This is an analysis of the poem The Mother Watch that begins with:

She never closed her eyes in sleep till we were all in bed;
On party nights till we came home she often sat and read....

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 bbbbcc ccXXdd aaccee
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 6,6,6,6,
  • Closest metre: iambic pentameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: couplets
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: heroic couplets
  • Metre: 11010101110101 11011111110111 11010101110111 11010101110001 11011101110111 11110101111111 10111101111111 01011101010001 11111101111101 11011111010111 01011101111101 11010101111101 11011101011101 11010111011101 11111111010101 011101111101001 11011111110101 11111111110101 11011101010101 11011011010101 10011101011101 11110101011011 11010101110101 11010100111101
  • Amount of stanzas: 4
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 369
  • Average number of words per stanza: 74
  • Amount of lines: 24
  • Average number of symbols per line: 61 (very long strings)
  • Average number of words per line: 12
  • Mood of the speaker:

    The punctuation marks are various. Neither mark predominates.

  • The author used lexical repetitions to emphasize a significant image; we, that, she, to, and are repeated.

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

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

  • summary of The Mother Watch;
  • 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