John Henry Analysis - Literary devices and Poetic devices

John Henry
by means of Anonymous

When John Henry changed into a bit tiny baby
Sitting on his mama’s knee,
He picked up a hammer and a touch piece of metal
Saying, “Hammer’s going to be the death of me, Lord, Lord,
Hammer’s going to be the demise of me.”

John Henry become a man just six toes high,
Nearly two feet and a 1/2 across his breast.
He’d hammer with a nine-pound hammer all day
And never get worn-out and want to rest, Lord, Lord,
And in no way get worn-out and need to rest.

John Henry went up on the mountain
And he appeared one eye instantly up its side.
The mountain was so tall and John Henry changed into so small,
He laid down his hammer and he cried, “Lord, Lord,”
He laid down his hammer and he cried.

John Henry stated to his captain,
“Captain, you go to city,
Bring me returned a TWELVE-pound hammer, please,
And I’ll beat that steam drill down, Lord, Lord,
I’ll beat that steam drill down.”

The captain stated to John Henry,
“I accept as true with this mountain’s sinking in.”
But John Henry said, “Captain, just you stand aside–
It’s nothing but my hammer catching wind, Lord, Lord,
It’s nothing but my hammer catching wind.”

John Henry said to his shaker,
“Shaker, boy, you better begin to pray,
‘Cause if my TWELVE-pound hammer pass over that little piece of metallic,
Tomorrow’ll be your burying day, Lord, Lord,
Tomorrow’ll be your burying day.”

John Henry stated to his captain,
“A guy is nothing however a man,
But before I permit your steam drill beat me down,
I’d die with a hammer in my hand, Lord, Lord,
I’d die with a hammer in my hand.”

The man that invented the steam drill,
He figured he changed into mighty excessive and fine,
But John Henry sunk the metal down fourteen feet
While the steam drill simplest made nine, Lord, Lord,
The steam drill best made nine.

John Henry hammered at the right-hand side.
Steam drill saved riding on the left.
John Henry beat that steam drill down.
But he hammered his poor coronary heart to demise, Lord, Lord,
He hammered his poor coronary heart to demise.

Well, they carried John Henry down the tunnel
And they laid his frame inside the sand.
Now every lady riding on a C and O train
Says, “There lies my metallic-using guy, Lord, Lord,
There lies my steel-riding guy.”

Summary of John Henry
Popularity of “John Henry”: John Henry is a lyrical ballad recognized for its precise theme: Man as opposed to Machine. It became first published in the 19th It is also called the folklore of an African-American guy working on constructing a railroad. The unlucky guy dies while conducting a grand task. John Henry’s statue can be seen outdoor the town of Talcott in Summers County, West Virginia
“John Henry” As a Representative of Hard Work: The poem presents the undaunted conflict of a man who fights era of that time which can replace guide work. John Henry, a tall and robust man, continually contains a nine-pound hammer and in no way gets tired, implying he is a hardworking and determined person. He makes a decision to compete against the steam drill in driving the metal. However, when he goes to the mountain wherein he has to work, he realizes his nine-pound hammer will no longer work. Therefore, he asks his captain for a twelve-pound hammer. He places all his efforts to sink the steam drill and succeeds. Unfortunately, he hits himself with that hammer and dies. The workers convey his body down the tunnel and bury him in the sand. Now every woman driving at the trains consider John Henry as a “metal-driving” man.
Major Themes in “John Henry”: Bravery, courage, and loss of life are the fundamental topics of this poem. The poem revolves around a historic second when John Henry does an not possible job. He must hammer down a metal drill right into a rock and set the explosives to assemble the railroad. He in the long run dies as his heart offers out. He has been portrayed as an industrious and decided man. He worked hard until his final breath and sacrificed his life for the coolest of his society.
Analysis of Literary Devices Used in “John Henry”
Literary gadgets are tools used by writers to carry their emotions, ideas, and themes to make texts more attractive to the reader. The evaluation of some of the literary devices used on this poem has been given under.

Anaphora: It refers to the repetition of a word or word in two or successive verses. For example, “Hammer’s going to be the dying of me” within the establishing lines of the poem to emphasize the point and foreshadow John Henry’s dying.
“Saying, “Hammer’s going to be the death of me, Lord, Lord,
Hammer’s going to be the dying of me.”

Imagery: Imagery is used to perceive things involving 5 senses. For example, “He picked up a hammer and a touch piece of metallic”, “John Henry hammered on the right-hand side” and “And they laid his frame within the sand.”
Hyperbole: Hyperbole is a tool used to magnify a statement for the sake of emphasis. For example, “It’s nothing however my hammer catching wind.” Here hammer is each exaggerated and personified.
Assonance: Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in the identical line inclusive of the sound of /ee/ in “He picked up a hammer and a little piece of steel” and the sound of /o/ in “Saying, “Hammer’s going to be the dying of me, Lord, Lord.”
Consonance: Consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds inside the equal line such as the sound of /d/ in “He laid down his hammer and he cried, “Lord, Lord” and the sound of /t/ in “John Henry beat that steam drill down.”
Alliteration: Alliteration is the repetition of consonant sounds inside the same line in quick succession which include the sound of /h/ in “John Henry hammered on the right-hand side” and the sound of /l/ in “I’d die with a hammer in my hand, Lord, Lord.”
Enjambment: It is defined as a notion or clause that does not come to an stop at a line break. It movements over the following line. For example,
“He picked up a hammer and a bit piece of steel
Saying, “Hammer’s going to be the loss of life of me, Lord, Lord,
Hammer’s going to be the loss of life of me.”

Analysis of Poetic Devices in “John Henry”
Poetic and literary gadgets are the identical, but some are used simplest in poetry. Here is the evaluation of a number of the poetic devices used on this poem.

Ballad: A ballad is a poem that tells a tale and is supposed to be sung or recited. “John Henry” is one among the famous ballads of nineteenth century.
Stanza: A stanza is a poetic form of some traces. There are ten 5-covered stanzas on this poem.
Quintet: A quintet is a 5-line stanza. Here, each stanza is quintet.
Repetition: The Last line of every stanza is repeated with the same phrases which have created a musical excellent in the poem. For example,
“But he hammered his poor heart to demise, Lord, Lord,
He hammered his poor coronary heart to death.”

Refrain: The traces which can be repeated at some distance within the poems are known as refrain. Here, the remaining line of each stanza is repeated with the identical phrases, and it has emerge as a refrain. For example,
“Tomorrow’ll be your burying day, Lord, Lord,
Tomorrow’ll be your burying day.”

Quotes to be Used
The traces stated under are useful for youngsters whilst coaching the records of industrialization, and to make them aware of the difficulty humans faced at the same time as working with heavy tools.

“John Henry went up on the mountain
And he seemed one eye immediately up its side.
The mountain become so tall and John Henry changed into so small,
He laid down his hammer and he cried.”