Analysis of I Must Be



I must be all I can be, nothing too meek or vain.
I must free all I can free if I would free remain.
I must heal all I can heal, nothing too poor or dear.
I must feel all I can feel if I would feel sincere.
I must fight all I can fight, nothing too vile or fine.
I must right all I can right if I would right assign.
I must give all I can give, nothing too small or great.
I must live all I can live if I would live my fate.
I must sway all I can sway, nothing to soft or tough.
I must pray all I can pray if I would pray enough.
I must raise all I can raise, nothing too plain or blind.
I must praise all I can praise if I would praise mankind.
I must be all I can be, nothing too much or less.
I must see all I can see if I would see success.


Scheme AABBCCDDEEFFGG
Poetic Form
Metre 1111111101111 1111111111101 1111111101111 1111111111101 1111111101111 1111111111101 1111111101111 1111111111111 1111111101111 1111111111101 1111111101111 1111111111111 1111111101111 1111111111101
Closest metre Iambic heptameter
Characters 731
Words 169
Sentences 14
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 14
Lines Amount 14
Letters per line (avg) 40
Words per line (avg) 12
Letters per stanza (avg) 555
Words per stanza (avg) 169
Font size:
 

Submitted on February 05, 2010

Modified on March 05, 2023

50 sec read
1

Wallace Dean LaBenne

Professor, therapist, author and poet. more…

All Wallace Dean LaBenne poems | Wallace Dean LaBenne Books

5 fans

Discuss this Wallace Dean LaBenne poem analysis with the community:

0 Comments

    Citation

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

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "I Must Be" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 30 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/74422/i-must-be>.

    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.
    0
    days
    19
    hours
    29
    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 poem "A Fairy Song"?
    A William Shakespeare
    B Emily Dickinson
    C Geoffrey Chaucer
    D William Blake