This is an analysis of the poem Mary's Son that begins with:

If you stop to find out what your wages will be
And how they will clothe and feed you,... 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: abab cbcb dede
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 4,4,4,
  • Closest metre: trochaic pentameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: rima
  • Сlosest stanza type: sonnet
  • Guessed form: unknown form
  • Metre: 011011111000 11101111 1011111101 10101011 0111010010001 110010011 1011111101 1010110011 011001001111 1011111011 1011111011 1110010111
  • Amount of stanzas: 3
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 165
  • Average number of words per stanza: 34
  • Amount of lines: 12
  • Average number of symbols per line: 41 (medium-length strings)
  • Average number of words per line: 9
  • Mood of the speaker:

    The punctuation marks are various. Neither mark predominates.

  • The author used lexical repetitions to emphasize a significant image; you is repeated.

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

    The poet repeated the same word you 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 Mary's Son;
  • central theme;
  • idea of the verse;
  • history of its creation;
  • critical appreciation.

Good luck in your poetry interpretation practice!

More information about poems by Rudyard Kipling