Analysis of The Rock and The Bubble
Louisa May Alcott 1832 – 1888
Oh! a bare, brown rock
Stood up in the sea,
The waves at its feet
Dancing merrily.
A little bubble
Once came sailing by,
And thus to the rock
Did it gayly cry,--
"Ho! clumsy brown stone,
Quick, make way for me:
I'm the fairest thing
That floats on the sea.
"See my rainbow-robe,
See my crown of light,
My glittering form,
So airy and bright.
"O'er the waters blue,
I'm floating away,
To dance by the shore
With the foam and spray.
"Now, make way, make way;
For the waves are strong,
And their rippling feet
Bear me fast along."
But the great rock stood
Straight up in the sea:
It looked gravely down,
And said pleasantly--
"Little friend, you must
Go some other way;
For I have not stirred
this many a long day.
"Great billows have dashed,
And angry winds blown;
But my sturdy form
Is not overthrown.
"Nothing can stir me
In the air or sea;
Then, how can I move,
Little friend, for thee?"
Then the waves all laughed
In their voices sweet;
And the sea-birds looked,
From their rocky seat,
At the bubble gay,
Who angrily cried,
While its round cheek glowed
With a foolish pride,--
"You SHALL move for me;
And you shall not mock
At the words I say,
You ugly, rough rock.
"Be silent, wild birds!
While stare you so?
Stop laughing, rude waves,
And help me to go!
"For I am the queen
Of the ocean here,
And this cruel stone
Cannot make me fear."
Dashing fiercely up,
With a scornful word,
Foolish Bubble broke;
But Rock never stirred.
Then said the sea-birds,
Sitting in their nests
To the little ones
Leaning on their breasts,--
"Be not like Bubble,
Headstrong, rude, and vain,
Seeking by violence
Your object to gain;
"But be like the rock,
Steadfast, true, and strong,
Yet cheerful and kind,
And firm against wrong.
"Heed, little birdlings,
And wiser you'll be
For the lesson learned
To-day by the sea."
Scheme | ABCB DEAE FBXB XGHG XIXI IJCJ XBXB XIKI XFHF BBXB XCXC ILXL BAIA MNXN XXFX XKXK MOXO DPXP AJXJ BBXB |
---|---|
Poetic Form | Quatrain (85%) Tetractys (39%) Etheree (33%) |
Metre | 10111 11001 01111 10100 01010 11101 01101 1111 11011 11111 10101 11101 1111 11111 11001 11001 100101 11001 11101 10101 11111 10111 011001 11101 10111 11001 11101 01100 10111 11101 11111 110011 11011 01011 11101 1101 10111 00111 11111 10111 10111 01101 00111 11101 10101 11001 11111 10101 11111 01111 10111 11011 11011 1111 11011 01111 11101 10101 01101 10111 10101 10101 10101 11101 11011 10011 10101 10111 11110 1101 101100 11011 11101 1101 11001 01011 1101 01011 10101 11101 |
Closest metre | Iambic trimeter |
Characters | 1,808 |
Words | 341 |
Sentences | 19 |
Stanzas | 20 |
Stanza Lengths | 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4 |
Lines Amount | 80 |
Letters per line (avg) | 17 |
Words per line (avg) | 4 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 68 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 17 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 25, 2023
- 1:42 min read
- 169 Views
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"The Rock and The Bubble" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 2 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/26077/the-rock-and-the-bubble>.
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