This is an analysis of the poem Human Failings that begins with:

RECKON when our days are done
And God takes up our record sheets, And sees the battles we have won, He'll want to read of our defeats....

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: aXbXbXcaca
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 10,
  • Closest metre: iambic tetrameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: alternate rhyme
  • Сlosest stanza type: sonnet
  • Guessed form: ballad stanza
  • Metre: 1011111 111110111101011111010101 11010101 11110101 11011111 1101001010 11011101 01110001 01010111 01110110
  • Amount of stanzas: 1
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 401
  • Average number of words per stanza: 79
  • Amount of lines: 10
  • Average number of symbols per line: 39 (medium-length strings)
  • 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; our, and are repeated.

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

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

  • summary of Human Failings;
  • 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