Miniver Cheevy

Fiction | Poem | Adult | Published in 1910

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Summary

Background

Poem Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Literary Devices

Form & Meter

“Miniver Cheevy” is written in 32 enjambed lines (lines that do not end in a punctuation mark), broken up into quatrains, or stanzas of four lines each. While the first and third lines of each stanza conform to iambic tetrameter—a meter consisting of four sets of syllables following the pattern of unstressed syllable followed by a stressed one—this meter is inconsistent throughout the poem. The second line of every stanza is longest at nine syllables, and the last line of each stanza is shortest at five syllables each. These irregularities resemble Miniver himself, a man out of step with the era he lives in.

The poem follows an ABAB rhyme scheme, with the “A” rhymes being masculine (on the final syllable, such as “scorn” and “born” in lines 1 and 3) and the “B” rhymes being feminine (involving two syllables, such as “seasons” and “reasons” in lines 2 and 4). Masculine rhymes end on a stressed syllable, making the rhyme more prominent and abrupt, whereas feminine rhymes end on an unstressed syllable and come to a more gradual halt. In “Miniver Cheevy,” each stanza ends with a feminine rhyme and give the impression of a thought drifting off without resolution.

The masculine rhymes tend to present Miniver as a tragic figure, the feminine rhymes portray him as an object of ridicule. For example, the masculine ending of “Miniver loved the days of old” (Line 5) contrasts against the more frivolous image of Miniver “dancing” (Line 8). This contrast illuminates the difference between how Miniver sees himself and how the world looks upon him.

Diction

Robinson’s use of diction, or word choice, is highly revealing of the underlying meaning in “Miniver Cheevy.” In particular, the verbs Robinson uses to describe Miniver’s actions highlight his characteristics. Miniver sighs, weeps, dreams, rests, mourns, scorns, thinks, and drinks: all passive actions that make him out to be quite pathetic in comparison to the heroes he worships. These verbs also emphasize how Miniver is ruled by his emotions and internal world.

In contrast, the only positive action in the entire poem happens in stanza 2: “The vision of a warrior bold / Would set him dancing” (Lines 7-8). Even this is questionable, as it is more likely that Miniver’s dancing would be within his imagination.

Allusion

The most prominent allusion—a reference to people, places, things, or other texts—is in the poem’s title. The word “miniver” refers to a white fur trim or lining that was worn by medieval nobles, further connecting the titular character to the Middle Ages.

In stanza 3, Miniver dreams of Thebes, a Greek city on the Nile River (Line 11). In Greek mythology, Thebes was the birthplace of the demigod hero Hercules and was ruled by important figures such as Cadmus and Oedipus. Second, Miniver dreams of Camelot, the fictional ancient British castle and court ruled by Arthur, the legendary king of adventure and romance. The third allusion is to “Priam’s neighbors” (Line 12). Priam was the mythical King of Troy whose reign ended after the Trojan War depicted in Homer’s Iliad and whose name means “exceptionally courageous.” Priam’s “neighbors” may be other major figures in Troy, such as the warrior Hector, or Trojan adversaries in Greece.

Stanza 5 gives us Miniver’s love for the Medici family, a prominent real Italian dynasty who revolutionized banking, patronized the arts (including artists such as Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo), and produced four popes. However, the Medicis were also infamous for their ruthlessness and the corrupt means they used to stay in power for as long as possible, a fact he glosses over.

Together, these references demonstrate Miniver’s delusions of grandeur. He cannot imagine that he could have ever been born as a mere peasant had he lived in earlier times, though this would have been the more likely scenario. Further, most of his heroes are myths and time travel is impossible, making his dreams futile and self-indulgent.