This is an analysis of the poem When We'Re All Alike that begins with:

I've trudged life's highway up and down;
I've watched the lines of men march by;...

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: ababcdcd aeaefdfd gbgbadad ghghbdbd
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 8,8,8,8,
  • Closest metre: iambic tetrameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: rima
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: unknown form
  • Metre: 11111111 11010111 11000101 11010101 11010001 11011101 11110111 11010111 11010101 10010101 11110101 10010101 11010001 01010001 10100111 11010111 10010111 101101111 11111111 01001111 10010101 01111111 11011111 11011001 11011101 01110111 11110111 01001101 11110101 11111101 11011111 11010111
  • Amount of stanzas: 4
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 290
  • Average number of words per stanza: 54
  • Amount of lines: 32
  • Average number of symbols per line: 35 (medium-length strings)
  • Average number of words per line: 7
  • Mood of the speaker:

    The punctuation marks are various. Neither mark predominates.

  • The author used lexical repetitions to emphasize a significant image; i've, and, or are repeated.

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

    The poet repeated the same word night at the end of some neighboring stanzas. The poetic device is a kind of epiphora.

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

  • summary of When We'Re All Alike;
  • 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