This is an analysis of the poem History Lesson that begins with:

I am four in this photograph, standing
on a wide strip of Mississippi beach, ...

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: abcdcbedfXfcXeacc
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 17,
  • Closest metre: iambic tetrameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: shakespearean sonnet
  • Сlosest stanza type: sonnet
  • Guessed form: unknown form
  • Metre: 1110010110 1011010101 1110101 0010101110 10111011 0100101001 101101111 101111101 0111110101 00100101101 0011010110 0100101 10010101 11110101 0111010 0110101 0010111
  • Amount of stanzas: 1
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 633
  • Average number of words per stanza: 113
  • Amount of lines: 17
  • Average number of symbols per line: 36 (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 History Lesson;
  • central theme;
  • idea of the verse;
  • history of its creation;
  • critical appreciation.

Good luck in your poetry interpretation practice!

More information about poems by Natasha Trethewey