This is an analysis of the poem To A Child that begins with:

When I was a child I saw
a burning bird in a tree....

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: XaXa bcdc bcbc defe fgXg fhXh XehX
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 4,4,4,4,4,4,4,
  • Closest metre: iambic trimeter
  • Сlosest rhyme: rima
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: unknown form
  • Metre: 1110111 0101001 110111 110111 010101 011011 0101101 110101 1001111 010111 10111 1011101 010111 01010010 011011 1001010 101001 101101 100101 10100101 110011 1111101 0101001 11111 11010010 1001010 100101 10010100
  • Amount of stanzas: 7
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 107
  • Average number of words per stanza: 23
  • Amount of lines: 28
  • Average number of symbols per line: 26 (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.

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

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

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

  • summary of To A Child;
  • central theme;
  • idea of the verse;
  • history of its creation;
  • critical appreciation.

Good luck in your poetry interpretation practice!

More information about poems by Judith Wright