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

I closed my hands upon a moth
And when I drew my palms apart,...

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: XaXaXbXb
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 8,
  • Closest metre: iambic tetrameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: no rhyme
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: unknown form
  • Metre: 11110101 11111101 01010101 11010101 11110101 11110101 11111101 11010101
  • Amount of stanzas: 1
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 246
  • Average number of words per stanza: 52
  • Amount of lines: 8
  • Average number of symbols per line: 30 (strings are less 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; i, my are repeated.

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

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

  • summary of Beware;
  • 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