Analysis of Want To Be Whur Mother Is

James Whitcomb Riley 1849 (Greenfield) – 1916 (Indianapolis)



'Want to be whur mother is! Want to be whur mother is!'
Jeemses Rivers! won't some one ever shet that howl o' his?
That-air yellin' drives me wild!
Cain't none of ye stop the child?
Want jer Daddy? 'Naw.' Gee whizz!
'Want to be whur mother is!'

'Want to be whur mother is! Want to be whur mother is!'
Coax him, Sairy! Mary, sing somepin far him! Lift him, Liz--
Bang the clock-bell with the key--
Er the _meat-ax!_ Gee-mun-nee!
Listen to them lungs o' his!
'Want to be whur mother is!'

'Want to be whur mother is! Want to be whur mother is!'
Preacher guess'll pound all night on that old pulpit o' his;
'Pears to me some wimmin jest
Shows religious interest
Mostly 'fore their fambly's riz!
'Want to be whur mother is!'

* * * * *

'Want to be whur mother is! Want to be whur mother is!'
Nights like these and whipperwills allus brings that voice of his!
Sairy; Mary; 'Lizabeth;
Don't set there and ketch yer death
In the dew--er rheumatiz--
Want to be whur mother is?


Scheme AabbaA AaccaA AaxxaA AaddaA
Poetic Form
Metre 11111011111101 1101111011111 1110111 11111101 1110111 1111101 11111011111101 111101111111 1011101 0011111 1011111 1111101 11111011111101 1011111111011 111111 101010 101111 1111101 1 11111011111101 11101111111 110100 1110111 00101 1111101
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 950
Words 194
Sentences 27
Stanzas 5
Stanza Lengths 6, 6, 6, 1, 6
Lines Amount 25
Letters per line (avg) 28
Words per line (avg) 7
Letters per stanza (avg) 141
Words per stanza (avg) 37
Font size:
 

Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on April 26, 2023

57 sec read
124

James Whitcomb Riley

James Whitcomb Riley was an American writer, poet, and best-selling author. During his lifetime he was known as the "Hoosier Poet" and "Children's Poet" for his dialect works and his children's poetry respectively. more…

All James Whitcomb Riley poems | James Whitcomb Riley Books

1 fan

Discuss this James Whitcomb Riley poem analysis with the community:

0 Comments

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "Want To Be Whur Mother Is" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 12 Jun 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/21166/want-to-be-whur-mother-is>.

    Become a member!

    Join our community of poets and poetry lovers to share your work and offer feedback and encouragement to writers all over the world!

    June 2024

    Poetry Contest

    Join our monthly contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.
    18
    days
    16
    hours
    22
    minutes

    Special Program

    Earn Rewards!

    Unlock exciting rewards such as a free mug and free contest pass by commenting on fellow members' poems today!

    Browse Poetry.com

    Quiz

    Are you a poetry master?

    »
    What's the oldest written poem exist?
    A Odyssey
    B Ramayana
    C Epic of Gilgamesh
    D Iliad