This is an analysis of the poem On The Platform that begins with:

When Dr. Bill Bartlett stepped out of the hum
Of Mammon's distracting and wearisome strife... 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: aXXXbb cdcdeX aXaXee
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 6,6,6,
  • Closest metre: iambic pentameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: alternate rhyme
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: blank verse
  • Metre: 11011011001 01001011001 01101001011 01001010010 11001011101 01011001011 111001001001 01001001001 111111001011 11011011011 111011101011 11101111010 111101001101 11001100001 111101001101 11001001001 11110001101 111001001001
  • Amount of stanzas: 3
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 274
  • Average number of words per stanza: 52
  • Amount of lines: 18
  • Average number of symbols per line: 45 (strings are more long than medium ones)
  • Average number of words per line: 9
  • Mood of the speaker:

    The punctuation marks are various. Neither mark predominates.

  • The author used lexical repetitions to emphasize a significant image; of, i, and 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 On The Platform;
  • central theme;
  • idea of the verse;
  • history of its creation;
  • critical appreciation.

Good luck in your poetry interpretation practice!

More information about poems by Ambrose Bierce