This is an analysis of the poem To A Very Wise Man that begins with:

I
Fires in the dark you build; tall quivering flames ...

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 bcbcbdbd X XeXeaeae X fcfcbaba
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 1,8,1,8,1,8,
  • Closest metre: iambic pentameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: enclosed rhyme
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: blank verse
  • Metre: 1 100011111001 00111100001 1101010011 1111110111 1111110101 10010011001 110101001001 110001 1 0011111101 10010110101 01111101000 1001010001 0111011101 11111000111 01001011101 1001001 1 1101111111 11010100011 1101111111 0101110001 1101010111 0101110101 1101010100 1101111111
  • Amount of stanzas: 6
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 183
  • Average number of words per stanza: 33
  • Amount of lines: 27
  • Average number of symbols per line: 40 (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; and, that are repeated.

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

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

  • summary of To A Very Wise Man;
  • central theme;
  • idea of the verse;
  • history of its creation;
  • critical appreciation.

Good luck in your poetry interpretation practice!

More information about poems by Siegfried Sassoon