This is an analysis of the poem Jack Ashore - Ladysmith that begins with:

Ten thousand British, twenty thousand foe;
Boers on a hilltop, shelling all they know:...

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: aabbBBCC ddeeBBCC ffggBBCC
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 8,8,8,
  • Closest metre: iambic pentameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: couplets
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: heroic couplets
  • Metre: 1101010101 1101110111 101010111101 1110101011101 1111010101 1011101010101 1011101011111 1011101111101 1001010111 101110110101 101010110111 1010101010101 1111010101 1011101010101 1011101011111 1011101111101 10001111111 111010010101 101111111111 1010101011101 1111010101 1011101010101 1011101011111 1011101111101
  • Amount of stanzas: 3
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 415
  • Average number of words per stanza: 82
  • Amount of lines: 24
  • Average number of symbols per line: 51 (strings are more long than medium ones)
  • Average number of words per line: 10
  • Mood of the speaker:

    The punctuation marks are various. Neither mark predominates.

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

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

    The poet repeated the same word win 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 Jack Ashore - Ladysmith;
  • central theme;
  • idea of the verse;
  • history of its creation;
  • critical appreciation.

Good luck in your poetry interpretation practice!

More information about poems by Cicely Fox Smith