This is an analysis of the poem To De Witt Miller that begins with:

Dear Miller: You and I despise
The cad who gathers books to sell 'em,... 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: abXX acdc efgf ecXc XaXe dXcX gfdfXagbg
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 4,4,4,4,4,4,9,
  • Closest metre: iambic tetrameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: alternate rhyme
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: ballad stanza
  • Metre: 11011101 011101010 01101101 110101010 11110101 010100010 11010101 010100010 11000101 010101010 10010101 110010110 10110101 010101110 11011001 111101110 10010101 1001010010 11110101 110001010 11010101 110101010 1010101 0101000100 11111111 111110110 11011101 110111010 10110101 010101011 11011111 010101010
  • Amount of stanzas: 8
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 142
  • Average number of words per stanza: 26
  • Amount of lines: 32
  • Average number of symbols per line: 35 (medium-length strings)
  • Average number of words per line: 7
  • Mood of the speaker:

    The punctuation marks are various. Neither mark predominates.

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

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

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

  • summary of To De Witt Miller;
  • 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