This is an analysis of the poem The Thorn Forest that begins with:

Then dark with dripping blood it gave a howl
and cried again: 'Our damaged branches ache!...

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: aba bcX cbc Xdb Xed efe fag aXa ghX XhX
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 3,3,3,3,3,3,3,3,3,3,
  • Closest metre: iambic pentameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: couplets
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: heroic couplets
  • Metre: 1101010101 1101110101 1101111111 1101110101 1111011111 01010101110 1111110111 1001010101 1111000101 1001011101 01110101001 1101111111 11011111100 1101111101 1101000101 1111110101 1111110101 1110011111 111101101 1111010101 0111011101 0111110111 0101110101 1101010101 1101010001 0100011011 0101110100 1101010011 11001101001 1101011111
  • Amount of stanzas: 10
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 128
  • Average number of words per stanza: 25
  • Amount of lines: 30
  • Average number of symbols per line: 42 (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; he is repeated.

    The poet used anaphora at the beginnings of some neighboring lines. The same words i, to are repeated.

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

  • summary of The Thorn Forest;
  • central theme;
  • idea of the verse;
  • history of its creation;
  • critical appreciation.

Good luck in your poetry interpretation practice!

More information about poems by Dante Alighieri