This is an analysis of the poem Shenandoah that begins with:

IN the Shenandoah Valley, one rider gray and one rider blue, and the sun on the riders wondering.
Piled in the Shenandoah, riders blue and riders...

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: X X aa
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 1,1,2,
  • Closest metre: trochaic pentameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: limerick
  • Сlosest stanza type: sonnet
  • Guessed form: unknown form
  • Metre: 001010101101111011011010100 10010101011101101011010100101010010110110101 011110100111101001111101001010 1101010010101101101100010111000111010010101110111001010010110101001010
  • Amount of stanzas: 3
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 216
  • Average number of words per stanza: 37
  • Amount of lines: 4
  • Average number of symbols per line: 162 (very long strings)
  • Average number of words per line: 28
  • Mood of the speaker:

    The punctuation marks are various. Neither mark predominates.

  • The author used lexical repetitions to emphasize a significant image; and, in, shenandoah, blue, of, rider, gray, old, one, riders are repeated.

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

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

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

Good luck in your poetry interpretation practice!

More information about poems by Carl Sandburg