This is an analysis of the poem The Gift Of Play that begins with:

Some have the gift of song and some possess the gift of silver speech,
Some have the gift of leadership and some the ways of life can teach....

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: aaXbbcc Xddeecc dffggbcXc eeXddcc
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 7,7,9,7,
  • Closest metre: trochaic pentameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: couplets
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: unknown form
  • Metre: 1101011101010101 1101010111010111 111101110101110 1 1001110011011111 1111111111010011 1111010101110101 110101011101110 1 11010001110111101 1101010101010101 1111010111111101 1111111111010101 1111010111010101 111101010101111 1 1101000111000101 1111110111010111 1011010011110101 11110101101101 01 010011111101010 1 0101011101110111 1011011111011101 101101111101110 1 11010011110110101 1111011001010111 01010010101110101
  • Amount of stanzas: 4
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 437
  • Average number of words per stanza: 83
  • Amount of lines: 30
  • Average number of symbols per line: 57 (very long strings)
  • Average number of words per line: 11
  • Mood of the speaker:

    The punctuation marks are various. Neither mark predominates.

  • The author used lexical repetitions to emphasize a significant image; some, of, and, gift, they, in, their are repeated.

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

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

    The poet repeated the same word play 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 The Gift Of Play;
  • 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