This is an analysis of the poem The Old Familiar Faces that begins with:

I HAVE had playmates, I have had companions,
In my days of childhood, in my joyful school-days-- ... 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: aaA baA cdA cXa eXa dba XeA
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 3,3,3,3,3,3,3,
  • Closest metre: trochaic pentameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: rondeau rhyme
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: unknown form
  • Metre: 11111111010 011011011011 11110101010 11010110010 101101011010 11110101010 11011100110 11011111110 11110101010 11010101111 11101111010 110110101010 11111010111 11010111010 10010101010 10110111010 11111011010 111100101010 11111111111 111100111010 11110101010
  • Amount of stanzas: 7
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 140
  • Average number of words per stanza: 26
  • Amount of lines: 21
  • Average number of symbols per line: 46 (strings are more long than medium ones)
  • 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; i, have, friend, some 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.

    The poet repeated the same word faces 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 The Old Familiar Faces;
  • 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