This is an analysis of the poem Once There Was A Man that begins with:

Once there was a man -
Oh, so wise! ... 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: aXXXXbXbXXaaX
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 13,
  • Closest metre: iambic trimeter
  • Сlosest rhyme: no rhyme
  • Сlosest stanza type: sonnet
  • Guessed form: unknown form
  • Metre: 11101 111 011 1010010 1011 1101 11111 1010 11 11 11 10101010 1010010
  • Amount of stanzas: 1
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 246
  • Average number of words per stanza: 47
  • Amount of lines: 13
  • Average number of symbols per line: 18 (very short strings)
  • Average number of words per line: 4
  • Mood of the speaker:

    The punctuation marks are various. Neither mark predominates.

  • The author used lexical repetitions to emphasize a significant image; no is repeated.

    The poet used anaphora at the beginnings of some neighboring lines. The same word no is repeated.

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

  • summary of Once There Was A 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 Stephen Crane