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

We are as mendicants who wait
Along the roadside in the sun.... 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: abcb Xded cfaf gcXc higi adcd dfef idcd cjXj fcXc bhchXacbc
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 4,4,4,4,4,4,4,4,4,4,9,
  • Closest metre: iambic tetrameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: alternate rhyme
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: ballad stanza
  • Metre: 11110011 01011001 10010111 010111001 11110101 11000101 11110101 01101101 10110111 11011101 11000101 11110101 01011101 01010101 10111101 11110111 11011111 11110111 110100101 11110111 11110001 01010101 11010101 01011101 11010101 01011101 11111101 11011111 110101001 01000101 110111010 11110111 11010101 110101001 00010001 01010111 11011101 11111101 010100010 01010001 11010101 11010001 11110110 11110001 11010101 10110101 11001111 11110101
  • Amount of stanzas: 12
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 136
  • Average number of words per stanza: 25
  • Amount of lines: 48
  • Average number of symbols per line: 33 (medium-length strings)
  • 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; and is repeated.

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

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

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

  • summary of The Mendicants;
  • central theme;
  • idea of the verse;
  • history of its creation;
  • critical appreciation.

Good luck in your poetry interpretation practice!

More information about poems by Bliss William Carman