This is an analysis of the poem Dangerous Precedent that begins with:

Children are failing at an alarming rate,
In public schools....

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: abaaXccdb aaeeff beaeeabdf Xffdbad agd fddgdebdd XXe
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 9,6,9,7,3,9,3,
  • Closest metre: iambic pentameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: enclosed rhyme
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: blank verse
  • Metre: 10110110101 0101 1110111 1101 101 001101001000 110 110110111 110101001001 001000110001 00100011001 0100111 10100101000 10010000110 01010010100010 110000101 0001000101 110001 00100101001 111101001 0100100100 1111111 110101000011100 010100010 0100100 1000100100011100 001101010111010 01001010011100 010010101001000110100 1010000100100 001001001010 010010010101001 101001001001010 11010101010110010001 010010001 101001101 11000101010010010 1100010001010 010100100011101 101 1011010101010 11101010011100 1101000011100100 1 00010 0100
  • Amount of stanzas: 7
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 258
  • Average number of words per stanza: 41
  • Amount of lines: 46
  • Average number of symbols per line: 38 (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; to, of are repeated.

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

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

    There is a poetic device epiphora at the end of some neighboring lines threat is repeated).

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

  • summary of Dangerous Precedent;
  • central theme;
  • idea of the verse;
  • history of its creation;
  • critical appreciation.

Good luck in your poetry interpretation practice!

More information about poems by Lawrence S. Pertillar