Analysis of The Dog And His Master
Anne Kingsmill Finch 1661 – 1720 (Westminster)
NO better Dog e'er kept his Master's Door
Than honest Snarl, who spar'd nor Rich nor Poor;
But gave the Alarm, when any one drew nigh,
Nor let pretended Friends pass fearless by:
For which reprov'd, as better Fed than Taught,
He rightly thus expostulates the Fault.
To keep the House from Rascals was my Charge;
The Task was great, and the Commission large.
Nor did your Worship e'er declare your Mind,
That to the begging Crew it was confin'd;
Who shrink an Arm, or prop an able Knee,
Or turn up Eyes, till they're not seen, nor see.
To Thieves, who know the Penalty of Stealth,
And fairly stake their Necks against your Wealth,
These are the known Delinquents of the Times,
And Whips and Tyburn. testify their Crimes.
But since to Me there was by Nature lent
An exquisite Discerning by the Scent;
I trace a Flatt'rer, when he fawns and leers,
A rallying Wit, when he commends and jeers:
The greedy Parasite I grudging note,
Who praises the good Bits, that oil his Throat;
I mark the Lady, you so fondly toast,
That plays your Gold, when all her own is lost:
The Knave, who fences your Estate by Law,
Yet still reserves an undermining Flaw.
These and a thousand more, which I cou'd tell,
Provoke my Growling, and offend my Smell.
Scheme | XXAAXX BBCCDDEEFF GGFXHHXXIIJJ |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 11011011101 1101111111 11001110111 1101011101 111110111 1101101 1101110111 0111000101 11110100111 1101011101 1111111101 1111111111 1111010011 0101110111 1101010101 01011011 1111111101 1100010101 110111101 01001110101 010101101 1100111111 1101011101 1111110111 0111010111 110111001 1001011111 0111000111 |
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 1,238 |
Words | 227 |
Sentences | 8 |
Stanzas | 3 |
Stanza Lengths | 6, 10, 12 |
Lines Amount | 28 |
Letters per line (avg) | 34 |
Words per line (avg) | 8 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 318 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 75 |
Font size:
Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 1:10 min read
- 140 Views
Citation
Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:
Style:MLAChicagoAPA
"The Dog And His Master" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/3289/the-dog-and-his-master>.
Discuss this Anne Kingsmill Finch 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