This is an analysis of the poem As When A Child... that begins with:

As when a child on some long winter's night
Affrighted clinging to its Grandam's knees ... 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: ababcddcececaa
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 14,
  • Closest metre: iambic pentameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: shakespearean sonnet
  • Сlosest stanza type: sonnet
  • Guessed form: Shakespearean sonnet
  • Metre: 1101111101 1001000101 0101010101 1011010101 1001110001 1011110101 0101110101 1101010101 1101011001 1101010101 0101111101 1011010111 1101011101 1111010111
  • Amount of stanzas: 1
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 623
  • Average number of words per stanza: 104
  • Amount of lines: 14
  • Average number of symbols per line: 44 (strings are more long than medium ones)
  • 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; of is repeated.

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

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

  • summary of As When A Child...;
  • 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 Lamb