This is an analysis of the poem Christmas Eve that begins with:

Oh, hush thee, little Dear-my-Soul,
The evening shades are falling,--... 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 Xbbb Abcb XdXdXabbb
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 4,4,4,9,
  • Closest metre: iambic tetrameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: alternate rhyme
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: ballad stanza
  • Metre: 11110111 0101110 11111111 01001010 11010101 1101010 01011111 0111010 11110111 1111010 11011111 0101110 01010101 11100010 11010101 10101110 11110111 1101110 10101001001 11101010
  • Amount of stanzas: 5
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 140
  • Average number of words per stanza: 26
  • Amount of lines: 20
  • Average number of symbols per line: 34 (medium-length strings)
  • Average number of words per line: 6
  • Mood of the speaker:

    The punctuation marks are various. Neither mark predominates.

  • The author used lexical repetitions to emphasize a significant image; them, his are repeated.

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

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

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

Good luck in your poetry interpretation practice!

More information about poems by Eugene Field