This is an analysis of the poem If It Was Not For Poetry that begins with:

If it was not for poetry,
Would 'thou' be left to live with less art? ...

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: AbccXXXXc AcbcbXddb eAbXXXceA
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 9,9,9,
  • Closest metre: iambic tetrameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: no rhyme
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: unknown form
  • Metre: 00111100 110101011 101010100 00111 01110010 01101 0101001 100010101 1001100100101 00111100 11011101 001000101101 11110010100101 111000101101 001001001011010 1001100111 010011101 11101101 0 0111100 1010110111 00101010 11101110110 1001101 01101100010 0 0111100
  • Amount of stanzas: 3
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 314
  • Average number of words per stanza: 58
  • Amount of lines: 27
  • Average number of symbols per line: 34 (medium-length strings)
  • Average number of words per line: 6
  • Mood of the speaker:

    There are many three dots in the poem. Readers should think of the author's idea together with the pensive speaker.

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

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

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

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

  • summary of If It Was Not For Poetry;
  • 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