This is an analysis of the poem Earth's Oldest Show that begins with:

Not in our public parks, for private gain.
This centuries-old precursor of all dramas... 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: ababcXcX dbdXdXdX efefgagX XhXhieie
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 8,8,8,8,
  • Closest metre: iambic pentameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: rima
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: blank verse
  • Metre: 1011011101 010010100110 1110110011 0111101010 1101010101 01010111010 11110010101 111110101100 1011110101 01011011110 1111110111 11001111010 1111110101 00010011100 0101010111 111110101100 1111011100 01110000010 0101010101 01011101110 1101011101 010111001110 01010010101 101010101100 1001010101 011100010010 0101110101 010100010010 011110111 11000101110 0101010111 111111101010
  • Amount of stanzas: 3
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 476
  • Average number of words per stanza: 80
  • Amount of lines: 33
  • Average number of symbols per line: 42 (strings are more long than medium ones)
  • Average number of words per line: 7
  • 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; great, his are repeated.

    The author used the same word not 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 Earth's Oldest Show;
  • central theme;
  • idea of the verse;
  • history of its creation;
  • critical appreciation.

Good luck in your poetry interpretation practice!

More information about poems by Clarence Michael James Stanislaus Dennis