Analysis of The Brothers

Ambrose Bierce 1842 (Meigs County) – 1914 (Chihuahua)



Scene-_A lawyer's dreadful den.
Enter stall-fed citizen.

CITIZEN.-Sir, same to you.
Called as counsel to retain you
In a case that I'll explain you.
Sad, _so_ sad! Heart almost broke.
Hang it! where's my kerchief? Smoke?
Brother, sir, and I, of late,
Came into a large estate.
Brother's-h'm, ha,-rather queer
Sometimes _(tapping forehead) _here.
What he needs-you know-a 'writ'-
Something, eh? that will permit
Me to manage, sir, in fine,
His estate, as well as mine.
'Course he'll _kick_; 't will break, I fear,
His loving heart-excuse this tear.

LAWYER.-Have you nothing more?
All of this you said before-
When last night I took your case.

CITIZEN.-Why, sir, your face
Ne'er before has met my view!

LAWYER.-Eh? The devil! True:
My mistake-it was your brother.
But you're very like each other.


Scheme XX AAABBCCDDEEFFDX GGH HA AII
Poetic Form
Metre 1110101 1011100 1001111 11101011 00111011 111111 1111101 1010111 1010101 10111101 01110101 1111101 1011101 1110101 1011111 11111111 11010111 1011101 1111101 1111111 1001111 1011111 1010101 10111110 11101110
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 806
Words 141
Sentences 29
Stanzas 5
Stanza Lengths 2, 15, 3, 2, 3
Lines Amount 25
Letters per line (avg) 24
Words per line (avg) 5
Letters per stanza (avg) 118
Words per stanza (avg) 26
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

45 sec read
129

Ambrose Bierce

Ambrose Gwinnett Bierce was an American editorialist, journalist, short story writer, fabulist, and satirist. more…

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