This is an analysis of the poem A Christmas Carol that begins with:

It chanced upon the merry merry Christmas eve,
I went sighing past the church across the moorland dreary-... 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: ababcbcX dedefefX X
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 8,8,1,
  • Closest metre: trochaic pentameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: rima
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: unknown form
  • Metre: 0100101010101 11101010101110 110111110101 10111010111110 111111011101 10101010111110 01011101111101 110101011101010 101010100011101 0101010111110 101011101010101 1101110110111110 1111111110101 00100110101110 111011111111 1111101011101010 1001
  • Amount of stanzas: 3
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 324
  • Average number of words per stanza: 60
  • Amount of lines: 18
  • Average number of symbols per line: 53 (very long strings)
  • Average number of words per line: 10
  • Mood of the speaker:

    There are many exclamation marks in the poem. The speaker is excited. He or she has strong feelings on the subject that is described in the poem.

  • The author used lexical repetitions to emphasize a significant image; and, in, i are repeated.

    The poet repeated the same word ' 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 A Christmas Carol;
  • central theme;
  • idea of the verse;
  • history of its creation;
  • critical appreciation.

Good luck in your poetry interpretation practice!

More information about poems by Charles Kingsley