This is an analysis of the poem The News that begins with:

Whut dat you whisperin' keepin' f'om me?
Don't shut me out 'cause I 's ol' an' can't see....

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: aabb aabb bbcc XXbb ddXX
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 4,4,4,4,4,
  • Closest metre: iambic pentameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: limerick
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: blank verse
  • Metre: 1111001011 11110111111 10111101011 10100011101 1101011001 1001011111 0111011101 1111101001 1111011101 11011110011 1101001001 11111100111 1011011001 1111111111 1111011111 11111111001 11111011111 11111111001 100110111011 01110111001
  • Amount of stanzas: 5
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 173
  • Average number of words per stanza: 36
  • Amount of lines: 20
  • Average number of symbols per line: 43 (strings are more long than medium ones)
  • Average number of words per line: 9
  • Mood of the speaker:

    The speaker asks many questions. Perhaps, he or she is in confusion.

  • The author used lexical repetitions to emphasize a significant image; he, mastah, i, 's are repeated.

    The poet repeated the same word dead 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 The News;
  • 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