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

I NEVER knew him, for he never grew
Up as so many strong little ones do;...

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: aabbccdde ffggaahhe iijjddkke bbhhkklle dXhhhhmme
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 9,9,9,9,9,
  • Closest metre: iambic pentameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: couplets
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: heroic couplets
  • Metre: 1101111101 1111011011 101101001011 11111001001 1110101111101 11101011011 11011011011 110110111101 0110 01011001011 01101011001 111011111010 110010111010 101001001011 01111001101 001111011011 11011010111 1010 00111011011 11001101101 11001101001 11101001101 111111011011 01011011111 11011111101 1011011011 1010 1001001111 1011001101 1101111011 101011111101 11011011011 01001111011 10101011001 11111001001 1010 01111011101 010110101111 11101111111 10111011001 11111111111 110110111001 11001011100 11001011111 1110
  • Amount of stanzas: 5
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 388
  • Average number of words per stanza: 78
  • Amount of lines: 45
  • Average number of symbols per line: 42 (strings are more long than medium ones)
  • Average number of words per line: 9
  • Mood of the speaker:

    The punctuation marks are various. Neither mark predominates.

  • The author used lexical repetitions to emphasize a significant image; and, his, with, him, she, i, he, know are repeated.

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

    The poet repeated the same word jimmy at the end of some neighboring stanzas. The poetic device is a kind of epiphora.

    The literary device anadiplosis is detected in two or more neighboring lines. The word/phrase play connects the lines.

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

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

Good luck in your poetry interpretation practice!

More information about poems by Edgar Albert Guest