Analysis of Sympathy
Paul Laurence Dunbar 1872 (Dayton) – 1906
I know what the caged bird feels, alas!
When the sun is bright on the upland slopes;
When the wind stirs soft through the springing grass,
And the river flows like a stream of glass;
When the first bird sings and the first bud opes,
And the faint perfume from its chalice steals--
I know what the caged bird feels!
I know why the caged bird beats his wing
Till its blood is red on the cruel bars;
For he must fly back to his perch and cling
When he fain would be on the bough a-swing;
And a pain still throbs in the old, old scars
And they pulse again with a keener sting--
I know why he beats his wing!
I know why the caged bird sings, ah me,
When his wing is bruised and his bosom sore,--
When he beats his bars and he would be free;
It is not a carol of joy or glee,
But a prayer that he sends from his heart's deep core,
But a plea, that upward to Heaven he flings--
I know why the caged bird sings!
Scheme | AXAAABB CDCCDCC EFEEFGG |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 111011101 1011110101 1011110101 0010110111 1011100111 0010111101 1110111 111011111 1111110101 1111111101 1111110101 0011100111 0110110101 1111111 111011111 1111101101 1111101111 1110101111 10111111111 10111011011 1110111 |
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 909 |
Words | 189 |
Sentences | 5 |
Stanzas | 3 |
Stanza Lengths | 7, 7, 7 |
Lines Amount | 21 |
Letters per line (avg) | 33 |
Words per line (avg) | 9 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 230 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 62 |
Font size:
Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on April 27, 2023
- 57 sec read
- 1,169 Views
Citation
Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:
Style:MLAChicagoAPA
"Sympathy" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 9 Jun 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/28873/sympathy>.
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