This is an analysis of the poem The Balance that begins with:

The world upheld their pillars for awhile:
Now, where imperial On and Carthage stood,...

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: abbaabba cddccd
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 8,6,
  • Closest metre: iambic pentameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: limerick
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: sonnet with iambic pentameter or irregular meter
  • Metre: 0101110101 11010011101 0111010101 0111111101 1101011101 1101010101 0101010101 10011001101 1111110111 10010010101 0101110001 01110010001 1111110101 100010001
  • Amount of stanzas: 2
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 295
  • Average number of words per stanza: 54
  • Amount of lines: 14
  • Average number of symbols per line: 41 (medium-length strings)
  • Average number of words per line: 8
  • Mood of the speaker:

    The punctuation marks are various. Neither mark predominates.

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

  • summary of The Balance;
  • central theme;
  • idea of the verse;
  • history of its creation;
  • critical appreciation.

Good luck in your poetry interpretation practice!

More information about poems by Clark Ashton Smith