Analysis of Thanksgiving

Edgar Albert Guest 1881 (Birmingham) – 1959 (Detroit, Michigan)



Gettin' together to smile an' rejoice,
   An' eatin' an' laughin' with folks of your choice;
   An' kissin' the girls an' declarin' that they
   Are growin' more beautiful day after day;
   Chattin' an' braggin' a bit with the men,
   Buildin' the old family circle again;
   Livin' the wholesome an' old-fashioned cheer,
   Just for awhile at the end of the year.
   Greetings fly fast as we crowd through the door
  And under the old roof we gather once more
  Just as we did when the youngsters were small;
  Mother's a little bit grayer, that's all.
  Father's a little bit older, but still
  Ready to romp an' to laugh with a will.
  Here we are back at the table again
  Tellin' our stories as women an' men.

Bowed are our heads for a moment in prayer;
  Oh, but we're grateful an' glad to be there.
  Home from the east land an' home from the west,
  Home with the folks that are dearest an' best.
  Out of the sham of the cities afar
  We've come for a time to be just what we are.
  Here we can talk of ourselves an' be frank,
  Forgettin' position an' station an' rank.

Give me the end of the year an' its fun
  When most of the plannin' an' toilin' is done;
  Bring all the wanderers home to the nest,
  Let me sit down with the ones I love best,
  Hear the old voices still ringin' with song,
  See the old faces unblemished by wrong,
  See the old table with all of its chairs
  An' I'll put soul in my Thanksgivin' prayers.


Scheme AABBCCDDEEFFGGCC HHIIJJKK LLIIMMNN
Poetic Form
Metre 101011101 111111111 11011111 1111001101 101101101 1011001001 101011101 1101101101 1011111101 01001111011 1111101001 1001011011 1001011011 1011111101 1111101001 1101011011 11101101001 1111011111 1101111101 1101111011 1101101001 11101111111 11111001111 101011011 1101101111 111011111 1101001101 1111101111 101101111 1011001011 1011011111 11110111
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 1,419
Words 266
Sentences 10
Stanzas 3
Stanza Lengths 16, 8, 8
Lines Amount 32
Letters per line (avg) 33
Words per line (avg) 8
Letters per stanza (avg) 347
Words per stanza (avg) 88
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on April 23, 2023

1:21 min read
59

Edgar Albert Guest

Edgar Albert Guest was a British-born American poet who was popular in the first half of the 20th century and became known as the People's Poet. His poems often had an inspirational and optimistic view of everyday life. more…

All Edgar Albert Guest poems | Edgar Albert Guest Books

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