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

Leave your home behind, lad,
And reach your friends your hand, ... 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: aaba cded XfeX Xdbd dgag chfhXbgbg
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 4,4,4,4,4,9,
  • Closest metre: iambic trimeter
  • Сlosest rhyme: alternate rhyme
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: unknown form
  • Metre: 111011 111111 1111101 1111011 1111011 111111 1111110 011111 1111011 111101 1111110 110010100 111010 111111 0111011 1111011 1101010 110101 1101010 010101 1111011 110111 1101011 010111 111011 111111 1111011 1111001
  • Amount of stanzas: 7
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 118
  • Average number of words per stanza: 22
  • Amount of lines: 28
  • Average number of symbols per line: 29 (strings are less long than medium ones)
  • Average number of words per line: 6
  • Mood of the speaker:

    The punctuation marks are various. Neither mark predominates.

  • The author used lexical repetitions to emphasize a significant image; your, and, you, of are repeated.

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

    The author used the same word and 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 The Recruit;
  • central theme;
  • idea of the verse;
  • history of its creation;
  • critical appreciation.

Good luck in your poetry interpretation practice!

More information about poems by Alfred Edward Housman