Analysis of To America
James Weldon Johnson 1871 (Jacksonville) – 1938 (Wiscasset)
How would you have us, as we are?
Or sinking 'neath the load we bear?
Our eyes fixed forward on a star?
Or gazing empty at despair?
Rising or falling? Men or things?
With dragging pace or footsteps fleet?
Strong, willing sinews in your wings?
Or tightening chains about your feet?
| Scheme | ABAB CDCD |
|---|---|
| Poetic Form | Traditional rhyme Quatrain |
| Metre | 11111111 11010111 101110101 11010101 10110111 1101111 1101011 110010111 |
| Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
| Characters | 281 |
| Words | 53 |
| Sentences | 10 |
| Stanzas | 2 |
| Stanza Lengths | 4, 4 |
| Lines Amount | 8 |
| Letters per line (avg) | 27 |
| Words per line (avg) | 6 |
| Letters per stanza (avg) | 109 |
| Words per stanza (avg) | 26 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on April 24, 2023
- 15 sec read
- 129 Views
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"To America" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 9 Jun 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/20746/to-america>.
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