This is an analysis of the poem Sweet Fern that begins with:

The subtle power in perfume found
Nor priest nor sibyl vainly learned;... 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: aaaa bcbc adad bebe fafa eaea gdgd fhfh dede ijij
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 4,4,4,4,4,4,4,4,4,4,
  • Closest metre: iambic tetrameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: alternate rhyme
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: ballad stanza
  • Metre: 010100011 11110101 11011111 110101 110011101 01000101 01010101 010101 11010111 01011101 010101111 011010 11011111 01110111 01010111 010011 11001101 010011001 11010111 110111 111101001 11110111 11110101 110101 01110101 10011101 01110111 010001 01010111 11110101 10010111 111001 11010001 01110101 11110101 110101 11110111 110101001 01110101 011101
  • Amount of stanzas: 10
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 133
  • Average number of words per stanza: 25
  • Amount of lines: 40
  • Average number of symbols per line: 33 (medium-length strings)
  • Average number of words per line: 6
  • Mood of the speaker:

    The punctuation marks are various. Neither mark predominates.

  • The author used lexical repetitions to emphasize a significant image; and is repeated.

    The poet used anaphora at the beginnings of some neighboring lines. The same words the, and are repeated.

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

  • summary of Sweet Fern;
  • central theme;
  • idea of the verse;
  • history of its creation;
  • critical appreciation.

Good luck in your poetry interpretation practice!

More information about poems by John Greenleaf Whittier