To A Certain Civilian by Walt Whitman: poem analysis

This is an analysis of the poem To A Certain Civilian that begins with:

DID YOU ask dulcet rhymes from me?
Did you seek the civilian's peaceful and languishing rhymes?... 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: abcXXXXXXaXcbX
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 14,
  • Closest metre: iambic pentameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: no rhyme
  • Сlosest stanza type: sonnet
  • Guessed form: sonnet with iambic pentameter or irregular meter
  • Metre: 01110101 01101001011001 01111110011010 1111101001101001011 111 110100110111 0111100011101110 101 01110101100100100 101111011010111111 1 11110011110110010 1 1111111101010111
  • Amount of stanzas: 1
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 713
  • Average number of words per stanza: 120
  • Amount of lines: 14
  • Average number of symbols per line: 50 (strings are more long than medium ones)
  • Average number of words per line: 9

  • Mood of the speaker:

    The speaker asks many questions. Perhaps, he or she is in confusion.

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

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

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

  • summary of To A Certain Civilian;
  • central theme;
  • idea of the verse;
  • history of its creation;
  • critical appreciation.

Good luck in your poetry interpretation practice!

More information about poems by Walt Whitman

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