Analysis of Smack In School, The
William Pitt Palmer 1805 ( Stockbridge, Berkshire County, Massachusetts,) – 1884 (Brooklyn, Kings County (Brooklyn), New York)
A district school, not far away,
Mid Berkshire's hills, one winter's day,
Was humming with its wonted noise
Of threescore mingled girls and boys;
Some few upon their tasks intent,
But more on furtive mischief bent.
The while the master's downward look
Was fastened on a copy-book;
When suddenly, behind his back,
Rose sharp and clear a rousing smack!
As 'twere a battery of bliss
Let off in one tremendous kiss!
"What's that?" the startled master cries;
"That, thir," a little imp replies,
"Wath William Willith, if you pleathe,
I thaw him kith Thuthanna Peathe!"
With frown to make a statue thrill,
The master thundered, "Hither, Will!"
Like wretch o'ertaken in his track,
With stolen chattels on his back,
Will hung his head in fear and shame,
And to the awful presence came,
A great, green, bashful simpleton,
The butt of all good-natured fun.
With smile suppressed, and birch upraised,
The thunderer faltered, "I'm amazed
That you, my biggest pupil, should
Be guilty of an act so rude!
Before the whole set school to boot,
What evil genius put you to't?"
"'Twas she herself, sir," sobbed the lad,
"I did not mean to be so bad;
But when Susannah shook her curls,
And whispered, I was 'fraid of girls
And dursn't kiss a baby's doll,
I couldn't stand it, sir, at all,
But up and kissed her on the spot!
I know, boo, hoo, I ought to not,
But, somehow, from her looks, boo, hoo,
I thought she kind o' wished me to!"
Scheme | AABBCCDDEEFFGGHHIIEEJJKKCLMNOPQQRRSTUUVV |
---|---|
Poetic Form | Etheree (28%) |
Metre | 01011101 1111101 1101111 1110101 11011101 11110101 01010101 11010101 11000111 11010101 11010011 11010101 11010101 11010101 1101111 111111 1111011 01010101 111011 1101111 11110101 01010101 011101 01111101 1101011 0110101 11110101 11011111 01011111 110101111 11011101 11111111 1110101 01011111 0110101 11011111 11010101 11111111 1110111 11111111 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 1,375 |
Words | 260 |
Sentences | 12 |
Stanzas | 1 |
Stanza Lengths | 40 |
Lines Amount | 40 |
Letters per line (avg) | 27 |
Words per line (avg) | 6 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 1,071 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 253 |
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Submitted on August 03, 2020
Modified on April 01, 2023
- 1:18 min read
- 7 Views
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"Smack In School, The" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 2 Jun 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/57098/smack-in-school%2C-the>.
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