This is an analysis of the poem Prosody 101 that begins with:

When they taught me that what mattered most
was not the strict iambic line goose-stepping...

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: abcadXefghgdbeXaXfhhcbXf
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 24,
  • Closest metre: trochaic pentameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: shakespearean sonnet
  • Сlosest stanza type: sonnet
  • Guessed form: unknown form
  • Metre: 111111101 1101101110 1001101010 011101001 10110010100 1101110101 0100111010 00100101010 1100100101 11111101111 001010011010 101000100 01000010001 1101101110 100101101 0101101011 0100101100 1111110110 0111101110 011101011110 1111011011 1011010001 01010110100 111100100
  • Amount of stanzas: 1
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 942
  • Average number of words per stanza: 177
  • Amount of lines: 24
  • Average number of symbols per line: 38 (medium-length strings)
  • Average number of words per line: 7
  • Mood of the speaker:

    The punctuation marks are various. Neither mark predominates.

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

  • summary of Prosody 101;
  • central theme;
  • idea of the verse;
  • history of its creation;
  • critical appreciation.

Good luck in your poetry interpretation practice!

More information about poems by Linda Pastan