This is an analysis of the poem The Dead Return that begins with:

THE dead return. I know they do;
The glad smile may have passed from view,...

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: aaaabbccdd eeeeffgghh eeccddiihh jjaaccaajj
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 10,10,10,10,
  • Closest metre: iambic tetrameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: alternate rhyme
  • Сlosest stanza type: sonnet
  • Guessed form: ballad stanza
  • Metre: 01011111 01111101 01011111 01010101 01110101 01010111 01010101 01110101 11111101 11000101 011100011 10010011 11010111 01111111 11011111 11101101 11111101 11011111 11110101 11001101 10110101 10011111 11110101 11010101 10111111 11110011 11001111 11010101 11010010 11110111 01011101 11011101 11011101 11110111 01011111 11110111 11011101 11011111 11110101 11010101
  • Amount of stanzas: 4
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 349
  • Average number of words per stanza: 67
  • Amount of lines: 40
  • Average number of symbols per line: 34 (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; we, and, they are repeated.

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

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

  • summary of The Dead Return;
  • central theme;
  • idea of the verse;
  • history of its creation;
  • critical appreciation.

Good luck in your poetry interpretation practice!

More information about poems by Edgar Albert Guest