This is an analysis of the poem A Few Words On The Soul that begins with:

We have a soul at times.
No one’s got it non-stop,...

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: aXb cXd aXXde ebXfX dge ahdb hi iafX Xdbe dgg bXgg jha dibk X X XX XX XXXXX XXXXX XXX XX XX XXX XXX XXX XXXX XXX kjcX
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 3,3,5,5,3,4,2,4,4,3,4,3,4,1,1,2,2,5,5,3,2,2,3,3,3,4,3,4,
  • Closest metre: trochaic tetrameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: no rhyme
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: unknown form
  • Metre: 110111 111011 11 1101 1101 11010 01 0010101 1001111100 011000100 1111 010101 0111 110100 11010 110100111 010011 0101110 111001 1100101010 0010101 0101 100110 1111010101 01110 010 01110101 110010100010 1101010101 1110 1011001010 0011 1010111 11110 101010 110001101 010010010 01010100 11011110 10111010 0111010 11010101 1010010110 110 10100 011 11101 0100010110110011100 10 1110 1111110111 1110110 1111 1010100100 11100 1001110 1010100100 110010 101100 10110 110010 10100 1100101001010 1100010 110010 1100110 110101100010010 01010011010 1010100110110 10101100 110001011001 10110101110 110100 10110 0111111100 101001100111100 1001110 10100110010 0100100 1101000 101001100 11011010 1011110 111100 1101011 1101011100 1010 111011 111 100111100
  • Amount of stanzas: 28
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 93
  • Average number of words per stanza: 16
  • Amount of lines: 91
  • Average number of symbols per line: 28 (strings are less long than medium ones)
  • Average number of words per line: 5
  • Mood of the speaker:

    The punctuation marks are various. Neither mark predominates.

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

    The poet used anaphora at the beginnings of some neighboring lines. The same words or, it are repeated.

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

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

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

  • summary of A Few Words On The Soul;
  • central theme;
  • idea of the verse;
  • history of its creation;
  • critical appreciation.

Good luck in your poetry interpretation practice!

More information about poems by Wislawa Szymborska