“Miniver Cheevy” Introduction

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“Miniver Cheevy” Summary

“Miniver Cheevy” Themes

• 

  The Dangers of Romanticizing the Past

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Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis of “Miniver Cheevy”

• Lines 1-4

  Miniver Cheevy, child of scorn,
     Grew lean while he assailed the seasons;
  He wept that he was ever born,
     And he had reasons.

  

  

  

  

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• Lines 5-8

  Miniver loved the days of old
     When swords were bright and steeds were prancing;
  The vision of a warrior bold
     Would set him dancing.

  

  

  

  

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• Lines 9-12

  Miniver sighed for what was not,
     And dreamed, and rested from his labors;
  He dreamed of Thebes and Camelot,
     And Priam’s neighbors.

  

  

  

  

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• Lines 13-16

  Miniver mourned the ripe renown
     That made so many a name so fragrant;
  He mourned Romance, now on the town,
     And Art, a vagrant.

  

  

  

  

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• Lines 17-20

  Miniver loved the Medici,
     Albeit he had never seen one;
  He would have sinned incessantly
     Could he have been one.

  

  

  

  

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• Lines 21-24

  Miniver cursed the commonplace
     And eyed a khaki suit with loathing;
  He missed the mediæval grace
     Of iron clothing.

  

  

  

  

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• Lines 25-28

  Miniver scorned the gold he sought,
     But sore annoyed was he without it;
  Miniver thought, and thought, and thought,
     And thought about it.

  

  

  

  

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• Lines 29-32

  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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“Miniver Cheevy” Symbols

• 

  War and Battle

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“Miniver Cheevy” Poetic Devices & Figurative Language

• Repetition

  

  

  

  

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• Alliteration

  

  

  

  

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• Assonance

  

  

  

  

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• Consonance

  

  

  

  

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• Allusion

  

  

  

  

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• Personification

  

  

  

  

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• Irony

  

  

  

  

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• Caesura

  

  

  

  

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“Miniver Cheevy” Vocabulary

Select any word below to get its definition in the context of the poem. The words are listed in the order in which they appear in the poem.

• Miniver
• Scorn
• Lean
• Assailed
• Seasons
• Steeds
• Thebes
• Camelot
• Priam
• Ripe renown
• Fragrant
• Vagrant
• Medici
• Albeit
• Incessantly
• Mediæval
• Grace

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Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme of “Miniver Cheevy”

• Form

• Meter

• Rhyme Scheme

“Miniver Cheevy” Speaker

“Miniver Cheevy” Setting

Literary and Historical Context of “Miniver Cheevy”

More “Miniver Cheevy” Resources

• External Resources

  • A Reading of the Poem — Check out this recording of a dramatic reading of "Miniver Cheevy."

  • Camelot — Read more about Miniver's beloved Camelot, the legendary castle and court where King Arthur hosted his Knights of the Round Table.

  • About the Author — To learn more about Edwin Arlington Robinson, take a look at this overview of his life and work.

  • The Medici — The Medici family was one of the most influential Italian dynasties in the Renaissance period, and their story makes for an interesting read!

• LitCharts on Other Poems by Edwin Arlington Robinson

  • Richard Cory