This is an analysis of the poem I Knew A Man By Sight that begins with:

I knew a man by sight,
A blameless wight, ... 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: aabbc ddcce ffXeX ggaah ffddh iijjX
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 5,5,5,5,5,5,
  • Closest metre: iambic trimeter
  • Сlosest rhyme: alternate rhyme
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: unknown form
  • Metre: 110111 0101 110111 110111 11011101 111001 1101 0111001 1111001 1101111111 001101 1101 110100 101101 11010001101 100101 1101 110101 010111 1111110100 100100 1101 111101 1101000 1111011110 111011 1111 110111 101111 1011111101
  • Amount of stanzas: 6
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 139
  • Average number of words per stanza: 27
  • Amount of lines: 30
  • Average number of symbols per line: 27 (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; him, bowed, and are repeated.

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

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

  • summary of I Knew A Man By Sight;
  • central theme;
  • idea of the verse;
  • history of its creation;
  • critical appreciation.

Good luck in your poetry interpretation practice!

More information about poems by Henry David Thoreau