Analysis of The Paradoxical Commandments



People are illogical, unreasonable, and self-centered.
   Love them anyway.

If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives.
   Do good anyway.

If you are successful, you will win false friends and true enemies.
   Succeed anyway.

The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow.
   Do good anyway.

Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable.
   Be honest and frank anyway.

The biggest men and women with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest men and women with the smallest minds.
   Think big anyway.

People favor underdogs but follow only top dogs.
   Fight for a few underdogs anyway.

What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight.
   Build anyway.

People really need help but may attack you if you do help them.
   Help people anyway.

Give the world the best you have and you'll get kicked in the teeth.
   Give the world the best you have anyway.


Scheme xa xA xa xA xa xa xa xa xa xa
Poetic Form
Metre 101010001000110 1110 1111101011110010010 1110 1110101111101100 0110 0111011101001 1110 100010111000 1100110 0101010101001011111010101010101 1110 1010101101011 11011010 1111101101101 110 1010111101111111 11010 10101110111001 101011110
Closest metre Iambic hexameter
Characters 904
Words 178
Sentences 20
Stanzas 10
Stanza Lengths 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2
Lines Amount 20
Letters per line (avg) 35
Words per line (avg) 8
Letters per stanza (avg) 69
Words per stanza (avg) 15

About this poem

The Paradoxical Commandments are about finding personal meaning in the face of adversity and were written by Kent M. Keith in 1968 as part of a booklet for student leaders.

Font size:
 

Written on 1968

Submitted by schlmj29 on August 06, 2023

Modified by schlmj29 on August 07, 2023

53 sec read
13

Kent M. Keith

Kent M. Keith (born in 1949 in Brooklyn) is an American writer and leader in higher education. more…

All Kent M. Keith poems | Kent M. Keith Books

1 fan

Discuss this Kent M. Keith poem analysis with the community:

0 Comments

    Citation

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

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "The Paradoxical Commandments" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 14 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/165605/the-paradoxical-commandments>.

    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.
    17
    days
    10
    hours
    59
    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?

    »
    The opposite of poetry is _______.
    A Verse
    B Prose
    C Literalism
    D Somnolence