John Hancock Otis
As to democracy, fellow citizens,
Are you not prepared to admit
That I, who inherited riches and was to the manor born,
Was second to none in Spoon River
In my devotion to the cause of Liberty?
While my contemporary, Anthony Findlay,
Born in a shanty and beginning life
As a water carrier to the section hands,
Then becoming a section hand when he was grown,
Afterwards foreman of the gang, until he rose
To the superintendency of the railroad,
Living in Chicago,
Was a veritable slave driver,
Grinding the faces of labor,
And a bitter enemy of democracy.
And I say to you, Spoon River,
And to you, O republic,
Beware of the man who rises to power
From one suspender.
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 37 sec read
- 90 Views
Quick analysis:
Scheme | ABCDEEFGHIJKDDEDLDD |
---|---|
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 657 |
Words | 124 |
Stanzas | 1 |
Stanza Lengths | 19 |
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"John Hancock Otis" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 23 Dec. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/8627/john-hancock-otis>.
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