They celebrated him with church bells and colorful flags The patriot says Alack it was I who leaped at the sun It means he tried his best to do great things for the people But now after only a year people have forgotten his sacrifice He is being taken for execution It is raining as he walks to his death People throw stones at him He feels blood on his forehead He says They fling Stones at me for my year's misdeeds This dramatic change shows how quickly public opinion can change Faith in God Browning does not end the poem with sadness Instead he brings a very strong feeling of hope In the last stanza the patriot shows strong faith in God He says Tis God shall repay I am safer so This line shows his belief that God will judge him fairly The world may treat him cruelly but God will reward him with justice This hopeful ending is the main reason people call Browning an optimistic poet Form Meter and Rhyme Scheme The Patriot is written as a dramatic monologue In this type of poem a single speaker speaks From his story we learn about his character feelings and thoughts This form lets Browning explore the mind of his character The poem follows a regular rhyme scheme of ABABA in every stanza This gives the poem a musical and balanced sound The meter is mostly accentual tetrameter and iambic tetrameter The following line is an example of accentual tetrameter which means four strong syllables with a varying number of weak syllables It was ro- ses ro- ses all the way Metaphor Images and Symbols Browning uses many figures of speech in this poem Here roses symbolize love honor and fame The flowers show how much people admired him a year ago The rain symbolizes sadness punishment and the dark mood of his final journey The sun is a symbol of impossible glory When the patriot says he leaped at the sun it means he tried to do something too great for the people But it brings his downfall like Icarus in the Greek myth These images help readers feel the patriot s rise and painful fall Tone and Language The tone of the poem changes from happy to sorrowful and finally to hopeful The first stanza is full of joy and nostalgia The middle stanzas show betrayal cruelty and pain The last stanza becomes calm and hopeful because the patriot puts his trust in God Browning uses very clear and simple language to express strong emotions In conclusion The Patriot is a powerful dramatic monologue It shows the rise and fall of a patriot It teaches us how quickly public opinion can change But the poem also gives hope through the patriot s faith in God