This is an analysis of the poem Lines Composed On The Body Politic that begins with:

Less than the charting of each dawn's resolutions,
less than each evening's trickle of doubt,...

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: abac bXbc aaaXdd
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 4,4,6,
  • Closest metre: trochaic pentameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: alternate rhyme
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: Shakespearean sonnet
  • Metre: 110100111010 111101001 11011010010 101111010 1101101011 111010111000 111011001001 11011011100101 101011011011 11110101111 111111 1111101 11001111001010 0101100011010
  • Amount of stanzas: 2
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 347
  • Average number of words per stanza: 55
  • Amount of lines: 15
  • Average number of symbols per line: 45 (strings are more long than medium ones)
  • Average number of words per line: 7
  • Mood of the speaker:

    The punctuation marks are various. Neither mark predominates.

  • The author used lexical repetitions to emphasize a significant image; than, less, more are repeated.

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

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

  • summary of Lines Composed On The Body Politic;
  • central theme;
  • idea of the verse;
  • history of its creation;
  • critical appreciation.

Good luck in your poetry interpretation practice!

More information about poems by Rita Dove