This is an analysis of the poem The Gray Sisters that begins with:

What is that which walks by night
In flying tatters of leaves and weeds,... full text

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: abbabccXXXbXddeccecXacaacacc
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 28,
  • Closest metre: iambic tetrameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: rima
  • Сlosest stanza type: sonnet
  • Guessed form: unknown form
  • Metre: 1011111 010100111 101111101 1010011101 100111 10110111 000110101 10111110 100110101 0010110111 1001001010 1100110 10100101 000110101 101001001 011101111 1100101001 011110111 100111 1011111 000110101 111101111 111101111 011100111 100110101 100101 011100101 100101101
  • Amount of stanzas: 1
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 1041
  • Average number of words per stanza: 209
  • Amount of lines: 28
  • Average number of symbols per line: 36 (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; of, that, have are repeated.

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

  • summary of The Gray Sisters;
  • central theme;
  • idea of the verse;
  • history of its creation;
  • critical appreciation.

Good luck in your poetry interpretation practice!

More information about poems by Madison Julius Cawein