Analysis of The Gentle Anarchist
James Brunton Stephens 1835 (Scotland) – 1902
I am a gentle Anarchist,
I couldn't kick a dog,
Nor ever would for sport assist
To pelt the helpless frog.
I'd shoot a Czar, or wreck a train,
Blow Parliament sky-high,
But none could call me inhumane;
I wouldn't hurt a fly.
I wouldn't hurt a fly,
And why indeed should I?
It has neither land nor pelf
That I covet for myself,
Then wherefore should I hurt a fly?
I am a gentle Anarchist,
I live on herbs and fruits;
It don't become a communist
To eat his fellow-brutes.
I'd fire a town, upset a state,
Make countless widows weep,
Yet I am so compassionate
I wouldn't kill a sheep,
I wouldn't hurt a fly;
And why indeed should I?
If it doesn't interfere
With my personal career,
Why the dickens should I hurt a fly?
I'm such a gentle Anarchist
I hate all hunting men;
I couldn't hook a fish, or twist
The neck of cock or hen.
I'd level gaols, let scoundrels loose,
Blow priests and churches up—
But, oh, my pity's so profuse
I couldn't drown a pup.
I wouldn't hurt a fly;
And why indeed should I?
Unless, that is to say,
I found it in my way,
And then it's all up with the fly.
Scheme | AxbxcdcDDDdxd AeaexfxfDDggd ahbhijijDDkkd |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 11010100 110101 11011101 110101 11011101 110011 11111001 110101 110101 010111 1110111 111011 1111101 11010100 111101 11010100 111101 110010101 110101 11110100 110101 110101 010111 111001 1110001 101011101 11010100 111101 11010111 011111 11011101 110101 1111101 110101 110101 010111 011111 111011 01111101 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 1,048 |
Words | 214 |
Sentences | 12 |
Stanzas | 3 |
Stanza Lengths | 13, 13, 13 |
Lines Amount | 39 |
Letters per line (avg) | 21 |
Words per line (avg) | 5 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 270 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 71 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 1:09 min read
- 131 Views
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"The Gentle Anarchist" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 1 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/20036/the-gentle-anarchist>.
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