A Time Past by Denise Levertov: poem analysis

This is an analysis of the poem A Time Past that begins with:

The old wooden steps to the front door
where I was sitting that fall morning ...

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: XaXabcdd efcgXbhhX eXXfhfcdhcgXfdc
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 8,9,15,
  • Closest metre: iambic trimeter
  • Сlosest rhyme: shakespearean sonnet
  • Сlosest stanza type: sonnet
  • Guessed form: unknown form
  • Metre: 011010011 111101110 11111101 1111101010 00101 01111 11011011 11111 1101 11101 11010 11110 0111 1001 1111 0100111 11110 10110110111 1100010010 01110111101 1010111010111 11001011111 1101011100110110 11110 110101101111 0101011111011 10010101 101010 011001 011110011101 1011011 111001
  • Amount of stanzas: 3
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 360
  • Average number of words per stanza: 65
  • Amount of lines: 34
  • Average number of symbols per line: 31 (strings are less long than medium ones)
  • Average number of words per line: 6

  • Mood of the speaker:

    The punctuation marks are various. Neither mark predominates.

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

    There is a poetic device epiphora at the end of some neighboring lines you is repeated).

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

  • summary of A Time Past;
  • central theme;
  • idea of the verse;
  • history of its creation;
  • critical appreciation.

Good luck in your poetry interpretation practice!

More information about poems by Denise Levertov

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