Analysis of A Career
Paul Laurence Dunbar 1872 (Dayton) – 1906
'Break me my bounds, and let me fly
To regions vast of boundless sky;
Nor I, like piteous Daphne, be
Root-bound. Ah, no! I would be free
As yon same bird that in its flight
Outstrips the range of mortal sight;
Free as the mountain streams that gush
From bubbling springs, and downward rush
Across the serrate mountain's side,--
The rocks o'erwhelmed, their banks defied,--
And like the passions in the soul,
Swell into torrents as they roll.
Oh, circumscribe me not by rules
That serve to lead the minds of fools!
But give me pow'r to work my will,
And at my deeds the world shall thrill.
My words shall rouse the slumb'ring zest
That hardly stirs in manhood's breast;
And as the sun feeds lesser lights,
As planets have their satellites,
So round about me will I bind
The men who prize a master mind!'
He lived a silent life alone,
And laid him down when it was done;
And at his head was placed a stone
On which was carved a name unknown!
Scheme | AABBCCDDEEFFGGHHIIJJKK LXLL |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 11110111 11011101 1111101 11111111 11111011 01011101 11010111 110010101 0101101 0111101 01010001 10110111 1011111 11110111 111111111 01110111 1111011 1101011 01011101 1101110 11011111 01110101 11010101 01111111 01111101 11110101 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 922 |
Words | 181 |
Sentences | 8 |
Stanzas | 2 |
Stanza Lengths | 22, 4 |
Lines Amount | 26 |
Letters per line (avg) | 28 |
Words per line (avg) | 7 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 364 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 88 |
Font size:
Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 55 sec read
- 96 Views
Citation
Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:
Style:MLAChicagoAPA
"A Career" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 2 Jun 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/28599/a-career>.
Discuss this Paul Laurence Dunbar poem analysis with the community:
Report Comment
We're doing our best to make sure our content is useful, accurate and safe.
If by any chance you spot an inappropriate comment while navigating through our website please use this form to let us know, and we'll take care of it shortly.
Attachment
You need to be logged in to favorite.
Log In