This is an analysis of the poem The Policeman's Lot that begins with:

When a felon's not engaged in his employment,
Or maturing his felonious little plans,... 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: ababcdCd efefcdCd
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 8,8,
  • Closest metre: trochaic pentameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: alternate rhyme
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: unknown form
  • Metre: 101010100010 101000100101 001001100010 0111110101 11010100010 10101010001 111010100010 00101010101 101010100010 10110010101 110101010100 1100010101 101010101010 1101010001 111010100010 00101010101
  • Amount of stanzas: 2
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 330
  • Average number of words per stanza: 57
  • Amount of lines: 16
  • Average number of symbols per line: 40 (medium-length strings)
  • 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; his is repeated.

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

    The author used the same word when at the beginnings of some neighboring stanzas. The figure of speech is a kind of anaphora.

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

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

  • summary of The Policeman's Lot;
  • 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 Schwenck Gilbert