Briefly comment on the structure/style of the poem.
The poem is unique because of its stanzaic arrangements. There are twenty lines, divided into four stanzas of five lines each. A prominent feature of the structure/style is the deliberate use of end rhyming pattern is Ababa for stanza one. This pattern is maintained in the subsequent stanzas of the poem. Another remarkable style of this poem is the elongation of the second, third and fourth lines of each stanza while the first and last lines of each stanza remain relatively shorter.
The diction is very simple and the message, very direct and full of moral lessons. There are figures of sound namely, alliterations and repetitions. Besides, the poem has a biblical allusion to the creation story and God’s omnipresence. The tone is commanding, and incisive. The speaker talks with authority:
“Let us,” said he, pour on him…”
“Let the world’s riches…”
For if I should…, “yet, let him” etc.
This shows the commanding influence of the speaker. This gives force potency to the diction and makes the poem beautiful.