This is an analysis of the poem Controlling the Tongue - that begins with:

My son, keep well thy tongue, and keep thy friend.
A wicked tongue is worse than a fiend; ... 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: aabbccddXXeeXXffXggXXXhh
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 24,
  • Closest metre: iambic pentameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: couplets
  • Сlosest stanza type: sonnet
  • Guessed form: heroic couplets
  • Metre: 1111111111 010101101 110011101 111001010 10101111 111110111 11111111 11001011101 111011000 0111011000 11111101 111111111 010101011 011010111 000111111 111011101 110101010100 111010101 10101111111 01011101 1110010110 11011001100 110111111 011010101
  • Amount of stanzas: 1
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 1000
  • Average number of words per stanza: 185
  • Amount of lines: 24
  • Average number of symbols per line: 41 (medium-length strings)
  • Average number of words per line: 8
  • Mood of the speaker:

    The punctuation marks are various. Neither mark predominates.

  • The author used lexical repetitions to emphasize a significant image; my, son, muckle are repeated.

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

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

  • summary of Controlling the Tongue -;
  • central theme;
  • idea of the verse;
  • history of its creation;
  • critical appreciation.

Good luck in your poetry interpretation practice!

More information about poems by Geoffrey Chaucer