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

Then one of the students with blue hair and a tongue stud
Says that America is for him a maximum-security prison...

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: ab cc cX Xc cX ba de cd fd eX aX cg XX dX XX gf gcXaf
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 2,2,2,2,2,2,2,2,2,2,2,2,2,2,2,2,5,
  • Closest metre: trochaic pentameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: alternate rhyme
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: unknown form
  • Metre: 1100100111011 1101000110100010010 11110100110111101 11110100010 111010100111011110 11110111000100010 10001001101101100 101001010101010111 10011011010001 00110100100 111000000100101001 11010111000101 111010111111000111 0111110 111011110101 10001100011 1110111100 10111 11110100 101111011000 111110101111 11010110 11110100010111110101 11110101001001 111110111100 11010111101001 101100001001 11110100001001000 11111010110011010 111011010 111111001101111 111100110101010 101101101011 1111101000100010 110100111 1101010
  • Amount of stanzas: 18
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 106
  • Average number of words per stanza: 20
  • Amount of lines: 36
  • Average number of symbols per line: 53 (very long strings)
  • Average number of words per line: 10
  • Mood of the speaker:

    The punctuation marks are various. Neither mark predominates.

  • The author used lexical repetitions to emphasize a significant image; and, of, he, i, to, you are repeated.

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

    The author used the same word and at the beginnings of some neighboring stanzas. The figure of speech is a kind of anaphora.

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

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

Good luck in your poetry interpretation practice!

More information about poems by Tony Hoagland