Who Does She Think She Is.... by Shel Silverstein: poem analysis

This is an analysis of the poem Who Does She Think She Is.... that begins with:

I asked the Zebra:
Are you black with white stripes?...

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 bb X bbcccccc dX a bXd
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 1,2,1,8,2,1,3,
  • Closest metre: iambic trimeter
  • Сlosest rhyme: limerick
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: unknown form
  • Metre: 11010 111011 11011 101011 1100110 11110010 11100101 111100101 11100111 111101101 11101101 111100111 11111111 111111 1101010 011 01
  • Amount of stanzas: 8
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 59
  • Average number of words per stanza: 12
  • Amount of lines: 17
  • Average number of symbols per line: 27 (strings are less long than medium ones)
  • Average number of words per line: 6

  • Mood of the speaker:

    The speaker asks many questions. Perhaps, he or she is in confusion.

  • The author used lexical repetitions to emphasize a significant image; you, with, some, and, on are repeated.

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

    There is a poetic device epiphora at the end of some neighboring lines stripes, habits, times, days, ways are repeated).

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

  • summary of Who Does She Think She Is....;
  • central theme;
  • idea of the verse;
  • history of its creation;
  • critical appreciation.

Good luck in your poetry interpretation practice!

More information about poems by Shel Silverstein

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