This is an analysis of the poem Growin' Gray that begins with:

HELLO, ole man, you're a-gittin' gray,
An' it beats ole Ned to see the way...

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: aabXbccaAAadddeeaAAafffffaA
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 27,
  • Closest metre: iambic tetrameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: limerick
  • Сlosest stanza type: sonnet
  • Guessed form: unknown form
  • Metre: 011110101 101110101 101101001011 1010011110 1110011111 110011111 1111111111 11111111 011110101 011110101 1010111101 110011101 11001101011 1110110101 11010111 11010101 01010101 011110101 011110101 111010101 110110101 110010111 11110111 1010001101 101011111 1011100101 011110101
  • Amount of stanzas: 1
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 1093
  • Average number of words per stanza: 216
  • Amount of lines: 27
  • Average number of symbols per line: 40 (medium-length strings)
  • Average number of words per line: 8
  • Mood of the speaker:

    The punctuation marks are various. Neither mark predominates.

  • The author used lexical repetitions to emphasize a significant image; an' is repeated.

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

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

    The literary device anadiplosis is detected in two or more neighboring lines. The word/phrase old connects the lines.

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

  • summary of Growin' Gray;
  • central theme;
  • idea of the verse;
  • history of its creation;
  • critical appreciation.

Good luck in your poetry interpretation practice!

More information about poems by Paul Laurence Dunbar