John Henry

John Henry
by Anonymous

When John Henry was a little tiny baby
Sitting on his mama’s knee,
He picked up a hammer and a little piece of steel
Saying, “Hammer’s going to be the death of me, Lord, Lord,
Hammer’s going to be the death of me.”

John Henry was a man just six feet high,
Nearly two feet and a half across his breast.
He’d hammer with a nine-pound hammer all day
And never get tired and want to rest, Lord, Lord,
And never get tired and want to rest.

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

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

The captain said to John Henry,
“I believe 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 start to pray,
‘Cause if my TWELVE-pound hammer miss that little piece of steel,
Tomorrow’ll be your burying day, Lord, Lord,
Tomorrow’ll be your burying day.”

John Henry said to his captain,
“A man is nothing but a man,
But before I let 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 was mighty high and fine,
But John Henry sunk the steel down fourteen feet
While the steam drill only made nine, Lord, Lord,
The steam drill only made nine.

John Henry hammered on the right-hand side.
Steam drill kept driving on the left.
John Henry beat that steam drill down.
But he hammered his poor heart to death, Lord, Lord,
He hammered his poor heart to death.

Well, they carried John Henry down the tunnel
And they laid his body in the sand.
Now every woman riding on a C and O train
Says, “There lies my steel-driving man, Lord, Lord,
There lies my steel-driving man.”

Summary of John Henry
Popularity of "John Henry": John Henry is a lyrical ballad known for its unique theme: Man vs. Machine. It was first published in the 19th century. It is also known as the folklore of an African American man who works in the construction of a The unfortunate man dies while performing a great task. The statue of John Henry can be seen outside the town of Talcott in Summers County, West Virginia
"John Henry" as representative of hard work - the poem presents the fearless struggle of a man fighting the technology of that time which can replace manual work. John Henry, a tall and strong man, always carries a nine pound hammer and never gets tired, which implies that he is a hard-working and determined person. He decides to compete against the steam drill in However, when he goes to the mountain where he has to work, he realizes that his nine pound hammer will not work, so he asks his captain for a twelve pound hammer and puts everything his determination to sink the hammer. steam drill to nd succeeds Unfortunately, he hits himself with that hammer and dies. The workers bring his body down the tunnel and bury him in the sand. Now every woman who rides on the trains remembers John Henry as a "steel-driving" man.
Most important themes in "John Henry": Bravery, courage and death are the main themes of this poem. The poem revolves around a historical moment when John Henry does an impossible job. He has to hammer a steel drill into a rock and use the explosives to build the railroad. He eventually dies when his heart gives way, his life is worked hard until his last breath and his life is sacrificed for the good of his society.
Analysis of literary devices in "John Henry"
Literary devices are tools with which writers convey their emotions. Ideas and topics to make texts more attractive to the reader. The analysis of some of the literary means used in this poem has been given below.

Anaphora: It refers to the repetition of a phrase or word in two or consecutive verses. For example, "Hammer will be the death of me" in the first lines of the poem to emphasize the point and foretell John Henry's death.
"To say," Hammer will be death of me, Lord, Lord,
Hammer will be death be from me. ”

Images: Images are used to perceive things with five senses. For example, “He picked up a hammer and a little bit of steel,” “John Henry hammered on the right side,” and “And they put his body in the sand. “
Hyperbole: exaggeration is a means by which a statement is exaggerated for the sake of emphasis. For example: “It's nothing but my hammer, the wind catches. "Here Hammer is both exaggerated and personified.
Assonance: Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds on the same line as the sound of / ee / in" He picked up a hammer and a small piece of steel "and the sound of / o / in" Proverb: Hammer will be the death of me, Lord, Lord. ”
Consonance: Consonance is the repetition of consonant tones on the same line as the sound of / d / in“ He put down his hammer and wept, “Lord, Lord” and the Sound of / t / in "John Henry knocked this steam drill down.
Alliteration: Alliteration is the repetition of consonant tones on the same line in rapid succession, such as the tone of / h / in “John Henry hammered on the right” and the tone of / l / in “I was going to die with a hammer in my hand , Lord, Lord. “
Enjambment: It is defined as a thought or clause that does not end on a line break. It moves over to the next line. For example
"He picked up a hammer and a small piece of steel
Say," Hammer will be death from me, Lord, Lord,
Hammer will be death from me.

Analysis of poetic devices in "John Henry"
The poetic and literary devices are the same, but some are used only in poetry. Here is the analysis of some of the poetic devices used in this poem.

Ballad: A ballad is a poem that tells a story and is intended to be sung or recited. "John Henry" is one of the famous ballads of the 19th century.
Estanza: A stanza is a poetic form of some lines. There are ten five-line stanzas in this poem.
Quintet: A quintet is a five-line stanza. Here, each stanza is a quintet.
Repetition: The last line of each stanza is repeated with the same words that have created a musical quality in the poem. For example,
“But he beat his poor heart to death, Lord, Lord,
He beat his poor heart to death. "

Refrain: Verses that are repeated at a distance in poems are called a chorus. Here, the last verse of each stanza is repeated with the same words, and has become a refrain. For example,
" Tomorrow will be your Burial day, Lord, Lord, 40 to 4 Tomorrow will be the day of your burial.

Quotes to use
The lines below are helpful for children as they are taught the history of industrialization and make them aware of the difficulties people face when working with heavy tools.

"John Henry climbed the mountain
And looked up with one eye.
The mountain was so high and John Henry was so small, he
Left his hammer and cried.

Jabberwocky Kubla Khan