This is an analysis of the poem The Battered Brigade that begins with:

The mark of a stake in the shoulder,
The brand of a wall on the knee, ...

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: ababcdcdebebfdfdXcXcgdgdchchcXcd
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 32,
  • Closest metre: trochaic pentameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: rima
  • Сlosest stanza type: sonnet
  • Guessed form: unknown form
  • Metre: 010010010 01001101 110010010 11001010 1100110010 01001101 1010010010 11001001 111010010 11001001 0001101010 11101001 111010011 11001011 0110110010 11001001 11001001 10101011 1110111010 11001001 111010110 11011111 010011010 01001001 110010010 11001001 1010110110 11101001 11111111010 110111000 010010110 11001001
  • Amount of stanzas: 1
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 1193
  • Average number of words per stanza: 226
  • Amount of lines: 32
  • Average number of symbols per line: 36 (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; of, their are repeated.

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

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

  • summary of The Battered Brigade;
  • 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 Henry Ogilvie