This is an analysis of the poem Off To School that begins with:

IT doesn't seem a year ago that I was tumbling out of bed,
The icy steps that lead below at 1 a.m., barefoot, to tread, ...

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: aabbcc ddcccc eeddcc ffggcc
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 6,6,6,6,
  • Closest metre: iambic pentameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: couplets
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: heroic couplets
  • Metre: 01010101111100101 010111011111101 11001010111111111 1111110101010011 1100011011111111 1101010111110101 0101010111110001 1101110011111101 1101010110110111 1100110101111111 1101010111110111 1101010111110101 0101010111010101 1101011101110101 1111111111110101 0101100101010111 0101110111110101 1101010111110101 1101111111110101 1100110111110111 1111110011101101 1111011101101101 11000101010111001 1101110111110101
  • Amount of stanzas: 4
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 405
  • Average number of words per stanza: 81
  • Amount of lines: 24
  • Average number of symbols per line: 67 (very long strings)
  • Average number of words per line: 14
  • Mood of the speaker:

    The punctuation marks are various. Neither mark predominates.

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

    The author used the same word it at the beginnings of some neighboring stanzas. The figure of speech is a kind of anaphora.

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

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

  • summary of Off To School;
  • 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