This is an analysis of the poem To an Insect that begins with:

I love to hear thine earnest voice,
Wherever thou art hid,... full text

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: abXbXcdc beaefcXc XfdfggXg Xghghfbf Xeaebebe agigabib
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 8,8,8,8,8,8,
  • Closest metre: iambic tetrameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: alternate rhyme
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: ballad stanza
  • Metre: 11011101 010111 11010100 110101 11010100 110011 11110101 010101 11011101 110101 11011101 110011 11100101 010101 01010100 110011 11110101 110101 11110111 111101 01010101 111111 11010011 1100111 11111101 110101 11011101 110101 11111101 111101 11110101 101101 11010111 111101 01110101 110101 01010101 111101 01010001 111111 100101001 110101 11010101 010101 11110101 110101 11010100 111100
  • Amount of stanzas: 6
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 233
  • Average number of words per stanza: 45
  • Amount of lines: 48
  • Average number of symbols per line: 28 (strings are less long than medium ones)
  • 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; thou, and are repeated.

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

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

  • summary of To an Insect;
  • central theme;
  • idea of the verse;
  • history of its creation;
  • critical appreciation.

Good luck in your poetry interpretation practice!

More information about poems by Oliver Wendell Holmes