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

The angel host that sped last night,
Bearing the wondrous news afar,... 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 cdcX efef dXdX agag hchc dedX aifi
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 4,4,4,4,4,4,4,4,
  • Closest metre: iambic tetrameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: alternate rhyme
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: ballad stanza
  • Metre: 01011111 10010101 101101001 100100101 10111111 10110101 10010111 11110101 01010111 11010101 11001111 01010111 101110101 01111101 01111101 11010101 11011101 101011101 11000101 11110101 10110011 110011101 11010111 10011101 10111101 10110101 010100101 01110111 11111111 10110001 11010101 01010101
  • Amount of stanzas: 8
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 138
  • Average number of words per stanza: 26
  • Amount of lines: 32
  • Average number of symbols per line: 34 (medium-length strings)
  • Average number of words per line: 6
  • Mood of the speaker:

    There are many exclamation marks in the poem. The speaker is excited. He or she has strong feelings on the subject that is described in the poem.

  • The author used lexical repetitions to emphasize a significant image; and is repeated.

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

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

  • summary of Christmas Morning;
  • 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