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

THE mason's trade Observe them well,
Resembles life, And watch them revealing...

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: a b ba X c d dc X X e eX X
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 1,1,2,1,1,1,2,1,1,1,2,1,
  • Closest metre: iambic pentameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: rondeau rhyme
  • Сlosest stanza type: sonnet
  • Guessed form: rondeau
  • Metre: 01010101 0101110010 010111010 0101111001 1111101001 111101001 01011101011 100011001 1101101101 01101010010 0101101010 1100111011 110111101 0110101011 1011011111100
  • Amount of stanzas: 12
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 70
  • Average number of words per stanza: 9
  • Amount of lines: 15
  • Average number of symbols per line: 56 (very long strings)
  • Average number of words per line: 8
  • Mood of the speaker:

    The punctuation marks are various. Neither mark predominates.

  • The author used lexical repetitions to emphasize a significant image; of is repeated.

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

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

Good luck in your poetry interpretation practice!

More information about poems by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe