This is an analysis of the poem Coupling that begins with:

Wherever he looks, standing still in the city,
are people born of coupling, walking in gray suits...

Elements of the verse: questions and answers

The information we provided is prepared by means of a special computer program. Use the criteria sheet to understand greatest poems or improve your poetry analysis essay.

  • Rhyme scheme: Xabcdcb eadffee eagghXhaX
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 7,7,9,
  • Closest metre: iambic tetrameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: alternate rhyme
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: ballad stanza
  • Metre: 010111010010 110101010011 110110111 10100000110110 01010101100 011010110010 1110100100101 1010111010 1110001 1010111 100101 101011 0010111 1101 001001 0010111110 1101101001 10111011101 00111001101 1010001111 001001101101 010111000100 10110
  • Amount of stanzas: 3
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 296
  • Average number of words per stanza: 55
  • Amount of lines: 23
  • Average number of symbols per line: 38 (medium-length strings)
  • Average number of words per line: 7
  • Mood of the speaker:

    The punctuation marks are various. Neither mark predominates.

  • The author used lexical repetitions to emphasize a significant image; in, of, and are repeated.

    The poet used anaphora at the beginnings of some neighboring lines. The same words they, and, from, in are repeated.

    There is a poetic device epiphora at the end of some neighboring lines glad, himself are repeated).

If you write a school or university poetry essay, you should Include in your explanation of the poem:

  • summary of Coupling;
  • central theme;
  • idea of the verse;
  • history of its creation;
  • critical appreciation.

Good luck in your poetry interpretation practice!

More information about poems by David Ignatow