This is an analysis of the poem You Never Can Tell that begins with:

You never can tell when you send a word,
Like an arrow shot from a bow... 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: ababacdc deaedfbf bXggXaXa
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 8,8,8,
  • Closest metre: iambic tetrameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: rima
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: unknown form
  • Metre: 1101111101 11101001 11101001011 1101101 0110101101 1001011 001010111 011001101 1101111111 1100100 101001111001 10101111 110101101 010101 111110111 0101111 1101111101 0101111 111111101 11011001 1100100101 1110101 1111010111 11011011
  • Amount of stanzas: 3
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 305
  • Average number of words per stanza: 60
  • Amount of lines: 24
  • Average number of symbols per line: 37 (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; its, you are repeated.

    The author used the same word you 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 You Never Can Tell;
  • 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