Analysis of Parable For A Certain Virgin
Dorothy Parker 1893 (Long Branch) – 1967 (New York City)
Oh, ponder, friend, the porcupine;
Refresh your recollection,
And sit a moment, to define
His means of self-protection.
How truly fortified is he!
Where is the beast his double
In forethought of emergency
And readiness for trouble?
Recall his figure, and his shade-
How deftly planned and clearly
For slithering through the dappled glade
Unseen, or pretty nearly.
Yet should an alien eye discern
His presence in the woodland,
How little has he left to learn
Of self-defense! My good land!
For he can run, as swift as sound,
To where his goose may hang high-
Or thrust his head against the ground
And tunnel half to Shanghai;
Or he can climb the dizziest bough-
Unhesitant, mechanic-
And, resting, dash from off his brow
The bitter beads of panic;
Or should pursuers press him hot,
One scarcely needs to mention
His quick and cruel barbs, that got
Shakespearean attention;
Or driven to his final ditch,
To his extremest thicket,
He'll fight with claws and molars (which
Is not considered cricket).
How amply armored, he, to fend
The fear of chase that haunts him!
How well prepared our little friend!-
And who the devil wants him?
Scheme | ABAB CDCD ECEC FGFG HIHI JKJK LBLB MXMX NONO |
---|---|
Poetic Form | Quatrain (89%) |
Metre | 1101010 011010 01010101 1111010 1101011 1101110 0110100 0100110 1110011 1101010 11001011 0111010 111100101 110001 11011111 1101111 11111111 1111111 11110101 0101111 1111011 1010 01011111 0101110 11010111 1101110 11010111 100010 11011101 11110 1111011 1101010 11010111 0111111 110110101 0101011 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 1,138 |
Words | 198 |
Sentences | 11 |
Stanzas | 9 |
Stanza Lengths | 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4 |
Lines Amount | 36 |
Letters per line (avg) | 25 |
Words per line (avg) | 5 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 99 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 22 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on April 07, 2023
- 59 sec read
- 147 Views
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