This is an analysis of the poem à Bas Ben Adhem that begins with:

My fellow man I do not care for.
I often ask me, What's he there for?...

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: aabbccXc Xcddee eeffXc gghhiiXffccdd
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 8,6,6,13,
  • Closest metre: iambic tetrameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: couplets
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: unknown form
  • Metre: 110111111 110111111 01010111 01010001 00010101 01001101 000101110 011101010 01010110 01110101 11110101 11001101 10010101 11011101 01000101 11010101 11011111 11010101 11010100 11000111 110101110 010101110 0100111010 110111010 11010111 11010101 1111101 11111101 11010100 01010111 01010111 11011101
  • Amount of stanzas: 5
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 211
  • Average number of words per stanza: 39
  • Amount of lines: 32
  • Average number of symbols per line: 32 (medium-length strings)
  • Average number of words per line: 6
  • Mood of the speaker:

    The punctuation marks are various. Neither mark predominates.

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

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

    There is a poetic device epiphora at the end of some neighboring lines for is repeated).

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

  • summary of à Bas Ben Adhem;
  • central theme;
  • idea of the verse;
  • history of its creation;
  • critical appreciation.

Good luck in your poetry interpretation practice!

More information about poems by Ogden Nash