This is an analysis of the poem For God While Sleeping that begins with:

Sleeping in fever, I am unfair
to know just who you are:...

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: aabXXbb cdXccdee bdbbXXb
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 7,8,7,
  • Closest metre: iambic trimeter
  • Сlosest rhyme: alternate rhyme
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: unknown form
  • Metre: 100101101 011111 111011010 01001 011011100 10111 1001110111 101001101 11101 01011 1111 10111 11111101 11101 110111111 101111101 11111 010110101 11111 111101111 01111 111101110
  • Amount of stanzas: 3
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 221
  • Average number of words per stanza: 43
  • Amount of lines: 22
  • Average number of symbols per line: 29 (strings are less long than medium ones)
  • Average number of words per line: 6
  • Mood of the speaker:

    The punctuation marks are various. Neither mark predominates.

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

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

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

  • summary of For God While Sleeping;
  • central theme;
  • idea of the verse;
  • history of its creation;
  • critical appreciation.

Good luck in your poetry interpretation practice!

More information about poems by Anne Sexton