This is an analysis of the poem The Bow-Leg Boy that begins with:

Who should come up the road one day
But the doctor-man in his two-wheel shay!... 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: aaXaaaX bbccAAX ddbbAAX cceeAAX XXaaaaa aaffaaa
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 7,7,7,7,7,7,
  • Closest metre: iambic tetrameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: limerick
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: unknown form
  • Metre: 11110111 1010100111 11101111100 111110111 101101 1010101 101101110 11101111001 111011101 1111110101 110010010001 1001101 1010101 101101110 01001101001 111010001001 1110100101 101011010001 1001101 1010101 101101110 1110110111 100100110 11111111011 1011111101 1001101 1010101 101101110 0010110101 1110001111000 1010111001 011010100111 01101 010101 0110111 0100101111 00100100111 11110101101 11010111 101101 010101 0110111
  • Amount of stanzas: 6
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 265
  • Average number of words per stanza: 49
  • Amount of lines: 42
  • Average number of symbols per line: 37 (medium-length strings)
  • Average number of words per line: 7
  • 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; such, boy, little, he, and, what are repeated.

    The poet used anaphora at the beginnings of some neighboring lines. The same words such, and, what, the, a are repeated.

    There is a poetic device epiphora at the end of some neighboring lines boy is repeated).

    The poet repeated the same word boy at the end of some neighboring stanzas. The poetic device is a kind of epiphora.

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

  • summary of The Bow-Leg Boy;
  • 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