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

I may not go to-night to Bethlehem,
Nor follow star-directed ways, nor tread ...

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: abbc dXXd ebbe XccX affa
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 4,4,4,4,4,
  • Closest metre: iambic pentameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: alternate rhyme
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: blank verse
  • Metre: 1111010101 1101010111 0101010111 0111110001 1111010101 1101010111 01001100100 0101011101 0101111101 1111010101 11110101001 0101111101 1111010111 0101000101 1111010011 0001110100 1101110100 1101111101 1111010111 0111010101
  • Amount of stanzas: 5
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 168
  • Average number of words per stanza: 31
  • Amount of lines: 20
  • Average number of symbols per line: 41 (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 is repeated.

    The author used the same word i 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 Christmastide;
  • central theme;
  • idea of the verse;
  • history of its creation;
  • critical appreciation.

Good luck in your poetry interpretation practice!

More information about poems by Emily Pauline Johnson