Analysis of The Girl Of The U.S.A.

Ella Wheeler Wilcox 1855 (Janesville) – 1919



Oh! the maidens of France are certainly fine,
And I think every fellow will state
That the 'what-you-may-call-it' coiffured way
They put up their hair is great!
And they know how to dress, and they wear their clothes
In a fetching, frenchy way;
And yet to me, there is just one girl-
The girl of the U.S.A.

I like to listen when French girls talk,
Though I'm weak in the 'parlez-vous' game;
But the language of youth in every land
Is somehow about the same,
And I've learned a regular code of shrugs,
And they seem to know what I say!
But the girl whose voice goes straight to my heart
Is the girl of the U.S.A.

I haven't a word but words of praise
For these dear little girls of France;
And I will confess that I've felt a thrill
As I faced their line of advance!
But I haven't been taken a prisoner yet,
And I won't be, until the day
When I carry my colours to lay at the feet
Of a girl of the U.S.A.


Scheme XABAXBXB XCXCXBXB XDXDXBXB
Poetic Form
Metre 10101111001 0111001011 101111111 1111111 01111101111 001011 011111111 0110111 111101111 11100111 10101101001 110101 0110100111 01111111 1011111111 10110111 110011111 11110111 0110111101 11111101 111011001001 01110101 11101111101 10110111
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 887
Words 187
Sentences 14
Stanzas 3
Stanza Lengths 8, 8, 8
Lines Amount 24
Letters per line (avg) 28
Words per line (avg) 7
Letters per stanza (avg) 228
Words per stanza (avg) 60
Font size:
 

Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

57 sec read
104

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

    "The Girl Of The U.S.A." Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/10848/the-girl-of-the-u.s.a.>.

    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!

    April 2024

    Poetry Contest

    Join our monthly contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.
    1
    day
    15
    hours
    55
    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?

    »
    AA Milne wrote: "A bear, however hard he tries..."
    A "has very very tired eyes"
    B "grows tubby with no exercise"
    C "stinks and attracts the flies"
    D "can never stop telling lies"