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Miniver Cheevy By Edwin Arlington Robinson
Analyzed by Kimberly Franco Katherine Hernandez Angela Sanchez Hannah Lissy Adriana Negrete
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Biography Died in 1935 of Cancer Third son of Mary Elizabeth
Born in Maine December 2, 1869 Died in 1935 of Cancer Third son of Mary Elizabeth Received his name in a raffle Family expected a girl: the summer after he was born his family went on vacation and the ladies all put names in a hat for his mother to pick from Greatest delight was “hunting difficult words” Appeared in neighbor's doorway yelling “Nebuchadnezzar” (King of Babylon) or “Melchizedek” (Priest)
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Formed a small poetry and philosophy group called Quadruped Club
Theodore Roosevelt wrote a review of “The Children of the Night” persuaded a publisher to reprint it Wrote in total 28 books of poetry Received his first Pulitzer Prize in 1922; 1925 & 1928 Robinson had an affair with his brother’s fiance; Emma Shepherd Studied at Harvard Robinson was seen as the least successful of his siblings Ended up providing for his successful brother’s family when his brother died
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Diction Miniver Cheevy, child of scorn,
Grew lean while he assailed the seasons; He wept that he was ever born, And he had reasons. Miniver loved the days of old When swords were bright and steeds were prancing; The vision of a warrior bold Would set him dancing. Miniver sighed for what was not, And dreamed, and rested from his labors; He dreamed of Thebes and Camelot, And Priam's neighbors. Miniver mourned the ripe renown That made so many a name so fragrant; He mourned Romance, now on the town, And Art, a vagrant. Miniver loved the Medici, Albeit he had never seen one; He would have sinned incessantly Could he have been one. Miniver cursed the commonplace And eyed a khaki suit with loathing; He missed the medieval grace Of iron clothing. Miniver scorned the gold he sought, But sore annoyed was he without it; Miniver thought, and thought, and thought, And thought about it. Miniver Cheevy, born too late, Scratched his head and kept on thinking; Miniver coughed, and called it fate, And kept on drinking.
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Structure Tone: sad Diction: pessimistic
Speaker creates a character who is longing for a better life Obsessive, depressed Miniver Cheevy’s character reflects the author;title means “minimum achiever” Four allusions used to create a sense of comparison within the character’s life Thebes: place in Greece; famous in the story of Oedipus Camelot: where King Arthur ruled; symbol of Arthurian world Priam: King of Troy in the Trojan War Medici: royal, wealthy family
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Dramatic lyric: Subjective, reflective poetry with regular rhyme and meter which reveals the poet’s thoughts and feelings to create a single, unique impression Irregular Meter: demonstrates the state of mind the poet was in. He was drunk, or displayed discomfort with his life. Iambic Tetrameter: The first three lines of each quatrain follow iambic tetrameter used MOST throughout the poem Iambic Dimeter: Last line of each quatrain follows iambic dimeter Typical rhyme scheme Enjambment “The vision of a warrior bold Would set him dancing.”
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1st and 2nd Stanza Analysis
Miniver was subject to anger as a child Assailed: means "criticize strongly" As the years went on he hated life more, because he didn't like himself Lines 3 and 4 reflect Robinson Since birth Robinson had been a disappointment because his parents thought he was going to be a girl Miniver Cheevy, child of scorn, Grew lean while he assailed the seasons; He wept that he was ever born, And he had reasons. Miniver loved the days of old When swords were bright and steeds were prancing; The vision of a warrior bold Would set him dancing. Loved times of the past Wished he could live in the medieval times, when these great heroes existed Made him feel happy and alive
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3rd and 4th Stanza Analysis
Miniver was sad with his life; day-dreamed about living in the past Dreamed of going to places where great people lived Miniver sighed for what was not, And dreamed, and rested from his labors; He dreamed of Thebes and Camelot, A And Priam's neighbors. Miniver mourned the ripe renown That made so many a name so fragrant; He mourned Romance, now on the town, And Art, a vagrant. Mourned: show deep sorrow and regret Renown: being known about-- talked about-- by many people “Ripe renown”: fresh, new topic people talk about; made people seem so wonderful Expressed sorrow because he wasn’t being talked about by people-- no one knew him “Now on the town”: someone who lives off the charity of people; “Vagrant”: someone who wanders Robinson refers to Romance as “on the town”, no one cares about romance anymore-- just as if it were a nobody on the street Art: Robinson feels that art is meaningless; it doesn’t make you feel anything now-a-days
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5th and 6th Stanza Analysis
Miniver sought after fame and fortune; “loved the Medici” Says he wouldn’t have done good things with his money Albeit: means although Miniver loved the Medici, Albeit he had never seen one; He would have sinned incessantly Could he have been one. Miniver cursed the commonplace And eyed a khaki suit with loathing; He missed the medieval grace Of iron clothing. Hated the regular places he saw; didn’t like the low class of the town Yearned for the sophisticated attitude of the medieval times “Eyed a khaki suit with loathing”: disliked the ordinary plainness of his regular suits “Iron clothing”: clothing of a warrior, someone people looked up to
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7th and 8th Stanza Analysis
Robinson felt torn between wanting and not wanting fortune The idea of being well-known and wealthy captivated his thoughts Miniver scorned the gold he sought, But sore annoyed was he without it; Miniver thought, and thought, and thought, And thought about it. Miniver Cheevy, born too late, Scratched his head and kept on thinking; Miniver coughed, and called it fate, And kept on drinking. Comes to realize he can’t control the era he was born in Again, the whole idea of living in past times controls his life; can’t be happy because he is stuck in the past Still discontent with himself; so he continues drinking
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Quiz What does the title mean?
Name one of the historical references in the poem? What type of poem is it? What meter does the author use in the poem the most? Who did Robinson have an affair with? What does Robinson do to show Miniver Cheevy’s state of mind in the meter? Where did Robinson get his first name from? What is the tone of the poem? Is the word "lean" used in a positive or negative way? What does "vagrant" mean in the poem?
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