This is an analysis of the poem The Devil's Bag that begins with:

I saw the Devil walking down the lane
Behind our house.—There was a heavy bag...

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: ababcXdcdefXfXe
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 15,
  • Closest metre: iambic pentameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: rima
  • Сlosest stanza type: sonnet
  • Guessed form: rondeau
  • Metre: 1101010101 0111110101 1101010101 1010111101 1001110001 111101 1101 1001010101 0110011101 1101011101 1101011011 1111011111 1111110111 1101111111 1101110011
  • Amount of stanzas: 1
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 601
  • Average number of words per stanza: 124
  • Amount of lines: 15
  • Average number of symbols per line: 39 (medium-length strings)
  • Average number of words per line: 8
  • Mood of the speaker:

    There are many exclamation marks in the poem. The speaker is excited. He or she has strong feelings on the subject that is described in the poem.

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

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

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

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

Good luck in your poetry interpretation practice!

More information about poems by James Stephens