This is an analysis of the poem The Empty Purse--A Sermon To Our Later Prodigal Son that begins with:

Thou, run to the dry on this wayside bank,
Too plainly of all the propellers bereft!... 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: abcbXadcdbdd acdaXeecXXfeegXfghXeebefbieibjdcdjXcfjfckgkgdhddldhhlhhlhchchjhhhhjkhakhihakjijhiahiXac lhldhbXhXdhmkmjakakjkabdbdjdjhbhbfefbeb fXfbXnhonabobXahbecbhecbpel elflbfXbbihibbbkqhqXk cqcbbhb hbdbdlnhlXnkbk ehehnibribrjbjbrd bsdbsdcbbbbceahaXbhbshs
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 12,87,39,27,21,7,14,17,31,8,10,7,6,20,16,8,23,15,18,23,25,14,7,9,24,4,12,34,16,29,9,21,21,50,8,
  • Closest metre: iambic tetrameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: alternate rhyme
  • Сlosest stanza type: sonnet
  • Guessed form: ballad stanza
  • Metre: 1100110111 11001001001 10110111 1011110111 100101101 111100111 001001101001 1101101 011101 01111001001 11001001 11001001 01111001001 10100111100 00101001 1100111 011100101 100101001001 010110111 001001011 1111010 110010110 10100010101 1011001001 01001001101 001001001011 001001001010 0110100111 110101111 101001011 111101101 0100100101 0110100111 1101001011 1001001001 110101101 0100110101 01001001 11001011 101011011 00101010101 111011001001 1110101111 10100111001 0100101111 1101001001 11001000 10101101 11100111 11001001 1100101 1100100101 101011001 11111011 01011011 0101101 10101111101 11011001 1011011 01101001 11001001001 111101 01001001 01001001 1001011 100111 1011001 100111 0100101 010110101 00101110101 11101001 101001011 100111111 100100111 11001111111 1001001011 011110101 1011000101 01101001111 110010101 11100101 1001011001 1011001001 00110101001 11101001001 1011101001 1010111111 100110111 01001001001 1101001011 1101101011 10100111101 1010001 1001001 1001001 11001011101 110100111 0100110101 0110100111 1110101111 1100100101 1111001 1101101 01001001 0101010 010111 010010110 1101101 0111011 100011011 1110111 1101011001 11011001 10101011 01011001 110101 0111001011 101001101001 1110101111 0111001 10111001 101111 00101001 101011011 10010111 11011001 111011101 1101100101 01001001001 0011100101 110110001 111001001 1011011 11100101 0100111 01001001 111011001 10010011 0101100110 1100111001 1110101 11111110110 01001101001 01001001101 10010110010 01001001001 0101101 01101001 100110 11101001 11001111010 1101001 01101001 0100101111 1101001 1110101 0100101 0110101 1001001001 1110110101 01001001001 01001001 0100100101 100101 0010010111 11001011 1100101001 0111001 1101001 0100100111 0110001100 11011101 001001001001 1110100101 1101011 01011011 101001001 11111001 11101001 01101001 010111101 0101101 11011011 01001110 101101 1101001 11001001 0101101111 11011001 00111001 001001001 100001 11001001 111101 10100110101 01111001 01001001 11011001 0101100111 001001101001 01001011001 01101001011 01111011101 00100100111 111001 0100011 101101101011 0101001001 0011101001 01001001001 0111011011 10101101 10001101001 1100001 101001101 11100101 101011001 11001001001 00101001011 01001001011 11001011011 111001001001 1011111101 101001111001 01111001101 10101101 1101101001 11011001001 01100111 11011001 10101111 11001011 11001001011 01011101011 111110010001 101001101001 101001011001 001101101001 1101101111 00100110100 11101101 0101001 11001001001 1101101 11101000101 1001011 10110100111 11001001001 1011111011 11001001001 1101100111 101101101 11110101 0101101 00111101001 111100101 001001001001 11111011 00101111111 111001001 101001001 111101001 0110101 10111110111 11001001001 01001001011 10100111 111111 11101010 1101100101 10110101 11001001 111101001 1010010010100 11010001 011001001 0101101111 0101100111 01100111101 1100101001 11011011111 0111001 110001111001 01010011001 1111001 011011100 1110101 11001001 1011100101 101011001 101001001001 1101011 10100100101 01011001 101011001 0100111 101001001 01001001 10110111 01001001 100111 01011001 1101001 00111100100 111001111111 1111001 1011011 101101 1111001 10100001 01001001011 01111001 001011011 01101001 11101001101 111001 01111001 101001011 001011001 0100111 1100101 100101 010001011 1010101 011100101 01001011001 101101110 11100101011 101101001101 101101001001 11101001011 1101011 100010001101 101001001011 11011001 11010011011 01001101011 11111011011 11011010001 011011001001 01101011001 01101101001 01011101011 1001011001 01001101001 101011001001 111111101011 11101001011 11001011101 111001001001 101101001001 01011001001 11101111101 1010001101 11011011 