One of These by Ella Wheeler Wilcox

Name: One of These
Author: Ella Wheeler Wilcox

"One of These" by Ella Wheeler Wilcox is a lyric poem of quiet self-identification, built around a stark and recurring contrast between the privileged and the humble. Through a series of parallel stanzas, the speaker surveys the broad spectrum of human fortune and consistently, without self-pity or resentment, places herself among those who have been denied the world's material and social rewards. Each stanza follows the same structural logic: the first half observes those who possess — silk robes, sounding titles, wealth, fame, beauty, ease — while the second half acknowledges those who labor, go unrecognized, and live plainly. The closing parenthetical refrain, "(I am one of these.)" anchors every stanza with a private but unflinching declaration of the speaker's own position. The poem's moral and spiritual pivot occurs in the third stanza, which moves from external conditions — clothing, status, material comfort — to interior ones. Here, Wilcox contrasts those who, despite living in pleasure, complain, doubt God, and withhold trust and love, against those who, surrounded by sorrow, kneel in praise and bless the Lord. The speaker again claims the latter identity. This turn is the poem's essential argument: that the quality of one's spiritual response to circumstance matters more than the circumstance itself. The cumulative effect of the refrain is not one of lament but of dignified solidarity with the overlooked and the unadorned. Wilcox's speaker does not rail against inequality or envy the fortunate. Instead, she claims a particular kind of moral distinction — one earned not by wealth or recognition but by faith, endurance, and gratitude maintained against adversity. The poem exemplifies Wilcox's characteristic mode: accessible diction, firm rhythmic structure, and a sentimental-spiritual worldview that locates virtue in the common and the suffering rather than in the elevated and the comfortable. It is a poem of acceptance without resignation, humility without self-erasure, and faith treated as the supreme compensation for material want.

By Ella Wheeler Wilcox · First published 1873 · Genre: Poetry, Spiritual Poetry, Narrative Poetry · 228 words

First lines

Some have robes, of silk and velvet, / Cast like manna, down; / Others toil through wind and weather, / For a homespun gown. / Some are born to ride in coaches, / Sitting at their ease; / Others plod foot-sore and weary. / (I am one of these.)

Some have sounding name and title, / Here upon the earth; / Others dwell apart from glory -- / No one knows their worth. / Some have wealth, and fame, and beauty, / All the things that please; / Some are poor, and plain and lonely. / (I am one of these.)

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One of These is listed on Textopian as a poem by Ella Wheeler Wilcox, dated 1873 CE.

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Work type: Poem
Author: Ella Wheeler Wilcox
Date: 1873 CE
Language: English
Genres: Poetry, Spiritual Poetry, Narrative Poetry, Social Commentary, Inspirational Poetry
Length: 228 words
Structure: 1 section, 3 paragraphs
Reading fit: Easy (6th Grade)

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Genres

Poetry — The work is fundamentally a lyrical poem written in structured verse with consistent rhyme scheme and meter.
Spiritual Poetry — The poem contains strong themes of faith, divine providence, and religious devotion, particularly in the final stanza praising God despite hardship.
Narrative Poetry — The work contrasts different human conditions and experiences, using repeated parallel structures to tell comparative stories about different types of people.
Social Commentary — The poem directly addresses class inequality and social disparities, contrasting the wealthy and celebrated with the poor and unknown.