Analysis of A Quest for Tophet
Clarence Michael James Stanislaus Dennis 1876 (Auburn) – 1938 (Melbourne)
'Twas a hell of a Hell they glimpsed, my son,
In superstitious days
When cultured man had scarce begun
To shed barbaric ways:
With gridirons set above the flame
For naughty gentlemen.
Who uttered lies that earned them blame
And righteous folk condemn.
'Twas a terrible sort of a Hell, my son,
That crude man pictured then.
But picture a land laid waste, my lad,
In scientific style,
While supermen of a world gone mad
Plan forms of torture vile;
While innocent children fight for breath
In a gas-filled city's street,
And mothers of men call on kind Death
As a friend whose kiss is sweet.
If you're looking about for a Hell, my lad,
You will find this hard to beat.
'Twas the deuce of a Devil they raised, my son,
To rule in their ancient Hells
Horns and a tail, yet a figure of fun,
With a hint of the cap and bells.
With a fork for weapon, he roamed the earth
To garner the souls of men,
Who had slipped from grace: and, with shouts of mirth,
He pitched them into his Pen.
'Twas a humorous sort of a Devil, my son,
That dull folk fled from then.
But picture a Devil at work, my boy,
In his foetid chemical lair.
As he brews Hell broths with a ghoulish joy
To foul god's clean sweet air.
Picture a Devil with bombs on high -
Mass murderer, reeking sin,
As he rains gaunt death from a smiling sky,
And goes, with a maniac grin.
If you're seeking a Devil sans mercy, boy,
He is here, 'neath your Brother's skin.
Scheme | ABABCDCXAE FGFGHIHIFI ABAXJEJEAE KLKLMDMDKD |
---|---|
Poetic Form | Etheree (28%) |
Metre | 1011011111 00101 11011101 110101 1110101 110100 11011111 010101 10100110111 111101 110011111 00101 1110111 111101 110010111 0011101 010111111 1011111 11100110111 1111111 10110101111 1101101 1001101011 10110101 1011101101 1100111 1111101111 1110111 101001101011 111111 1100101111 0111001 1111110101 111111 100101111 1100101 1111110101 0110101 11100101101 11111101 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 1,381 |
Words | 273 |
Sentences | 13 |
Stanzas | 4 |
Stanza Lengths | 10, 10, 10, 10 |
Lines Amount | 40 |
Letters per line (avg) | 27 |
Words per line (avg) | 7 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 271 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 68 |
Font size:
Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 1:23 min read
- 92 Views
Citation
Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:
Style:MLAChicagoAPA
"A Quest for Tophet" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/6162/a-quest-for-tophet>.
Discuss this Clarence Michael James Stanislaus Dennis 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