This is an analysis of the poem Simon Legree that begins with:

A Negro Sermon.
(To be read in your own variety of negro dialect.)... 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: ab aaccdXdC bbbbbbccdddC eeC ffggffC hhiijjiiC bbckkaac bbbaaAXeeecffkkaaACCC
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 2,8,12,3,7,9,8,21,
  • Closest metre: iambic tetrameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: enclosed rhyme
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: unknown form
  • Metre: 01010 0010110100010101 10111111 0101001001 11110110010 1101011110 0101101001 1010101 11011111 11110010 0111001101 011110111 011101101 1011011111 011101101 1111111101 111111001 110110111 01110101 011101111 1110011001 11110010 111111111 0100111101 11110010 11110101 111010011 11010101 001100111 110011101 11011101 1110010 110100111 11000111 111111111 11011101 110011101 111000111 1001000101 111011101 1110010 011110111 10011111 110010 10011101 111100101 1101010111 100100111 11101010 11111101 01110101 11111101 11110111 11111101 1110101 1010101001 111111011 11111101 1111110 11111111 11110111 1110101101 1110101101 11010111 110101101 1110101 110010 110010 110010
  • Amount of stanzas: 9
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 281
  • Average number of words per stanza: 56
  • Amount of lines: 70
  • 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; he, to, and, see, i, they are repeated.

    The poet used anaphora at the beginnings of some neighboring lines. The same words he, and, i, they, down are repeated.

    The author used the same words legree, he at the beginnings of some neighboring stanzas. The figure of speech is a kind of anaphora.

    There is a poetic device epiphora at the end of some neighboring lines devil is repeated).

    The poet repeated the same word devil at the end of some neighboring stanzas. The poetic device is a kind of epiphora.

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

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

Good luck in your poetry interpretation practice!

More information about poems by Vachel Lindsay