or whether you trundle a truck,
Just tackle your job and do it right:
Don't pass the buck.

The wheels of the earth have gone, alack!
Deep into war's mire and muck.
If you want to put it again on its track,
Don't shift your load on another man's back:
Don't pass the buck.


Scheme abaxxaB cbcB bbddB
Poetic Form
Metre 10011111 11111111 111100101 11 1 111111 1101 1101111011 11011001 110110111 1101 01101111 1011101 11111101111 1111101011 1101
Closest metre Iambic trimeter
Characters 485
Words 100
Sentences 8
Stanzas 3
Stanza Lengths 7, 4, 5
Lines Amount 16
Letters per line (avg) 23
Words per line (avg) 6
Letters per stanza (avg) 122
Words per stanza (avg) 33
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

32 sec read
80

Ella Wheeler Wilcox

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

All Ella Wheeler Wilcox poems | Ella Wheeler Wilcox Books

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