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

The loud, apt epithet, applying sure;
The dim-drawn image, artfully obscure;... 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: aabbcc ddeeffXX
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 6,8,
  • Closest metre: iambic pentameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: couplets
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: sonnet with iambic pentameter or irregular meter
  • Metre: 0111010101 0111010001 0011010111 1111110001 0101110001 0101101101 01010011010 011000101010 11011000101 1001010001 11001001101 01011111100 1011110111 0101010100
  • Amount of stanzas: 2
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 291
  • Average number of words per stanza: 51
  • Amount of lines: 14
  • Average number of symbols per line: 41 (medium-length strings)
  • Average number of words per line: 7
  • Mood of the speaker:

    The punctuation marks are various. Neither mark predominates.

  • The author used lexical repetitions to emphasize a significant image; of is repeated.

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

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

Good luck in your poetry interpretation practice!

More information about poems by Charles Harpur