This is an analysis of the poem Life Doesn't Frighten Me that begins with:

Shadows on the wall
Noises down the hall...

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: aaA bbA ccA dXa eeffggab A hhA iia jjkkA cdak dXjX AAAXA
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 3,3,3,3,8,1,3,3,5,4,4,5,
  • Closest metre: iambic trimeter
  • Сlosest rhyme: alternate rhyme
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: unknown form
  • Metre: 11101 10101 11010111 11101 11001 11010111 11101 10101 1110111 10101 11100 11010111 111 101 111 111 111 111 111 111 11010111 111 10111 11010111 10001 10001 11110111 11111 11111 10101 01101 1110111 111111 110111 000111 010011 110101 111111 1110101 110101 11010111 111 111 11010111
  • Amount of stanzas: 13
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 75
  • Average number of words per stanza: 15
  • Amount of lines: 44
  • Average number of symbols per line: 21 (very short strings)
  • Average number of words per line: 4
  • Mood of the speaker:

    The punctuation marks are various. Neither mark predominates.

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

    The poet used anaphora at the beginnings of some neighboring lines. The same word not is repeated.

    The author used the same word life 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 all is repeated).

    The poet repeated the same word all at the end of some neighboring stanzas. The poetic device is a kind of epiphora.

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

  • summary of Life Doesn't Frighten Me;
  • 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