This is an analysis of the poem A Nervous Governor-General that begins with:

We read in the press that Lord Northcote is here
To take up Lord Tennyson's mission. ... 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: ababcdcdefefgdgd XXeXfdfd ehehidid
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 16,8,8,
  • Closest metre: trochaic pentameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: alternate rhyme
  • Сlosest stanza type: sonnet
  • Guessed form: unknown form
  • Metre: 11001111001 011110010 11001111101 1010010010 001001101001 010011111 101101111001 1111010010 111111001001 10100100010 111101101011 11010011110 101001101101 1111010011 101001001101 110010010 1111010101000 0010010010 111001001101 101101100100 111001101011 1010110011 111111101001 0010110110 111101000101 010011010 01001001001 110110110 1010001101001 1110111011 11001011111 1110110010
  • Amount of stanzas: 3
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 483
  • Average number of words per stanza: 89
  • Amount of lines: 32
  • Average number of symbols per line: 44 (strings are more long than medium ones)
  • Average number of words per line: 8
  • Mood of the speaker:

    The punctuation marks are various. Neither mark predominates.

  • The author used lexical repetitions to emphasize a significant image; his, of, he 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 does at the beginnings of some neighboring stanzas. The figure of speech is a kind of anaphora.

    The poet repeated the same word nervous 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 A Nervous Governor-General;
  • central theme;
  • idea of the verse;
  • history of its creation;
  • critical appreciation.

Good luck in your poetry interpretation practice!

More information about poems by Banjo Paterson