This is an analysis of the poem The Prayer-Seeker that begins with:

Along the aisle where prayer was made,
A woman, all in black arrayed,... 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: aabbccD eeaaaaX ffgghhD ccbbaaI bbjjkkI llccggI bbmmhhI XbXkccI
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 7,7,7,7,7,7,7,7,
  • Closest metre: iambic tetrameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: couplets
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: unknown form
  • Metre: 010101111 01010101 11010101 01010001 10011101 01111101 111 10010100 11010101 010001001 110010111 11010101 11000111 111 10010111 01010111 01011011 11010111 01110101 01000101 111 11110111 11010101 11111101 110000100 11011101 11110101 111 11010111 11000101 01011111 01110101 11110011 10010111 111 11111111 11011101 11111101 01011101 110110101 01010101 111 01011111 10110101 11010101 11000101 11010101 111100101 111 110111100 010000101 111111100 11111111 010111001 110011111 111
  • Amount of stanzas: 8
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 226
  • Average number of words per stanza: 42
  • Amount of lines: 56
  • Average number of symbols per line: 31 (strings are less long than medium ones)
  • Average number of words per line: 6
  • 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; some is repeated.

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

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

    The poet repeated the same word us at the end of some neighboring stanzas. The poetic device is a kind of epiphora.

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

  • summary of The Prayer-Seeker;
  • 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