Analysis of Christmas

Paul Laurence Dunbar 1872 (Dayton) – 1906



STEP wid de banjo an' glide wid de fiddle,
Dis ain' no time fu' to pottah an' piddle;
Fu' Christmas is comin', it's right on de way,
An' dey's houahs to dance 'fo' de break o' de day.
What if de win' is taihin' an' whistlin'?
Look at dat fiah how hit's spittin' an' bristlin'!
Heat in de ashes an' heat in de cindahs,
Ol' mistah Fros' kin des look thoo de windahs.
Heat up de toddy an' pas' de wa'm glasses,
Don' stop to shivah at blowin's an' blas'es,
Keep on de kittle an' keep it a-hummin',
Eat all an' drink all, dey's lots mo' a-comin'.
Look hyeah, Maria, don't open dat oven,
Want all dese people a-pushin' an' shovin'?
Res' f'om de dance? Yes, you done cotch dat odah,
Mammy done cotch it, an' law! hit nigh flo'd huh;
'Possum is monst'ous fu' mekin' folks fin' it!
Come, draw yo' cheers up, I's sho' I do' min' it.
Eat up dem critters, you men folks an' wimmens,
'Possums ain' skace w'en dey's lots o' pu'simmons.


Scheme AABBCCDDDDCCCCEFEEDD
Poetic Form Tetractys  (20%)
Metre 1111111110 1111111110 1101111111 11111111111 11111111 111111111 1011011011 111111111 11111111110 111111111 1111011101 1111111101 11010110110 111100111 1111111111 1111111111 101111111 11111111111 1111011111 10111001111110
Closest metre Iambic hexameter
Characters 911
Words 179
Sentences 12
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 20
Lines Amount 20
Letters per line (avg) 33
Words per line (avg) 9
Letters per stanza (avg) 650
Words per stanza (avg) 177
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

58 sec read
112

Paul Laurence Dunbar

Paul Laurence Dunbar was a seminal American poet of the late 19th and early 20th centuries Dunbar gained national recognition for his 1896 Lyrics of a Lowly Life one poem in the collection being Ode to Ethiopia more…

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    "Christmas" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 27 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/28679/christmas>.

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    In the Edward Lear poem, which instrument does the Owl play while serenading the Pussy Cat?
    A A banjo
    B A mandolin
    C A violin
    D A guitar