This is an analysis of the poem What To Do that begins with:

IF I had wealth and I had health,
And I 'd a roof above me,...

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: abcbXXdX efXfghXh degeXbXb abcbdibi
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 8,8,8,8,
  • Closest metre: iambic tetrameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: rima
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: unknown form
  • Metre: 01111111 11101011 01010111 1111011 11011101 111101 111011111 111111 11110111 1101010 1101100010 1101110 11110111 1101010 01011101 0101010 11110101 011111 11110101 110101 11010111 1001110 01110111 010101 11110111 1101011 011010111 1111011 11111111 0111111 01000101 11111011
  • Amount of stanzas: 4
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 246
  • Average number of words per stanza: 52
  • Amount of lines: 32
  • Average number of symbols per line: 30 (strings are less long than medium ones)
  • 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; i, had are repeated.

    The poet used anaphora at the beginnings of some neighboring lines. The same words no, and are repeated.

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

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

  • summary of What To Do;
  • 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