This is an analysis of the poem The Two Old Bachelors that begins with:

Two old Bachelors were living in one house;
One caught a Muffin, the other caught a Mouse.... full text

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: aaaabbXX cXXX ccdd eeffaaaX gghh cX hhccXXc ii
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 8,4,4,8,4,2,7,2,
  • Closest metre: trochaic pentameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: couplets
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: unknown form
  • Metre: 1110010011 11010010101 1111010011101 1101011110001 1010101010110010 110111011101010 11110101101010 1011111101111010 1111010111010 111010101110110 111111001110101 11011100010001 11110110001 11111101110111 11111101111001 001100101010101 11111110010001 100100001010111 11010101011101 11011111010101 111111011100111 11111110010101 11101101111001 11100010110010 1111001101 010100001110101 11010101110001 11110100010101 1101001111111010 110110010110010 11111101100101 11110011010111 110111001101001 11111101011111 111111110111 010 0111110001101010 111101010101001 10110110010101
  • Amount of stanzas: 8
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 282
  • Average number of words per stanza: 53
  • Amount of lines: 39
  • 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; caught, in, we, to, and, him, they are repeated.

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

    There is a poetic device epiphora at the end of some neighboring lines mouse is repeated).

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

  • summary of The Two Old Bachelors;
  • central theme;
  • idea of the verse;
  • history of its creation;
  • critical appreciation.

Good luck in your poetry interpretation practice!

More information about poems by Edward Lear