This is an analysis of the poem The Widow's Mite that begins with:

A widow--she had only one!
A puny and decrepit son;... 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: aabccb ddeffe gghXgh
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 6,6,6,
  • Closest metre: iambic tetrameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: alternate rhyme
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: ballad stanza
  • Metre: 01011101 01010101 1111 11011111 01011101 0101 01011101 11010101 11010 11111101 01010101 11000 11011111 11011101 11001 11110100 11110011 0101
  • Amount of stanzas: 3
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 173
  • Average number of words per stanza: 32
  • Amount of lines: 18
  • Average number of symbols per line: 28 (strings are less long than medium ones)
  • Average number of words per line: 5
  • Mood of the speaker:

    The punctuation marks are various. Neither mark predominates.

  • 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 words a, the are repeated.

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

  • summary of The Widow's Mite;
  • central theme;
  • idea of the verse;
  • history of its creation;
  • critical appreciation.

Good luck in your poetry interpretation practice!

More information about poems by Frederick Locker-Lampson