This is an analysis of the poem The Things That Make A Soldier Great that begins with:

The things that make a soldier great and send him out to die,
To face the flaming cannon's mouth, nor ever question why,...

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: aabbcc ddeeff ggaaee hhffcc
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 6,6,6,6,
  • Closest metre: iambic pentameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: couplets
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: heroic couplets
  • Metre: 01110101111101 01010101110101 11110101010101 010011010101001 01110101010101 11110101110101 11011101110101 11010001110111 11010111111101 11010111010111 01011101100101 11010001110101 10010101010101 01010101010101 01010111010111 01010101010101 01010100010101 100110000010111 11011101110101 111101011010001 01010101011101 110011101110110 11010111110101 11011111110101
  • Amount of stanzas: 4
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 353
  • Average number of words per stanza: 68
  • Amount of lines: 24
  • Average number of symbols per line: 58 (very long strings)
  • Average number of words per line: 11
  • Mood of the speaker:

    The punctuation marks are various. Neither mark predominates.

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

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

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

  • summary of The Things That Make A Soldier Great;
  • 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