This is an analysis of the poem For a Student Sleeping in a Poetry Workshop that begins with:

I've watched his eyelids sag, spring open
Vaguely and gradually go sliding...

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: abcXXdbeXcXdfeefedbbdXdXedddXa
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 30,
  • Closest metre: trochaic pentameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: couplets
  • Сlosest stanza type: sonnet
  • Guessed form: unknown form
  • Metre: 1101110110 1011000110 10111 00101001110 100010011 1011101010 10011101110 11011110110 11011001 01000010011 0010010110 11011101010 110010110111 10110110 1010010100010 010101111 111100101 110011010 0101001010010 0101001011100 01010110001001 0101011101010 110111110 011010111 0101010011 10110101001 110010101001 01111111 110101110010 11000110110
  • Amount of stanzas: 1
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 1344
  • Average number of words per stanza: 215
  • Amount of lines: 30
  • Average number of symbols per line: 44 (strings are more long than medium ones)
  • Average number of words per line: 7
  • Mood of the speaker:

    The punctuation marks are various. Neither mark predominates.

  • The author used lexical repetitions to emphasize a significant image; of, his are repeated.

    The poet used anaphora at the beginnings of some neighboring lines. The same word of is repeated.

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

  • summary of For a Student Sleeping in a Poetry Workshop;
  • central theme;
  • idea of the verse;
  • history of its creation;
  • critical appreciation.

Good luck in your poetry interpretation practice!

More information about poems by David Wagoner