This is an analysis of the poem The Old Times Were The Best that begins with:

Friends, my heart is half aweary
Of its happiness to-night:... 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: XaXababA XXaaaA
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 8,6,
  • Closest metre: trochaic tetrameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: rondeau rhyme
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: unknown form
  • Metre: 11101100 0010001 11111110 1110101 10101010 10101001 10101010 1011001 10 10101110 0010111 10101001 1011001
  • Amount of stanzas: 3
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 131
  • Average number of words per stanza: 24
  • Amount of lines: 13
  • Average number of symbols per line: 29 (strings are less long than medium ones)
  • Average number of words per line: 6
  • Mood of the speaker:

    The punctuation marks are various. Neither mark predominates.

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

  • summary of The Old Times Were The Best;
  • 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 Whitcomb Riley