This is an analysis of the poem Foes that begins with:

Thank Fate for foes! I hold mine dear
As valued friends. He cannot know ... 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: abab cXcd efef bdbd ebebXcdcd
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 4,4,4,4,9,
  • Closest metre: iambic tetrameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: alternate rhyme
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: ballad stanza
  • Metre: 11111111 11011101 01011101 01010101 1101100111 1010101010 11111101 11111101 11110111 01010101 011000101 110111101 11010101 01011101 1011100111 11111101 11110111 11111101 01010101 11111011 11111001 11010001 11010101 111001
  • Amount of stanzas: 6
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 144
  • Average number of words per stanza: 27
  • Amount of lines: 24
  • Average number of symbols per line: 35 (medium-length strings)
  • 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, my are repeated.

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

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

  • summary of Foes;
  • central theme;
  • idea of the verse;
  • history of its creation;
  • critical appreciation.

Good luck in your poetry interpretation practice!

More information about poems by Ella Wheeler Wilcox