Analysis of The Inward Judge

John Greenleaf Whittier 1807 (Haverhill) – 1892 (Hampton Falls)



From Institutes of Manu.

The soul itself its awful witness is.
Say not in evil doing, 'No one sees,'
And so offend the conscious One within,
Whose ear can hear the silences of sin.

Ere they find voice, whose eyes unsleeping see
The secret motions of iniquity.
Nor in thy folly say, 'I am alone.'
For, seated in thy heart, as on a throne,
The ancient Judge and Witness liveth still,
To note thy act and thought; and as thy ill
Or good goes from thee, far beyond thy reach,
The solemn Doomsman's seal is set on each.


Scheme X XXAA BBCCDDEE
Poetic Form
Metre 11011 0101110101 1101010111 0101010101 1111010011 11111111 0101010100 1011011101 1100111101 010101011 1111010111 1111110111 010111111
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 510
Words 102
Sentences 7
Stanzas 3
Stanza Lengths 1, 4, 8
Lines Amount 13
Letters per line (avg) 30
Words per line (avg) 8
Letters per stanza (avg) 131
Words per stanza (avg) 33
Font size:
 

Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

30 sec read
81

John Greenleaf Whittier

John Greenleaf Whittier was an influential American Quaker poet and ardent advocate of the abolition of slavery in the United States. more…

All John Greenleaf Whittier poems | John Greenleaf Whittier Books

5 fans

Discuss this John Greenleaf Whittier poem analysis with the community:

0 Comments

    Citation

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

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "The Inward Judge" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 2 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/23122/the-inward-judge>.

    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!

    May 2024

    Poetry Contest

    Join our monthly contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.
    29
    days
    14
    hours
    54
    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?

    »
    "It was many and many a year ago, In a kingdom by the sea."
    A Edmund Spenser
    B Edgar Allan Poe
    C W.B. Yeats
    D Shel Silverstein