Analysis of The Path
Paul Laurence Dunbar 1872 (Dayton) – 1906
THERE are no beaten paths to Glory's height,
There are no rules to compass greatness known;
Each for himself must cleave a path alone,
And press his own way forward in the fight.
Smooth is the way to ease and calm delight,
And soft the road Sloth chooseth for her own;
But he who craves the flower of life full-blown,
Must struggle up in all his armor dight!
What though the burden bear him sorely down
And crush to dust the mountain of his pride,
Oh, then, with strong heart let him still abide;
For rugged is the roadway to renown,
Nor may he hope to gain the envied crown
Till he hath thrust the looming rocks aside.
Scheme | ABBAABBACDDCCD |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 111101111 1111110101 1101110101 0111110001 1101110101 010111101 11110101111 1101011101 1101011101 0111010111 1111111101 110101101 1111110101 1111010101 |
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 615 |
Words | 120 |
Sentences | 4 |
Stanzas | 1 |
Stanza Lengths | 14 |
Lines Amount | 14 |
Letters per line (avg) | 35 |
Words per line (avg) | 8 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 486 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 118 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 36 sec read
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"The Path" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 21 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/28931/the-path>.
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