This is an analysis of the poem Preaching Vs Practice that begins with:

It is easy to sit in the sunshine
And talk to the man in the shade; ... 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: abcb Xada Xcdc Xdcd XeXe
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 4,4,4,4,4,
  • Closest metre: iambic tetrameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: alternate rhyme
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: ballad stanza
  • Metre: 0010010011 11001001 00100100111 11101001 111100011 1101111 11100111101 11111111 0010010110 1100111 1111111111 11101011 001001010 11111001 111110101 01010101 0111010 110101 110011011 110111
  • Amount of stanzas: 5
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 142
  • Average number of words per stanza: 30
  • Amount of lines: 20
  • Average number of symbols per line: 35 (medium-length strings)
  • Average number of words per line: 8
  • Mood of the speaker:

    The punctuation marks are various. Neither mark predominates.

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

    The author used the same word it 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 Preaching Vs Practice;
  • 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