This is an analysis of the poem On A Very Old Woman that begins with:

And thou wert once a maiden fair,
A blushing virgin warm and young:... 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: abaab cdccd eefggf
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 5,5,6,
  • Closest metre: iambic tetrameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: alternate rhyme
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: ballad stanza
  • Metre: 11110101 01010111 010100101 11011111 01011111 010111001 01010111 001110101 11010101 11001 01011101 01011101 00110011 11001101 10011101 110001
  • Amount of stanzas: 3
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 180
  • Average number of words per stanza: 33
  • Amount of lines: 16
  • Average number of symbols per line: 33 (medium-length strings)
  • Average number of words per line: 6
  • Mood of the speaker:

    There are many exclamation marks in the poem. The speaker is excited. He or she has strong feelings on the subject that is described in the poem.

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

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

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

  • summary of On A Very Old Woman;
  • 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 Makepeace Thackeray