This is an analysis of the poem At Christmas-Time that begins with:

For that old love I once adored
I deck my halls and spread my board...

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: aaBcdXXbeeBdcaaX
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 16,
  • Closest metre: iambic tetrameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: couplets
  • Сlosest stanza type: sonnet
  • Guessed form: unknown form
  • Metre: 11111101 11111111 1101 010101011 11111101 10010111 01111111 1111 11010101 11011101 1101 01011101 11011111 11111111 11110011 11110
  • Amount of stanzas: 1
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 510
  • Average number of words per stanza: 99
  • Amount of lines: 16
  • Average number of symbols per line: 31 (strings are less long than medium ones)
  • Average number of words per line: 6
  • Mood of the speaker:

    The punctuation marks are various. Neither mark predominates.

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

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

  • summary of At Christmas-Time;
  • central theme;
  • idea of the verse;
  • history of its creation;
  • critical appreciation.

Good luck in your poetry interpretation practice!

More information about poems by Dora Sigerson Shorter