Analysis of Optimism
Ella Wheeler Wilcox 1855 (Janesville) – 1919
Talk happiness. The world is sad enough
Without your woes. No path is wholly rough;
Look for the places that are smooth and clear,
And speak of those, to rest the weary ear
Of Earth, so hurt by one continuous strain
Of human discontent and grief and pain.
Talk faith. The world is better off without
Your uttered ignorance and morbid doubt.
If you have faith in God, or man, or self,
Say so. If not, push back upon the shelf
Of silence all your thoughts, till faith shall come;
No one will grieve because your lips are dumb.
Talk health. The dreary, never-changing tale
Of mortal maladies is worn and stale.
You cannot charm, or interest, or please
By harping on that minor chord, disease.
Say you are well, or all is well with you,
And God shall hear your words and make them true.
Scheme | AAXXBB CCDDEE FFGGHH |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 1100011101 0111111101 1101011101 0111110101 11111101001 1100010101 1101110101 1101000101 1111011111 1111110101 1101111111 1111011111 1101010101 1101001101 110111011 1101110101 1111111111 0111110111 |
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 773 |
Words | 148 |
Sentences | 12 |
Stanzas | 3 |
Stanza Lengths | 6, 6, 6 |
Lines Amount | 18 |
Letters per line (avg) | 34 |
Words per line (avg) | 8 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 203 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 49 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on April 13, 2023
- 44 sec read
- 241 Views
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"Optimism" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 14 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/10742/optimism>.
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