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

In fair San Francisco a good man did dwell,
And he wrote out a will, for he didn't feel well.... 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: aabX bXXX ccdd eebb XXbb ccXb
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 4,4,4,4,4,4,
  • Closest metre: iambic pentameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: couplets
  • Сlosest stanza type: sonnet
  • Guessed form: heroic couplets
  • Metre: 01101000101 111100111011 11101011001 01011011001 111101001011 0110010010010 101101001111 11101001100 01101101001 11101011001 11001011001 01001001001 01001001011 11001001101 11011011011 01001001001 11101001011 01011101011 11011001001 11101001001 11111101011 01001001111 010010010010 111001111011
  • Amount of stanzas: 6
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 182
  • Average number of words per stanza: 34
  • Amount of lines: 24
  • Average number of symbols per line: 45 (strings are more long than medium ones)
  • 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; he, and, to are repeated.

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

    The poet repeated the same word ' at the end of some neighboring stanzas. The poetic device is a kind of epiphora.

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

  • summary of The Legatee;
  • 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