This is an analysis of the poem The Frightened Ploughman that begins with:

I went in the fields with the leisure I got,
The stranger might smile but I heeded him not,... 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: aabb ccdd ccee ddee ffee
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 4,4,4,4,4,
  • Closest metre: iambic pentameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: couplets
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: heroic couplets
  • Metre: 11001001011 01011111011 010110010010 1010110110110 01111011101 01101111001 11101011101 11001001011 01011001001 11011011001 01101111011 11101111001 01011011111 1010101101011 101101111011 111111001001 01101011101 01111001011 11111111011 101111101011
  • Amount of stanzas: 5
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 191
  • Average number of words per stanza: 39
  • Amount of lines: 20
  • Average number of symbols per line: 47 (strings are more long than medium ones)
  • Average number of words per line: 10
  • Mood of the speaker:

    The punctuation marks are various. Neither mark predominates.

  • The author used lexical repetitions to emphasize a significant image; i, in, to, and, his are repeated.

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

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

    The poet repeated the same word song 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 Frightened Ploughman;
  • central theme;
  • idea of the verse;
  • history of its creation;
  • critical appreciation.

Good luck in your poetry interpretation practice!

More information about poems by John Clare