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Abou Ben Adhem Themes, Literary Style, Form and Structure, and Analysis

Abou Ben Adhem Themes, Literary Style, Form and Structure, and Analysis
Key Themes

Love for humankind
The predominant theme of the poem is love for humankind.
"... pray thee, then, Write me as one that loves his fellow men."
These lines are the cornerstone of the poem and also express Ben Adhem's core beliefs. Through Ben Adhem, Leigh Hunt points out that loving one's fellow-beings is far nobler and pleasing to God than merely worshipping God.

True nature of devotion to God
Another theme running parallely in the poem is that true love for God is expressed through actions and not mere words or prayer. Through the example of Ben Adhem the poet reminds us that kind deeds must accompany prayers. It is pointless to pray regularly and claim to be a believer, if one is not helpful to others..

Literary Style

Parable
The poem is a parable. It narrates a story containing at strong moral.

Form and rhyme scheme
It is composed of two stanzas each of which are made up of couplets. In couplets, consecutive lines rhyme. Observe this extract from the poem:

Abou Ben Adhem (may his tribe increase!) a
Awoke one night from a deep dream of peace, a
And saw, within the moonlight in his room b 
Making it rich, and like a lily in bloom, b

Use of archaic language

The poet has used archaic language in several places. This adds to the mood of the poem and makes it obvious that the poem is based on an event that took place ages ago.

"What writest thou?"...

... "I pray thee, then,

And lo! Ben Adhem's name led all the rest.
Abou Ben Adhem by Leigh Hunt:-
1. Question and Answers RTCs: http://abou-ben-adhem-question-and-answers
4. Themes, Literary Style, Form and Structure: http://abou-ben-adhem-themes-literary-style
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