Analysis of Alas! This Is Not What I Thought Life Was
Percy Bysshe Shelley 1792 (Horsham) – 1822 (Lerici)
Alas! this is not what I thought life was.
I knew that there were crimes and evil men,
Misery and hate; nor did I hope to pass
Untouched by suffering, through the rugged glen.
In mine own heart I saw as in a glass
The hearts of others ... And when
I went among my kind, with triple brass
Of calm endurance my weak breast I armed,
To bear scorn, fear, and hate, a woful mass!
| Scheme | ABCBCBCDC |
|---|---|
| Poetic Form | |
| Metre | 0111111111 1111010101 10001111111 01110010101 0111111001 0111001 1101111101 1110011111 111101011 |
| Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
| Characters | 375 |
| Words | 77 |
| Sentences | 6 |
| Stanzas | 1 |
| Stanza Lengths | 9 |
| Lines Amount | 9 |
| Letters per line (avg) | 32 |
| Words per line (avg) | 8 |
| Letters per stanza (avg) | 284 |
| Words per stanza (avg) | 76 |
Font size:
Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on May 03, 2023
- 23 sec read
- 1,145 Views
8 fans
Citation
Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:
Style:MLAChicagoAPA
"Alas! This Is Not What I Thought Life Was" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 30 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/29032/alas%21-this-is-not-what-i-thought-life-was>.
Powered by CITE.ME
Discuss this Percy Bysshe Shelley poem analysis with the community:
Report Comment
We're doing our best to make sure our content is useful, accurate and safe.
If by any chance you spot an inappropriate comment while navigating through our website please use this form to let us know, and we'll take care of it shortly.
Attachment
You need to be logged in to favorite.
Log In