This is an analysis of the poem Mutton that begins with:

In the everlasting summer, when the town is limp with heat,
and the asphalt of the footpath curls your boots and burns your feet:... 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: aabbccdd eefgf bbffaaee ggccXXXXeeaXa
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 8,5,8,13,
  • Closest metre: trochaic pentameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: couplets
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: unknown form
  • Metre: 001010101010101 101100111111111 1110111101110101 101000100010101 101000101011101 001010111010101 101110110010001 011010101011101 11010 100010 1100101010101 00101111010111 1010101010011 111000101110001 111000101011101 1010111111011101 101100101010101 111000100110101 001110110010001 111100101110101 001010100010101 101000101010111 111001101010101 111010101010101 111110100010111 1010111000010101 111011101010111 111011110010100 111111100110100 01010 110010 1010101010111 10101011010101 1001101010111
  • Amount of stanzas: 4
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 480
  • Average number of words per stanza: 86
  • Amount of lines: 34
  • Average number of symbols per line: 56 (very long strings)
  • Average number of words per line: 10
  • Mood of the speaker:

    The punctuation marks are various. Neither mark predominates.

  • The author used lexical repetitions to emphasize a significant image; and, it, mutton, in, you, your, can, to, of are repeated.

    The poet used anaphora at the beginnings of some neighboring lines. The same words you, when, do are repeated.

    There is a poetic device epiphora at the end of some neighboring lines mutton is repeated).

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

  • summary of Mutton;
  • 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