Analysis of A Woman
John Greenleaf Whittier 1807 (Haverhill) – 1892 (Hampton Falls)
Oh, dwarfed and wronged, and stained with ill,
Behold! thou art a woman still!
And, by that sacred name and dear,
I bid thy better self appear.
Still, through thy foul disguise, I see
The rudimental purity,
That, spite of change and loss, makes good
Thy birthright-claim of womanhood;
An inward loathing, deep, intense;
A shame that is half innocence.
Cast off the grave-clothes of thy sin!
Rise from the dust thou liest in,
As Mary rose at Jesus' word,
Redeemed and white before the Lord!
Reclairn thy lost soul! In His name,
Rise up, and break thy bonds of shame.
Art weak? He 's strong. Art fearful? Hear
The world's O'ercomer: 'Be of cheer!'
What lip shall judge when He approves?
Who dare to scorn the child He loves?
Scheme | AABBCCDDEFGGHIJJKBLM |
---|---|
Poetic Form | Etheree (25%) Tetractys (20%) |
Metre | 11010111 01110101 01110101 11110101 11110111 01100 11110111 111110 11010101 01111100 11011111 1101110 11011101 01010101 1111011 11011111 111111101 011111 11111101 11110111 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 711 |
Words | 133 |
Sentences | 15 |
Stanzas | 1 |
Stanza Lengths | 20 |
Lines Amount | 20 |
Letters per line (avg) | 28 |
Words per line (avg) | 7 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 552 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 130 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on April 15, 2023
- 40 sec read
- 131 Views
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"A Woman" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 11 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/22829/a-woman>.
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