Analysis of Poverty And Wealth

Ella Wheeler Wilcox 1855 (Janesville) – 1919



The stork flew over a town one day,
And back of each wing an infant lay;
One to a rich man’s home he brought,
And one he left at a labourer’s cot.
The rich man said, ‘My son shall be
A lordly ruler o’er land and sea.’
The labourer sighed, ‘’Tis the good God’s will
That I have another mouth to fill.’
The rich man’s son grew strong and fair,
And proud with the pride of a millionaire.
His motto in life was, ‘Live while you may, ’
And he crowded years in a single day.
He bought position and name and place,
And he bought him a wife with a handsome face.
He journeyed over the whole wide world,
But discontent his heart lay curled
Like a serpent hidden in leaves and moss,
And life seemed hollow and gold was dross.
He scoffed at woman, and doubted God,
And died like a beast and went back to the sod.
The son of the labourer tilled the soil,
And thanked God daily for health and toil.
He wedded for love in his youthful prime,
And two lives chorded in tune and time.
His wants were simple, and simple his creed,
To trust God fully: it served his need,
And lightened his labour, and helped him to die
With a smile on his lips and a hope in his eye.
When all is over and all is done,
Now which of these men was the richer one?


Scheme AABCDDEEFFAAGGHHIIJJKKLLMMNNOO
Poetic Form Etheree  (23%)
Tetractys  (20%)
Metre 011100111 011111101 11011111 01111011 01111111 01101101 01110111 111010111 01111101 011011001 1100111111 0110100101 110100101 01110110101 110100111 10011111 1010100101 011100111 111100101 01101011101 01101101 011101101 1101101101 01110101 1101001011 111101111 0101101111 101111001011 111100111 1111110101
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 1,241
Words 250
Sentences 13
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 30
Lines Amount 30
Letters per line (avg) 31
Words per line (avg) 8
Letters per stanza (avg) 935
Words per stanza (avg) 246
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

1:15 min read
108

Ella Wheeler Wilcox

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

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