Analysis of To Horace Bumstead

James Weldon Johnson 1871 (Jacksonville) – 1938 (Wiscasset)



Have you been sore discouraged in the fight,
And even sometimes weighted by the thought
That those with whom and those for whom you fought
Lagged far behind, or dared but faintly smite?
And that the opposing forces in their might
Of blind inertia rendered as for naught
All that throughout the long years had been wrought,
And powerless each blow for Truth and Right?

If so, take new and greater courage then,
And think no more withouten help you stand;
For sure as God on His eternal throne
Sits, mindful of the sinful deeds of men,
--The awful Sword of Justice in His hand,--
You shall not, no, you shall not, fight alone.


Scheme ABBAABBA CDECDE
Poetic Form Petrarchan sonnet 
Metre 1111010001 0100110101 1111011111 1101111101 01001010011 1101010111 1101011111 0100111101 1111010101 01111111 1111110101 1101010111 0101110011 1111111101
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 619
Words 117
Sentences 4
Stanzas 2
Stanza Lengths 8, 6
Lines Amount 14
Letters per line (avg) 35
Words per line (avg) 8
Letters per stanza (avg) 246
Words per stanza (avg) 57
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

35 sec read
83

James Weldon Johnson

James Weldon Johnson was an American author, educator, lawyer, diplomat, songwriter, and early civil rights activist. Johnson is best remembered for his leadership within the NAACP as well as for his writing, which includes novels, poems, and anthologies. He was also the first African-American professor at New York University. Later in life he was a professor of creative literature and writing at Fisk University. more…

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