This is an analysis of the poem The Dam That Keele Built that begins with:

This is the dam that Keele built.
This is the stream that brought the water to fill the dam that Keele built; ... 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 bBA bBBA bBBBA bBBBBAXbbbBBBBA
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 4,3,4,5,15,
  • Closest metre: iambic pentameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: rondeau rhyme
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: blank verse
  • Metre: 0001111 0001110100101111 0001011001 11001110100101111 00010111 1001011001 11001110100101111 11010101 1010010111 1001011001 11001110100101111 00010101 111010101 1010010111 1001011001 11001110100101111 000100101 1010010101 111010101 1010010111 1001011001 11001110100101111 00010001 1010010001 0100100101 1010010101 111010101 1010010111 1001011001 11001110100101111
  • Amount of stanzas: 6
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 233
  • Average number of words per stanza: 42
  • Amount of lines: 30
  • Average number of symbols per line: 46 (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; that, this, dam, keele, built, water are repeated.

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

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

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

    The poet repeated the same word built 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 The Dam That Keele Built;
  • 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