Analysis of Robert Penn Warren (pulitzer guy)
A tribute to his masterful poem narrative…”Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce” true aboriginal history.
I have read of
The mindful retreat of
Younger Chief Joseph
Of the Nez Perce
Before Howard, Sturgis
And Miles, the one with
The crazed, vain bravado
Of a Custer.
Many the engagement
Where stealth and patience
And courage of young
Bloodied and ripped blue coats.
Seized the scatter guns of terror.
Left horsemeat a-plenty
For the scavengers.
And men wasted
At the caprice of
Others up the chain.
Finally a tight, flat lower place
Beside the mountains.
Becoming a strategy
For withstanding in camp.
But also a box unkind
In winter for siege.
Silent frozen departures.
Wanting the glory
Before Howard rejoined.
Getting that Glory
With Howard present and
Horseback, Chief Joseph
Approaches, head bowed
Gray blanket over shoulder
Then gray cowl-like over head.
Spit rifle extended straight arms
But no longer as weapon
Rather as peace-offered trophy.
Miles makes promises.
One-armed Howard revels in relief,
Hard earned. *
Joseph's people yielding
To the necessity.
The truth of the Great Spirit.
Too many of the wrong types
Their moans carried on the winds.
(But no white scalps ever,
EVER taken by the Nez Perce.
Fair skinned, heartless reprobates
Like wild dogs, in the
Wake of the march
Not able to say the same.)
"Ah when would the terms of the promise be kept!
When would the word of Miles set them
Among promised mountains, far blueness, far whiteness?
How could they know that Miles, whom they trusted,
Was only a brigadier behind whom
Moved forces faceless, timeless, dim,
And in such dimness merciless."
(Quote take from the narrative poem account
Of Robertt Penn Warren C. 1982, page 47.)
*As it had been a severer tax upon the energies of officers and men
than any period in the late Civil War, surely some method must be found
to encourage and properly reward such gallantry and service hardly ever
before excelled. General O. O. Howard Warren's poem at page 27.
Scheme | A B B C D X X X E X X X X E A F X B X X X A X X X F A X A X C X E X X X A X X X X A X X X E D D X X X X X G X X X G X H X X E H |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 0101110010100110101110100100 1111 010011 10110 1011 011010 01011 011010 1010 100010 11010 01011 100111 10101110 11010 10100 0110 10011 10101 100011101 01010 0100100 101001 1100101 01011 1010010 10010 011001 10110 110100 1110 01011 1101010 1111101 11001011 1110110 10111010 11100 111010001 11 101010 100100 0110110 1101011 1110101 111110 10101011 11101 11100 1101 1101101 11101101011 11011111 011010110110 1111111110 110001011 11010101 0011100 11101001001 1111011 11110101010100110001 11010000110110110111 101001000111000101010 01011001110101011 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 2,167 |
Words | 473 |
Sentences | 32 |
Stanzas | 64 |
Stanza Lengths | 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1 |
Lines Amount | 64 |
Letters per line (avg) | 25 |
Words per line (avg) | 5 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 25 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 5 |
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Written on March 28, 2023
Submitted by dougb.19255 on March 28, 2023
Modified by dougb.19255 on March 28, 2023
- 2:22 min read
- 9 Views
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"Robert Penn Warren (pulitzer guy)" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 24 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/155119/robert-penn-warren-%28pulitzer-guy%29>.
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