This is an analysis of the poem Three Years that begins with:

Three years! Three years! And it has scarce begun!
Three years of waste and wretchedness and woe,...

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: abab caca dede
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 4,4,4,
  • Closest metre: iambic pentameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: alternate rhyme
  • Сlosest stanza type: sonnet
  • Guessed form: blank verse
  • Metre: 1010101110 1001110011 1111001101 1011001001 1011010111 1011010101 0101000101 0101110111 1011011111 1111110101 0101110101 1101011101
  • Amount of stanzas: 3
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 173
  • Average number of words per stanza: 33
  • Amount of lines: 12
  • Average number of symbols per line: 42 (strings are more long than medium ones)
  • Average number of words per line: 8
  • Mood of the speaker:

    There are many exclamation marks in the poem. The speaker is excited. He or she has strong feelings on the subject that is described in the poem.

  • The author used lexical repetitions to emphasize a significant image; three, years, and, we are repeated.

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

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

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

  • summary of Three Years;
  • central theme;
  • idea of the verse;
  • history of its creation;
  • critical appreciation.

Good luck in your poetry interpretation practice!

More information about poems by A. P. Herbert