Minister For Exams by Brian Patten: poem analysis

This is an analysis of the poem Minister For Exams that begins with:

When I was a child I sat an exam.
This test was so simple...

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: abb c dd e cd d bf gb acea XXdg fgd gcXg
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 3,1,2,1,2,1,2,2,4,4,3,4,
  • Closest metre: trochaic tetrameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: alternate rhyme
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: unknown form
  • Metre: 1110111101 011110 1111111 10101001 01101011 01010011 111001 10010001001 10010111 111111 11110111 1001101 101010 10110 10101010 11101010 11100110 11001 10110010 11101101 111010001 01 10110011 101 1111101 111001 01010 111000100 100101
  • Amount of stanzas: 12
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 68
  • Average number of words per stanza: 14
  • Amount of lines: 29
  • Average number of symbols per line: 27 (strings are less long than medium ones)
  • Average number of words per line: 6

  • Mood of the speaker:

    The speaker asks many questions. Perhaps, he or she is in confusion.

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

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

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

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

  • summary of Minister For Exams;
  • central theme;
  • idea of the verse;
  • history of its creation;
  • critical appreciation.

Good luck in your poetry interpretation practice!

More information about poems by Brian Patten

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