Analysis of The Question
Rudyard Kipling 1865 (Mumbai) – 1936 (London)
Brethren, how shall it fare with me
When the war is laid aside,
If it be proven that I am he
For whom a world has died?
If it be proven that all my good,
And the greater good I will make,
Were purchased me by a multitude
Who suffered for my sake?
That I was delivered by mere mankind
Vowed to one sacrifice,
And not, as I hold them, battle-blind,
But dying with open eyes?
That they did not ask me to draw the sword
When they stood to endure their lot --
That they only looked to me for a word,
And I answered I knew them not?
If it be found, when the battle clears,
Their death has set me free,
Then how shall I live with myself through the years
Which they have bought for me?
Brethren, how must it fare with me,
Or how am I justified,
If it be proven that I am he
For whom mankind has died --
If it be proven that I am he
Who, being questioned, denied?
Scheme | abAb xcxc dxdx xexe fafa abAbAb |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 10111111 1011101 111101111 110111 111101111 00101111 01011010 110111 1110101111 11110 011111101 1101101 1111111101 11110111 1110111101 01101111 111110101 111111 1111111101 111111 10111111 111110 111101111 111111 111101111 1101001 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 838 |
Words | 180 |
Sentences | 7 |
Stanzas | 6 |
Stanza Lengths | 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 6 |
Lines Amount | 26 |
Letters per line (avg) | 25 |
Words per line (avg) | 7 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 108 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 30 |
Font size:
Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 26, 2023
- 54 sec read
- 78 Views
Citation
Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:
Style:MLAChicagoAPA
"The Question" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 20 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/33537/the-question>.
Discuss this Rudyard Kipling 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