1010010101101 0110011111010 101011011001 011111101011 111010011110 01011111001 11001001011 101011111 1111001 11011001001 11000101 0110101 01101011001 011101001101 111101101 11011001 1001011 00100100011 01101001010 101101001001 001001011001 101001001001 001101101001 01110001010010 111101101001 11110010 11111110011 10101101001 1100101 0010011 01001101001 101101011101 01011011 1010100010 111101001001 11001001 110011101 111100101 101001001 10101011001 0101101111 1001001011 10010001010 110110101 10111001001 111010011 1100101111 1110111111 11101001001 11101001001 001001001001 111011111 01101001001 1011100101 101001001001 11001011 01001001 101011101 01001001101 01001111001 01011011010 10100101011 01011001001 001101001001 001001101011 00110111101 111011001111 11101001101 01001001001 1101101001 01001001011 100100111 101100111 1100110101 1111110111 1110110111 00100110111 010001001111 111011001001 101000101 11011101 1011010001 011101001001 01111101 0100100111 101011001 01001001 00100100111 101001010101 01001010 1011101 1010011010010 101001001 01011001011 11101001001 1110101111 001011001001 11110100111 101001100101 10111111011 11011011 11011011101 01001001 10101011 111110101 111001011 101001001 01101011 111111001001 1011011011 001011101001 01100111111 101101011111 11001001001 01011101001 01101001101 11101001011 11100100101 1001011 0100110101 01111011001 01011001 101001101 101001011 01001001 11001001 101001001 1001101 01011001 1101101 001011011 001011001 11101001001 01001001001 101101111 00111011 10100111111 0100111101 01011001011 0100101111 1111101011 11001101001 0101001 01001011011 1100100111 110001101011 1011001001 111011011001 101011011 11101100101 11111001 101011001 01010001 10100001101 101100101 11101001011 101011011001 1110101100 101001001001 01000111 1101001001 00111001 00111101 11001001 0001001 101001101 11011101001 11100101 10011001 1011001001 111011001 111101001 1101111111 101001101001 1001001011 101100101 110101101 01001011 001011001 111011101 01011101 101001101 111001001 0100111 11001101001 01101001 01001001 0001001 101011001 101100101 100100111 01001001 101100111 11001001001 0101001001 1101000101 10110111 101100101 11101011 11001111 0100101 01001101011 101001001 11111001 1001101 11001001011 1101001 1101001 1011001001 011110101 01101011 01001011 1100110101 1001001 01001001 11001101001 010001001 11001001 1001011 1011001 01101101001 00100101111 11001011111 1010100001001 100011011 11101001 101001101 11011011 11100101111 11001000100 111011011 1101001 11110001 01001001 101101001 10101101 1110101 01001001 001011011 01011111 11111100 10011111 0110101 01001001001 01110111100 0101101 11001011 11001101001 101011101 1100101111 0111001011 01101001001 01011101001 011011011 0100101010 1010010101 0101110101 111101111111 1001011001 101001001 11101101001 11111101000 111011110001 11001001 001001101 11011101001 111111011001 1100111 01111001011 00100100100 1001001101 11001001001 11101001001 0100111101 01011001 11011001 1011010110001 1010011010100 0111001 111001001011 0100101001 111001111001 0010010010001 01011001001 111101001 101111111 01111001101 1110110100 01001001101 111001111001 101001111011 001011011101 11011001 01001001 111111111 001001001101 01001001001 0101101001 101011001 101001001001 1111101011 1101110111 10100111001 0110100101 1010100111 1110101 11001001101 1010010010100 01001001011 111101101 11001001 1111101 1001011111 01101011011 101011110001 01011011001 01011101001 11111111001 11001001011 11011111001 0011010110100 01011001001 11001001001 101101101001 10100111 10100101101 1111111 01011011111 1100100101 1101100 11101001 1011101 11100100101 010100110 1111111 111011011
  • Amount of stanzas: 35
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 771
  • Average number of words per stanza: 141
  • Amount of lines: 692
  • Average number of symbols per line: 38 (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; of, to, she, and, with, he, it, devil, their, mill, his, our, you, iterate, in, thy, food are repeated.

    The poet used anaphora at the beginnings of some neighboring lines. The same words she, issue, a, he, the, to, you, we, and, nor are repeated.

    The literary device anadiplosis is detected in two or more neighboring lines. The word/phrase iterate connects the lines.

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

  • summary of The Empty Purse--A Sermon To Our Later Prodigal Son;
  • 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 Meredith