This is an analysis of the poem A Brave And Startling Truth that begins with:

We, this people, on a small and lonely planet
Traveling through casual space ...

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: abcbde afcgc AadXcbh caghc AcbibiXXb Acddggdjb Xgdjci AXjbjcbcbjX adfbXidX AgeedgXXAhida
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 6,5,7,5,9,9,6,11,8,13,
  • Closest metre: trochaic pentameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: enclosed rhyme
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: unknown form
  • Metre: 101010111010 10011001 10110101001001 00101011111 0010010100111 011101 111100 0010110 1101110 0100100 1010110111 11100 101011010101 1101001111 110111010 1101101111001110 10011101 010010010101 10010100010 01010001011 101011010 101000110 1000011 11100 11101010110 1101110101 111011001 10111001001 10101000101 10010101 111111101 111001 11100 11001110100 011100100010 10100101 10101010 01010100 10110 100001010 11011 1010100110010 101010110 1000101 1010101110101010110 101100011101 11101010001 11100 1010101011101 1110101011010 1101000111001 1010101010 011011001 110110010 110111 110110010 101100010 10100100001 101010111010 111101010 1001001010010 111111011010100100 1010101001 10110101 10110011010 1111110101100 11100 101010101010 010101001 1010010101 01011001110010 11100110100100 011001 11100 11011110100 11001000110001 1011101 1100
  • Amount of stanzas: 11
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 274
  • Average number of words per stanza: 49
  • Amount of lines: 78
  • 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.

  • The author used lexical repetitions to emphasize a significant image; and, in, when, of, this, we, earth are repeated.

    The poet used anaphora at the beginnings of some neighboring lines. The same words when, we are repeated.

    The author used the same word when 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 earth is repeated).

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

  • summary of A Brave And Startling Truth;
  • central theme;
  • idea of the verse;
  • history of its creation;
  • critical appreciation.

Good luck in your poetry interpretation practice!

More information about poems by Maya Angelou