This is an analysis of the poem The Task: Book I, The Sofa (Excerpts) that begins with:

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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: abbcdefgehhigeXdijklcjdXjakhjjX hXagfXhjjkdjkakdjgjhhkjjaed edkhjkXjceleXeXadhdkXjeefc
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 0,31,27,26,
  • Closest metre: iambic pentameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: alternate rhyme
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: blank verse
  • Metre: 1111010101 11110011101 0101000101 11001110001 1101110011 1100011111 01001110101 1101010101 1110010101 1011011101 0101110101 0101111001 0101010001 1111010101 01010101010 0101010101 0101110001 1101011101 1101010101 1101110001 1101011001 0101010001 0101010101 0111010011 1101010101 1101010101 1111010001 1101001101 1101110001 1101010000 1101011101 1111110001 1101010101 1111011101 1101010111 1101010101 10010111010 01110001001 0101010111 0101010101 0111010111 1100110011 0101010011 1101011101 1101111101 01101000101 11010100001 0111011001 0101001001 0101111011 1100111101 0101000101 1101010001 1111001101 0101001101 1001010101 1111110001 1101000101 1101011101 1101111101 1101110101 1111011101 1101000111 0111111101 01001011101 1101001111 11111000111 1100110111 1101111111 1101001011 0101001111 0111010001 0101010111 11001010111 0100111101 1101011101 11010010101 11101010001 1001010011 0111010111 10011100001 1111001111 11010011111 0101010101
  • Amount of stanzas: 4
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 950
  • Average number of words per stanza: 156
  • Amount of lines: 88
  • Average number of symbols per line: 42 (strings are more long than medium ones)
  • 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; and, in, of are repeated.

    The poet used anaphora at the beginnings of some neighboring lines. The same words , of, that, but, the, our are repeated.

    The author used the same word 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 is repeated).

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

    The literary device anadiplosis is detected in two or more neighboring lines. The word/phrase connects the lines.

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

  • summary of The Task: Book I, The Sofa (Excerpts);
  • 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