This is an analysis of the poem Old Fastnet that begins with:

The ships to the westward, by night and by day,
In storm and in sunshine go forth on their way,...

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: aabb ccaa bbdd eeff
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 4,4,4,4,
  • Closest metre: iambic pentameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: couplets
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: heroic couplets
  • Metre: 01001011111 01101111111 01111011111 11011011001 11001011001 101001101001 01001101001 11011011001 11001011001 11111001011 111001011001 11011011011 01001001011 101001011111 01101101001 11011011001
  • Amount of stanzas: 4
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 201
  • Average number of words per stanza: 37
  • Amount of lines: 16
  • Average number of symbols per line: 49 (strings are more long than medium ones)
  • Average number of words per line: 9
  • Mood of the speaker:

    The punctuation marks are various. Neither mark predominates.

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

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

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

  • summary of Old Fastnet;
  • 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