This is an analysis of the poem What Does It Mean that begins with:

It does not know it glitters
It does not know it flies...

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: aab XbXb XXXacX ccXX
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 3,4,6,4,
  • Closest metre: iambic pentameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: no rhyme
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: blank verse
  • Metre: 0111010 011101 011100011 11111001 0110101 1001011 111010010011 1110111110 111101110101 01100101101110 11110101 10110110111001 101000100100001 01001011 01010111000101 10111010111 011111010001
  • Amount of stanzas: 4
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 166
  • Average number of words per stanza: 32
  • Amount of lines: 17
  • Average number of symbols per line: 38 (medium-length strings)
  • Average number of words per line: 8
  • Mood of the speaker:

    The punctuation marks are various. Neither mark predominates.

  • The author used lexical repetitions to emphasize a significant image; it, not, know are repeated.

    The poet used anaphora at the beginnings of some neighboring lines. The same words it, if are repeated.

    The poet repeated the same word that 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 What Does It Mean;
  • central theme;
  • idea of the verse;
  • history of its creation;
  • critical appreciation.

Good luck in your poetry interpretation practice!

More information about poems by Czeslaw Milosz