This is an analysis of the poem John Anderson My Jo that begins with:

John Anderson my jo, John,
When we were first acquent,... 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: AXabaXcC AXaXacbC
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 8,8,
  • Closest metre: iambic trimeter
  • Сlosest rhyme: rondeau rhyme
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: unknown form
  • Metre: 1100111 110110 1101010 110111 1111011 111101 11011101 110011 1100111 1101100 110111 1111100 1111011 110111 11100101 110011
  • Amount of stanzas: 2
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 228
  • Average number of words per stanza: 44
  • Amount of lines: 16
  • Average number of symbols per line: 28 (strings are less long than medium ones)
  • Average number of words per line: 5
  • Mood of the speaker:

    The punctuation marks are various. Neither mark predominates.

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

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

    The author used the same word john at the beginnings of some neighboring stanzas. The figure of speech is a kind of anaphora.

    The poet repeated the same word jo 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 John Anderson My Jo;
  • central theme;
  • idea of the verse;
  • history of its creation;
  • critical appreciation.

Good luck in your poetry interpretation practice!

More information about poems by Robert Burns