This is an analysis of the poem Pheasant that begins with:

You said you would kill it this morning.
Do not kill it. It startles me still,...

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: aba bcb ccc cXc XaX ada dXd XXX
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 3,3,3,3,3,3,3,3,
  • Closest metre: trochaic pentameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: alternate rhyme
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: unknown form
  • Metre: 111110010 111001011 010111110 101111011 001001010 110010011 111100000 101101010 001000100 110010001 010011110 011101011 010000110 110010110 000101001 101010110 010111111 101100011 001001110 001010100 010110111 100011010 011000100 1111001010
  • Amount of stanzas: 8
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 107
  • Average number of words per stanza: 22
  • Amount of lines: 24
  • Average number of symbols per line: 35 (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; it is repeated.

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

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

  • summary of Pheasant;
  • central theme;
  • idea of the verse;
  • history of its creation;
  • critical appreciation.

Good luck in your poetry interpretation practice!

More information about poems by Sylvia Plath