This is an analysis of the poem The Sparrow that begins with:

O Lord, I cannot but believe
The birds do sing thy praises then, when they sing to one another,...

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: aXaX bcbc bdbd bXbX cece fgfg
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 4,4,4,4,4,4,
  • Closest metre: trochaic pentameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: enclosed rhyme
  • Сlosest stanza type: sonnet
  • Guessed form: unknown form
  • Metre: 11110101 0111110111101010 111101111010101 1101010110100100 01110111 111011011111010 111101010010101 1101110101011110 11110101 0010101000111010 11111101111100 010101011001010 11111101 110101011110110 111111010011001 010111011101100 11110111 01011101001001010 111101010101001 111100011101110 10110111 110111110101010 010101011101001 11001010110101010
  • Amount of stanzas: 6
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 224
  • Average number of words per stanza: 42
  • Amount of lines: 24
  • Average number of symbols per line: 55 (very long strings)
  • Average number of words per line: 10
  • Mood of the speaker:

    The punctuation marks are various. Neither mark predominates.

  • The author used lexical repetitions to emphasize a significant image; of, i, it are repeated.

    The author used the same words i, but 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 word/phrase it connects the lines.

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

  • summary of The Sparrow;
  • central theme;
  • idea of the verse;
  • history of its creation;
  • critical appreciation.

Good luck in your poetry interpretation practice!

More information about poems by George MacDonald