This is an analysis of the poem A Child's Nightmare that begins with:

Through long nursery nights he stood
By my bed unwearying,...

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: aXbbXacX adbbdacX eaeeaecX faggafcX afcXfXcX
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 8,8,8,8,8,
  • Closest metre: trochaic tetrameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: limerick
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: unknown form
  • Metre: 11100111 111100 1010101 1001101 11100111 1011111 0011011 1011010110 1111111 1111111 00100101 1010111 1110111 10100101 1011011 111010110 1110111 00101001 1111101 0010011 10101111 1111111 0111011 111010110 10100111 0010111 1110101 1011111 1011111 01110001 0011011 101110111010 1011111 1111101 0111111 101000110010 1010101 101100110 1011011 1011010110
  • Amount of stanzas: 5
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 282
  • Average number of words per stanza: 47
  • Amount of lines: 40
  • Average number of symbols per line: 34 (medium-length strings)
  • Average number of words per line: 6
  • Mood of the speaker:

    There are many exclamation marks in the poem. The speaker is excited. He or she has strong feelings on the subject that is described in the poem.

    There are many three dots in the poem. Readers should think of the author's idea together with the pensive speaker.

  • The author used lexical repetitions to emphasize a significant image; cat, he, and are repeated.

    The poet used anaphora at the beginnings of some neighboring lines. The same word that is repeated.

    The poet repeated the same word cat 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 A Child's Nightmare;
  • 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 Graves