This is an analysis of the poem Christmas, 1918 that begins with:

They give their all, this Christmastide, that peace on earth shall reign;
Upon the snows of Flanders now, brave blood has left its stain;...

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: aaa bbb cXc ddd bbb eee
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 3,3,3,3,3,3,
  • Closest metre: iambic pentameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: couplets
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: heroic couplets
  • Metre: 11110100111111 01010101111101 01011111110101 11111111110101 11111111110101 11110111111101 11010101110101 11110101010101 11010100111101 11011111110101 01110101010001 11011111110001 11111101110001 010101010100101 11110101110111 11110001110101 110101010010101 10011110111111
  • Amount of stanzas: 6
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 191
  • Average number of words per stanza: 35
  • Amount of lines: 18
  • Average number of symbols per line: 63 (very long strings)
  • Average number of words per line: 12
  • Mood of the speaker:

    The punctuation marks are various. Neither mark predominates.

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

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

    The author used the same word they 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 Christmas, 1918;
  • central theme;
  • idea of the verse;
  • history of its creation;
  • critical appreciation.

Good luck in your poetry interpretation practice!

More information about poems by Edgar Albert Guest