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

Did y' ever see a mortgage big
A mortgage big? ...

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: A Aa abbb b c cc c ddd d d dd dbbb b ee e efff f A Aa adddXd
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 1,2,4,1,1,2,1,3,1,1,2,4,1,2,1,4,1,1,2,6,
  • Closest metre: iambic tetrameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: rondeau rhyme
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: unknown form
  • Metre: 011010101 0101 01010101 0111 01010101 01010101 01011101 0101 01010111 0111 01010101 1101 01010111 01010101 010111011 11011 010110101 0101 01011111 1111 01010101 01011001 01011101 0101 01011111 1111 01010101 0101 011101001 11100101 111011101 1101 011010101 0101 01010111 0111 01011101 01010111 11010101 0101
  • Amount of stanzas: 21
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 55
  • Average number of words per stanza: 11
  • Amount of lines: 41
  • Average number of symbols per line: 28 (strings are less long than medium ones)
  • Average number of words per line: 6
  • Mood of the speaker:

    The punctuation marks are various. Neither mark predominates.

  • The author used lexical repetitions to emphasize a significant image; it, eats, her, and are repeated.

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

    The author used the same words the, it at the beginnings of some neighboring stanzas. The figure of speech is a kind of anaphora.

    There is a poetic device epiphora at the end of some neighboring lines big, pig, trees, old, sold, torn, hen, when, pies, dress, distress, farm, men are repeated).

    The poet repeated the same words trees, sold, torn, pies, farm, men 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 Mortgage Big;
  • 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 Kirkland Kernighan