This is an analysis of the poem While Someone Telephones that begins with:

Wasted, wasted minutes that couldn't be worse,
minutes of a barbaric condescension. ...

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: abcacdbddXaccc
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 14,
  • Closest metre: trochaic tetrameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: enclosed rhyme
  • Сlosest stanza type: sonnet
  • Guessed form: sonnet with trochaic tetrameter or irregular meter
  • Metre: 10101011001 10000101010 11011101011 111101000110 100101111101 1101 110101111111110 1011 101011101 0101011000010 0101 110101 110001001111 11100111
  • Amount of stanzas: 1
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 554
  • Average number of words per stanza: 87
  • Amount of lines: 14
  • Average number of symbols per line: 39 (medium-length strings)
  • Average number of words per line: 6
  • Mood of the speaker:

    The punctuation marks are various. Neither mark predominates.

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

  • summary of While Someone Telephones;
  • central theme;
  • idea of the verse;
  • history of its creation;
  • critical appreciation.

Good luck in your poetry interpretation practice!

More information about poems by Elizabeth Bishop