This is an analysis of the poem To Alison Cunningham, From Her Boy that begins with:

For the long nights you lay awake
And watched for my unworthy sake:... 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: aabbbb ccddbb bbXXee
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 6,6,6,
  • Closest metre: iambic tetrameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: couplets
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: unknown form
  • Metre: 10111101 11110101 11110001 111100101 11010111 11011100 11111111 01110101 11010111 01001101 00111111 11010111 110101111 11110111 110011111 0011011001 11001101 11110101
  • Amount of stanzas: 3
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 207
  • Average number of words per stanza: 41
  • Amount of lines: 18
  • Average number of symbols per line: 34 (medium-length strings)
  • 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; for, you, all, my are repeated.

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

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

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

  • summary of To Alison Cunningham, From Her Boy;
  • 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 Louis Stevenson