Analysis of George And The Chimney-Sweep

Ann Taylor 1782 (Islington) – 1866



HIS petticoats now George cast off,
For he ws four years old;
His trousers were of nankeen stuff,
With buttons bright as gold.
'May I, ' said George, 'just go abroad,
My pretty clothes to show?
May I, mamma? but speak the word;'
The answer was, 'No, no.'

'Go, run below, George, in the court,
But go not in the street,
Lest boys with you should make some sport,
Or gipsies you should meet. '
Yet, though forbidden, he went out,
That other boys might spy,
And proudly there he walk'd about,
And thought–'How fine am I!'

But whilst he strutted through the street,
With looks both vain and pert,
A sweep-boy pass'd, whom not to meet,
He slipp'd–into the dirt.
The sooty lad, whose heart was kind,
To help him quickly ran,
And grasp'd his arm, with–'Never mind,
You're up, my little man.'

Sweep wiped his clothes with labour vain,
And begg'd him not to cry;
And when he'd blacken'd every stain,
Said, 'Little sir, good-bye. '
Poor George, almost as dark as sweep,
And smear'd in dress and face,
Bemoans with sobs, both loud and deep,
His well-deserved disgrace.


Scheme XAXAXBXB CDCDEFEF DGDGHIHI JFJFKLKL
Poetic Form
Metre 1101111 111001111 1100111 110111 11111101 110111 11101101 010111 11011001 111001 11111111 11111 11100111 110111 01011101 011111 1111101 111101 01111111 110101 01011111 111101 0111111 111101 1111111 011111 011101001 110111 1111111 010101 01111101 110101
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 1,066
Words 197
Sentences 11
Stanzas 4
Stanza Lengths 8, 8, 8, 8
Lines Amount 32
Letters per line (avg) 25
Words per line (avg) 6
Letters per stanza (avg) 197
Words per stanza (avg) 48
Font size:
 

Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

1:00 min read
76

Ann Taylor

Ann Taylor is the former wife of Clifton Davis. more…

All Ann Taylor poems | Ann Taylor Books

0 fans

Discuss this Ann Taylor poem analysis with the community:

0 Comments

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "George And The Chimney-Sweep" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 19 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/2938/george-and-the-chimney-sweep>.

    Become a member!

    Join our community of poets and poetry lovers to share your work and offer feedback and encouragement to writers all over the world!

    April 2024

    Poetry Contest

    Join our monthly contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.
    11
    days
    1
    hour
    6
    minutes

    Special Program

    Earn Rewards!

    Unlock exciting rewards such as a free mug and free contest pass by commenting on fellow members' poems today!

    Browse Poetry.com

    Quiz

    Are you a poetry master?

    »
    Who wrote the 1916 poem "Out, Out—"?
    A Elinor Frost
    B Robert Frost
    C Robert Browning
    D Emily Dickinson