Song For A Lady by Anne Sexton: poem analysis

This is an analysis of the poem Song For A Lady that begins with:

On the day of breasts and small hips
the window pocked with bad rain,...

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: abcbcaa dcecedd
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 7,7,
  • Closest metre: trochaic tetrameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: rima
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: sonnet with trochaic tetrameter or irregular meter
  • Metre: 10101111 0101011 110110100 11011101 111110100 1111111 11111111 1101101011 1110010110 11000110111 11010010110 1111111101 100100110011 111111111
  • Amount of stanzas: 2
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 290
  • Average number of words per stanza: 52
  • Amount of lines: 14
  • Average number of symbols per line: 41 (medium-length strings)
  • Average number of words per line: 7

  • Mood of the speaker:

    The punctuation marks are various. Neither mark predominates.

  • The author used lexical repetitions to emphasize a significant image; our, my, and, you are repeated.

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

    The literary device anadiplosis is detected in two or more neighboring lines. The word/phrase rain connects the lines.

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

  • summary of Song For A Lady;
  • 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

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