This is an analysis of the poem How Long Has This Been Planned? that begins with:

The guests are due to arrive,
By the end of the week....

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: XXabaaa cbX cd edX ccafd XXgdcX eb Xggebd Xdh fdcX Xh X Xf
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 7,3,2,3,5,6,2,6,3,4,2,1,2,
  • Closest metre: trochaic tetrameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: alternate rhyme
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: unknown form
  • Metre: 0111001 101001 11111 10110001001 1101101 0101001010 0100101 1100 11111010 1100011101 111110101010 11111 111001 11 11011000 10 10100110 111101110101010 1110101101 111110111010 1 1 1101011 111010 1111 11110 1111101101101111 1110011010010110 11 1 1111 1101 110101101101001 1110101111101001 101101 111 11101001 111001001 1101010100110 10101010110 100101 11110100 010010100111 110 110110 1111111111
  • Amount of stanzas: 13
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 111
  • Average number of words per stanza: 21
  • Amount of lines: 46
  • 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:

    The speaker asks many questions. Perhaps, he or she is in confusion.

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

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

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

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

  • summary of How Long Has This Been Planned?;
  • 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