This is an analysis of the poem Olney Hymn 7: Vanity Of The World that begins with:

God gives his mercies to be spent;
Your hoard will do your soul no good. ... 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 efef fffX dgdgXffff
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 4,4,4,4,9,
  • Closest metre: iambic tetrameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: alternate rhyme
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: ballad stanza
  • Metre: 11010001 11011110 10010101 01110101 01010101 01111111 01001001 11111111 01110101 11010101 01000101 01010101 11010101 110101001 11011101 110111100 11010111 01000101 10010101 10010111 11010101 01100101 11111001 01010101
  • Amount of stanzas: 6
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 141
  • Average number of words per stanza: 25
  • Amount of lines: 24
  • Average number of symbols per line: 35 (medium-length strings)
  • Average number of words per line: 6
  • Mood of the speaker:

    The punctuation marks are various. Neither mark predominates.

  • The author used lexical repetitions to emphasize a significant image; you is repeated.

    The author used the same word the 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 Olney Hymn 7: Vanity Of The World;
  • 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