This is an analysis of the poem How We Beat The Favourite that begins with:

A Lay of the Loamshire Hunt Cup
'Aye, squire,' said Stevens, 'they back him at evens ;... 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: a bcdc dede fbXb ghbh didi gafX jkfk XXfX limi hhhh XcXc jndn ljXj dojo dphp deje dcdc qmjm dghg qjdj doXo qhmh XXbm XXbg jXcg
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 1,4,4,4,4,4,4,4,4,4,4,4,4,4,4,4,4,4,4,4,4,4,4,4,4,4,
  • Closest metre: iambic pentameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: alternate rhyme
  • Сlosest stanza type: sonnet
  • Guessed form: blank verse
  • Metre: 01001011 110110111110 01011011011 011010110010 11011111101 110010101010 10101101001 111010111010 11111011101 111010011110 01101011001 011110110110 1110001111 111111010001 111011100010 010110111010 01101001001 111010111010 11001101001 110110110010 010110101101 110110111110 11111101111 010110111110 11111111101 110110111010 1101001001 0111100110110 01101101001 110010010110 11001101101 110010111110 11001001111 110010111010 11101111101 111110111010 110110111101 110111110111 11011001111 011010110110 11101101011 11101001001 01011001101 110110110011 110011011001 011010111110 01101101011 011010011110 011010110001 111110101110 11011101011 111010111010 11111001001 110010110110 01011010001 110110110010 11111101011 110110110110 01111001011 0111000011110 11011011111 110110111010 01001001001 011010110110 11001111101 111110110110 01101011011 011110011110 01111101001 110010010110 01001101001 011010110110 11101001001 111010111110 11111001101 111010111110 11011011111 011010010110 01101101001 011010011010 110101111101 110010111110 11001001111 0110101111101 11011001011 010110011010 111100011101 11111101010111 11011011011 11001011110101 11001011111111 011010010110 01111010001 111011110010 11011101111 1100110011110 11011011011 111010110110 111011010111 011111111111 011111010011
  • Amount of stanzas: 26
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 198
  • Average number of words per stanza: 37
  • Amount of lines: 101
  • Average number of symbols per line: 50 (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; her, and, on, in, back, his, to, 'the, ', clown are repeated.

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

    There is a poetic device epiphora at the end of some neighboring lines ' is repeated).

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

  • summary of How We Beat The Favourite;
  • central theme;
  • idea of the verse;
  • history of its creation;
  • critical appreciation.

Good luck in your poetry interpretation practice!

More information about poems by Adam Lindsay Gordon