Analysis of Homo Podunkensis
Ambrose Bierce 1842 (Meigs County) – 1914 (Chihuahua)
As the poor ass that from his paddock strays
Might sound abroad his field-companions' praise,
Recounting volubly their well-bred leer,
Their port impressive and their wealth of ear,
Mistaking for the world's assent the clang
Of echoes mocking his accurst harangue;
So the dull clown, untraveled though at large,
Visits the city on the ocean's marge,
Expands his eyes and marvels to remark
Each coastwise schooner and each alien bark;
Prates of 'all nations,' wonders as he stares
That native merchants sell imported wares,
Nor comprehends how in his very view
A foreign vessel has a foreign crew;
Yet, faithful to the hamlet of his birth,
Swears it superior to aught on earth,
Sighs for the temples locally renowned
The village school-house and the village pound
And chalks upon the palaces of Rome
The peasant sentiments of 'Home, Sweet Home!'
Scheme | AABBCCDDEEFFGBHHIIJJ |
---|---|
Poetic Form | Tetractys (20%) Etheree (20%) |
Metre | 1011111101 1101110101 01011111 1101001111 0101010101 110101101 10111111 1001010101 0111010101 1110011001 1111010111 1101010101 101101101 0101010101 1101010111 1101001111 1101010001 0101100101 0101010011 0101001111 |
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 833 |
Words | 144 |
Sentences | 2 |
Stanzas | 1 |
Stanza Lengths | 20 |
Lines Amount | 20 |
Letters per line (avg) | 34 |
Words per line (avg) | 7 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 679 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 140 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 43 sec read
- 45 Views
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"Homo Podunkensis" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 30 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/1802/homo-podunkensis>.
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