The Barefoot Boy

E47326
pastoral poem poem

The Barefoot Boy is a well-known pastoral poem by John Greenleaf Whittier that nostalgically celebrates the freedom and innocence of rural childhood.

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Observed surface forms (2)

Surface form Occurrences
Barefoot Boy with Cheek 1
barefoot boy 1

Statements (46)

Predicate Object
instanceOf pastoral poem ⓘ
poem ⓘ
associatedWith American pastoral tradition ⓘ
rural New England life ⓘ
author John Greenleaf Whittier ⓘ
containsMotif bare feet as symbol of freedom ⓘ
fields and streams ⓘ
unstructured play ⓘ
contrasts childhood freedom with adult responsibilities ⓘ
countryOfOrigin United States of America ⓘ
surface form: United States
culturalReputation well-known American poem ⓘ
depicts close contact with the natural world ⓘ
simple rural pleasures ⓘ
educationalUse studied in American literature courses ⓘ
used in school poetry anthologies ⓘ
expresses gratitude for childhood experiences ⓘ
firstLine Blessings on thee, little man ⓘ
form rhymed verse ⓘ
genre lyric poetry ⓘ
pastoral poetry ⓘ
hasSubject child and nature relationship ⓘ
social class simplicity ⓘ
language English ⓘ
literaryDevice imagery ⓘ
metaphor ⓘ
personification ⓘ
simile ⓘ
literaryMovement American Romanticism ⓘ
literaryPeriod 19th-century American literature ⓘ
mentionsCharacter The Barefoot Boy self-linksurface differs ⓘ
surface form: barefoot boy
meter primarily iambic ⓘ
narrativePerspective adult speaker recalling childhood ⓘ
portrays idealized vision of country childhood ⓘ
reflects Whittier's rural upbringing ⓘ
relatedWorkByAuthor Schoolroom Poets ⓘ
surface form: In School-Days

Snow-Bound: A Winter Idyl ⓘ
surface form: Snow-Bound
setting rural New England countryside ⓘ
subjectMatter boyhood ⓘ
farm life ⓘ
nature ⓘ
theme freedom ⓘ
innocence ⓘ
nostalgia ⓘ
rural childhood ⓘ
tone celebratory ⓘ
nostalgic ⓘ

Referenced by (4)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

The Barefoot Boy → mentionsCharacter → The Barefoot Boy self-linksurface differs ⓘ
this entity surface form: barefoot boy
John Greenleaf Whittier → notableWork → The Barefoot Boy ⓘ
John → notableWork → The Barefoot Boy ⓘ
subject surface form: John Greenleaf Whittier
Max Shulman → notableWork → The Barefoot Boy ⓘ
this entity surface form: Barefoot Boy with Cheek