Analysis of Go West, Young Man (or north, or east, or south)



I've a story for you
I swear that it's true
It's about the queer folk
in the town where I grew
There's old Willie McFee
Who one day swallowed a bee
He screamed and he yelled
and ran into a tree
Sweet Sally Anne Blye
One day swatted a fly
Then she felt really bad
and she started to cry
Dr. Wilhelm Maloney
Always prescribed baloney
He practiced for years
though his degree was phoney
School marm Mrs. McGrath
Taught reading, writing, and math
She used two drops of water
when she took her bath
Simple Johnny O'Rourke
Always dressed like a dork
He made three dollars a week
selling barbequed pork
Then there's rich Carlton Fister
Whose wife murdered his sister
So he kept one eye open
whenever he kissed her
Bob and Jane Wheat
Made wine that's a treat
They crushed their own grapes
with their big stinky feet
My own brother Rick
You can bet he moves quick
He likes to hunt bears
with a long willow stick
I know this sound strange
But things there never change
That's why I now live
on the wide open range.


Scheme AABACCDCEEFECCGCHHIHJBKJIILIMMNMOOPOQQRQ
Poetic Form Etheree  (30%)
Tetractys  (20%)
Metre 101011 11111 101011 001111 111001 1111001 11011 010101 11011 111001 111101 011011 11010 101010 11011 1101110 111001 1101001 1111110 11101 101001 11101 1111001 10101 1111010 1110110 1111110 010110 1011 11101 11111 111101 11101 111111 11111 10111 11111 111101 11111 101101
Closest metre Iambic trimeter
Characters 965
Words 191
Sentences 3
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 40
Lines Amount 40
Letters per line (avg) 20
Words per line (avg) 5
Letters per stanza (avg) 801
Words per stanza (avg) 191
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Submitted by CoachSpivey on February 21, 2017

Modified on March 05, 2023

59 sec read
4

Brian Spivey

I've been writing for nearly 40 years. It's been a good ride. Hope you enjoy. I have one series of poems that should be read together. "A Sad Fairy Tale", "Happily", "A New Fairy Tale Begins", and "The Result of True Love". As the Staler Brothers sang "Some I wrote for money, some I wrote for fun, some I wrote and threw away, and never sang for anyone. One I wrote for Mama, and a couple still aren't through, I've lost track of all the rest but the most I wrote for you." Enjoy. more…

All Brian Spivey poems | Brian Spivey Books

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    "Go West, Young Man (or north, or east, or south)" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 26 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/72318/go-west%2C-young-man-%28or-north%2C-or-east%2C-or-south%29>.

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