This is an analysis of the poem Playing Dead that begins with:

Our father liked to play a game.
He played that he was dead. ...

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: abXb cdXd Xefe gbXb baXa cgbX eXfa
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 4,4,4,4,4,4,4,
  • Closest metre: iambic tetrameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: alternate rhyme
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: ballad stanza
  • Metre: 11010101 111111 11011101 111101 11011101 110101 11010101 111111 11010111 011101 11011111 111101 11110101 110001 1110111 111111 11011101 1111010 01011101 11111010 11111001 1110010 11110001 1111101 01111111 0111010 101111111 0111010
  • Amount of stanzas: 1
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 1007
  • Average number of words per stanza: 173
  • Amount of lines: 34
  • Average number of symbols per line: 29 (strings are less long than medium ones)
  • Average number of words per line: 5
  • Mood of the speaker:

    The punctuation marks are various. Neither mark predominates.

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

    The poet used anaphora at the beginnings of some neighboring lines. The same words he, his are repeated.

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

  • summary of Playing Dead;
  • central theme;
  • idea of the verse;
  • history of its creation;
  • critical appreciation.

Good luck in your poetry interpretation practice!

More information about poems by Andrew Hudgins