This is an analysis of the poem Spectator Ab Extra that begins with:

As I sat in the Café I said to myself,
They may talk as they please about what they call pelf,... 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: aXbbCD XebbCD XabbCD XX ffffCD gghhCD iijjCD hkllCD XXkkCD llhhCD mmhhCD XX llcXCD iXmmCD iiccCD ffkkCD nnddCD eeffCDXccllcD
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 6,6,6,2,6,6,6,6,6,6,6,2,6,6,6,6,6,13,
  • Closest metre: trochaic pentameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: couplets
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: unknown form
  • Metre: 11100111011 111111011111 1111110110110 110110110110 11000011011 110000110 1111101110 11111101001 110010010010 110010011110 11000011011 110000110 111111011111 11111001011 110010110110 110010010010 11000011011 110000110 1 010 101101111101 11111101101 01010100101 11101011001 11000011011 110000110 0110111001 00101101001 0110111011011 101001111001 11000011011 110000110 10100111001 11101101001 11111001001 11011001111 11000011011 110000110 101001001010 111111101011 111110011101 10001011101 11000011011 110000110 10101001001 1101100101 11001001011 11001011001 11000011011 110000110 1111010111001 11001101001 101001011101 0101111111 11000011011 110000110 11001011101 101011011001 11011101101 11001111111 11000011011 110000110 1 100 11011001101 111101001011 11001011011 11011011001 11000011011 110000110 111111111011 01011111111 10111011001 111101001011 11000011011 110000110 01101011101 101011001001 111001001101 101001001001 11000011011 110000110 111010110110 111010111010 110110110110 111010011010 11000011011 110000110 01101001011 11001111101 011010010110 101111010010 11000011011 110000110 101001000011 01101101001 11001011111 001011001111 11000011011 110000110 101001101001 0101111011 10011111101 10111001001 11011101011 110000110
  • Amount of stanzas: 19
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 234
  • Average number of words per stanza: 49
  • Amount of lines: 106
  • Average number of symbols per line: 41 (medium-length strings)
  • 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; they, i, as, to, have, of, and, been, it, so, s, well, in are repeated.

    The poet used anaphora at the beginnings of some neighboring lines. The same words they, how, so are repeated.

    The author used the same word i at the beginnings of some neighboring stanzas. The figure of speech is a kind of anaphora.

    There is a poetic device epiphora at the end of some neighboring lines it is repeated).

    The poet repeated the same word money 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 Spectator Ab Extra;
  • central theme;
  • idea of the verse;
  • history of its creation;
  • critical appreciation.

Good luck in your poetry interpretation practice!

More information about poems by Arthur Hugh Clough