This is an analysis of the poem Learning To Read that begins with:

Very soon the Yankee teachers
Came down and set up school;... 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 daea bfXf bcfc gdad gbcb hgXg bdca hcec acdcXggcg
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 4,4,4,4,4,4,4,4,4,9,
  • Closest metre: trochaic tetrameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: alternate rhyme
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: unknown form
  • Metre: 10101010 111111 11101010 011011 11011101 110011 101010100 111111 11011101 010001 1101010 111111 10101010 111101 11010001 110001 11010101 010101 11101010 110001 11110101 110101 11011111 110101 10101110 010101 11111111 110111 11101110 110101 11110010 11111 11101110 110111 11111010 111101 11101010 110111 11011111 011100 11101010 010111 11111010 1010101
  • Amount of stanzas: 11
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 118
  • Average number of words per stanza: 23
  • Amount of lines: 44
  • Average number of symbols per line: 29 (strings are less long than medium ones)
  • 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; and, i are repeated.

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

    The author used the same word and at the beginnings of some neighboring stanzas. The figure of speech is a kind of anaphora.

    The literary device anadiplosis is detected in two or more neighboring lines. The words/phrases it, well connect the lines.

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

  • summary of Learning To Read;
  • central theme;
  • idea of the verse;
  • history of its creation;
  • critical appreciation.

Good luck in your poetry interpretation practice!

More information about poems by Frances Ellen Watkins Harper