This is an analysis of the poem Going To School that begins with:

What shall I teach in the vivid afternoon
With the sun warming the blackboard and a slip...

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: abXabXccdXXd efeefeggecce
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 12,12,
  • Closest metre: iambic pentameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: alternate rhyme
  • Сlosest stanza type: sonnet
  • Guessed form: blank verse
  • Metre: 11110010101 00110011101 011011 1001110001 1011010101 10110100 01010010001 0111010111 0001010101 1101010110 0110111001 11010010001 1101010101 1101110111 100101 11010101001 0111110101 11010111 0001011111 11011101011 0101010101 1111001101 11111101001 1111110101
  • Amount of stanzas: 2
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 473
  • Average number of words per stanza: 89
  • Amount of lines: 24
  • Average number of symbols per line: 39 (medium-length strings)
  • Average number of words per line: 7
  • Mood of the speaker:

    The punctuation marks are various. Neither mark predominates.

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

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

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

Good luck in your poetry interpretation practice!

More information about poems by Karl Shapiro