This is an analysis of the poem Familiarity Dangerous that begins with:

As in her ancient mistress’ lap
The youthful tabby lay,... 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: abab cdcd eeee fgfg
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 4,4,4,4,
  • Closest metre: iambic trimeter
  • Сlosest rhyme: alternate rhyme
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: unknown form
  • Metre: 10010101 010101 111101001 010101 11011101 101001 11010101 110001 11010001 110001 010011111 010101 110011101 010101 11100101 110101
  • Amount of stanzas: 4
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 121
  • Average number of words per stanza: 23
  • Amount of lines: 16
  • Average number of symbols per line: 30 (strings are less long than medium ones)
  • Average number of words per line: 6
  • Mood of the speaker:

    The punctuation marks are various. Neither mark predominates.

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

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

Good luck in your poetry interpretation practice!

More information about poems by William Cowper