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

If I were mild, and I were sweet,
And laid my heart before your feet,...

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: aabbccccdd eeffffaa
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 10,8,
  • Closest metre: iambic tetrameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: couplets
  • Сlosest stanza type: sonnet
  • Guessed form: unknown form
  • Metre: 01011101 11110111 11110101 11110111 0101010011 101110110001 11110101 11010111 11110100 11111101 11011101 111101001 11110101 11110111 01011101 11100001101 11111111 11111101
  • Amount of stanzas: 2
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 341
  • Average number of words per stanza: 63
  • Amount of lines: 18
  • Average number of symbols per line: 37 (medium-length strings)
  • 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; and, my are repeated.

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

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

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

Good luck in your poetry interpretation practice!

More information about poems by Dorothy Parker