Analysis of We and They
Rudyard Kipling 1865 (Mumbai) – 1936 (London)
Father and Mother, and Me,
Sister and Auntie say
All the people like us are We,
And every one else is They.
And They live over the sea,
While We live over the way,
But-would you believe it? --They look upon We
As only a sort of They!
We eat pork and beef
With cow-horn-handled knives.
They who gobble Their rice off a leaf,
Are horrified out of Their lives;
While they who live up a tree,
And feast on grubs and clay,
(Isn't it scandalous? ) look upon We
As a simply disgusting They!
We shoot birds with a gun.
They stick lions with spears.
Their full-dress is un-.
We dress up to Our ears.
They like Their friends for tea.
We like Our friends to stay;
And, after all that, They look upon We
As an utterly ignorant They!
We eat kitcheny food.
We have doors that latch.
They drink milk or blood,
Under an open thatch.
We have Doctors to fee.
They have Wizards to pay.
And (impudent heathen!) They look upon We
As a quite impossible They!
All good people agree,
And all good people say,
All nice people, like Us, are We
And every one else is They:
But if you cross over the sea,
Instead of over the way,
You may end by (think of it!) looking on We
As only a sort of They!
Scheme | abaBabaB cxcxabab dedeabab xfxfabab abaBabaB |
---|---|
Poetic Form | Etheree (23%) Tetractys (20%) |
Metre | 1001001 100101 10101111 01001111 0111001 1111001 11101111011 1100111 11101 111101 111011101 1101111 1111101 011101 1011001011 10100101 111101 111011 11111 1111101 111111 1110111 0101111011 111001001 1111 11111 11111 101101 111011 111011 011011011 10101001 111001 011101 11101111 01001111 11111001 0111001 11111111011 1100111 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 1,178 |
Words | 235 |
Sentences | 22 |
Stanzas | 5 |
Stanza Lengths | 8, 8, 8, 8, 8 |
Lines Amount | 40 |
Letters per line (avg) | 22 |
Words per line (avg) | 6 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 177 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 46 |
Font size:
Submitted on May 13, 2011
- 1:10 min read
- 2,195 Views
Citation
Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:
Style:MLAChicagoAPA
"We and They" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2023. Web. 1 Apr. 2023. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/33639/we-and-they>.
Discuss this Rudyard Kipling 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