This is an analysis of the poem Judge Selah Lively that begins with:

Suppose you stood just five feet two,
And had worked your way as a grocery clerk,...

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: XXXXaabbbcbbXXaXXcX
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 19,
  • Closest metre: iambic tetrameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: no rhyme
  • Сlosest stanza type: sonnet
  • Guessed form: unknown form
  • Metre: 01111111 11111101001 10011101 01101101011 110111100 11001010 1010101101 01011100 110101010 001111101 1111111111 111011101 1010101 1100101101 1101011010 111110101 01011110100 111101100 1110110
  • Amount of stanzas: 1
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 727
  • Average number of words per stanza: 126
  • Amount of lines: 19
  • Average number of symbols per line: 37 (medium-length strings)
  • Average number of words per line: 7
  • Mood of the speaker:

    The speaker asks many questions. Perhaps, he or she is in confusion.

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

    The poet used anaphora at the beginnings of some neighboring lines. The same word and is repeated.

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

  • summary of Judge Selah Lively;
  • central theme;
  • idea of the verse;
  • history of its creation;
  • critical appreciation.

Good luck in your poetry interpretation practice!

More information about poems by Edgar Lee Masters