This is an analysis of the poem A Mathematical Problem that begins with:

This is now--this was erst,
Proposition the first--and Problem the first.... 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: Xa bcCXBbbcCccXBaa XbbddbbXdeeffebbgg XdbdbXbbfbfgghhXiXidbbdeeggaXca Xccccfffbbfcc
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 2,15,18,31,13,
  • Closest metre: trochaic tetrameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: shakespearean sonnet
  • Сlosest stanza type: sonnet
  • Guessed form: unknown form
  • Metre: 001011 10100111001 1 1010111 111101 001110 1001 01111 1101 00101 111101 0110010 101010 1101110 1001 1010 1110111 1 00100101001 01010111 10101001010 010110011010 11001 10011 010101010 101101010 101101001 10111101 0011101110 1100010 1010011 011 01010 110000110 110101110110 1 010100010 00100111 1010110010 00100011 01001111010 010001011011 110111 101011 001001 100001010001 1001101110110 11100010 1111010011 11000101 1100111011010 110111100101 1010010 101001 01010 001001 10111101 111010010 01001001011 101101100001 110010110110 11010010010 101011 01100 11001 01001101001 1 1111001101 11001010101 1010001110111 10111101 11000101 11010101 1101110001 11011011 0101 01000101 1111010101 110101010101
  • Amount of stanzas: 5
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 475
  • Average number of words per stanza: 90
  • Amount of lines: 79
  • Average number of symbols per line: 29 (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; b, c are repeated.

    The poet used anaphora at the beginnings of some neighboring lines. The same words my, nor, for are repeated.

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

  • summary of A Mathematical Problem;
  • central theme;
  • idea of the verse;
  • history of its creation;
  • critical appreciation.

Good luck in your poetry interpretation practice!

More information about poems by Samuel Taylor Coleridge