Analysis of I’ve been raped

philip lacey 1956 (United Kingdom)



I’ve been raped of my dignity
I’ve been raped left with humility
I’ve been raped, raped emotionally
I’ve been raped left with insanity
I’ve been raped by politics religion too
Commerce rapes society’s views
But there’s one kind of rape I can’t understand
It’s the worst kind of rape it’s the one that’s done by man

I’ve been raped, raped by the teachers in school
I’ve been raped made out to be the fool
I’ve been raped “but tell me what’s new
I’ve been raped, raped of my point of view
Did God create man or man create god
Or was he dyslexic and couldn’t spell dog
Whatever the reason we may be here
It’s only mankind that can rape you using fear

All you show is violence all you show is conceit
All you know is contention all you know is deceit
You crave to have the power you crave to dominate
Your egocentric schizophrenic distorted manic state

I’ve been raped but I’m still on my feet
I’ve been raped I’m down but you ain’t got me beat
I’ve been raped, raped so viciously
I’ve been raped I struggle to be free
But you held me down with all your power and might
Inflicting your torture while I tried to fight
You were relentless but I never gave in
And that’s why I want you to know

I’ve been raped of my dignity
I’ve been raped left with humility
I’ve been raped but I’m still on my feet
I’ve been raped but you ain’t got me beat


Scheme AAaabxxx ccbbxxxx ddee Ddaaffxx AADd
Poetic Form
Metre 11111100 111110100 11110100 111110100 1111100101 10111 1111111101 1011111011111 1111101001 111111101 11111101 111111111 1101111011 1110100111 100101111 110111111101 1111100111101 1111010111101 111101011110 1010010010101 111111111 11111111111 11111100 111110111 111111111001 01011011111 10010111010 01111111 11111100 111110100 111111111 111111111
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 1,369
Words 258
Sentences 1
Stanzas 5
Stanza Lengths 8, 8, 4, 8, 4
Lines Amount 32
Letters per line (avg) 33
Words per line (avg) 8
Letters per stanza (avg) 208
Words per stanza (avg) 52
Font size:
 

Submitted by musopa on May 09, 2021

Modified on March 05, 2023

1:17 min read
3

Discuss this philip lacey poem analysis with the community:

0 Comments

    Citation

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

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "I’ve been raped" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/99478/i%E2%80%99ve-been-raped>.

    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.
    2
    days
    20
    hours
    10
    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?

    »
    About how many poems did Emily Dickinson write?
    A 500
    B 1,800
    C 2,500
    D 750