This is an analysis of the poem Her First Week that begins with:

She was so small I would scan the crib a half-second
to find her, face-down in a corner, limp ...

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: abcaadabeeXaefbfcfXgdcgXaXhh
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 28,
  • Closest metre: trochaic pentameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: enclosed rhyme
  • Сlosest stanza type: sonnet
  • Guessed form: unknown form
  • Metre: 1111111010110 0101100101 1101011110 011110101011 1010101 11010101110 10111101 01100010111 0101001 10101001 110010101010 10110101 010011101 11010011111 11101001 11101110001 11111010 11010001101 10100100 00101101011 100111111 0111110010 111110001 11110100 10101011110 01101110 1011110111 111100101111001
  • Amount of stanzas: 1
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 1144
  • Average number of words per stanza: 222
  • Amount of lines: 28
  • Average number of symbols per line: 40 (medium-length strings)
  • Average number of words per line: 8
  • Mood of the speaker:

    The punctuation marks are various. Neither mark predominates.

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

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

  • summary of Her First Week;
  • central theme;
  • idea of the verse;
  • history of its creation;
  • critical appreciation.

Good luck in your poetry interpretation practice!

More information about poems by Sharon Olds