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

MAKE strong your door with bolt and bar,
Make every window fast; ... full text

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: ababcaXa debeceXe dfXfXgfg
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 8,8,8,
  • Closest metre: iambic tetrameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: enclosed rhyme
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: unknown form
  • Metre: 11110111 1100101 11110111 111101 110101101 110101 111101101 110111 0010110101 111111 111100101 1100101 11111111 100111 100110111 1100111 110111111 1100111 11111100111 00100101 1100111101 1101101 111111101 1111011
  • Amount of stanzas: 3
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 275
  • Average number of words per stanza: 56
  • Amount of lines: 26
  • Average number of symbols per line: 31 (strings are less long than medium ones)
  • 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; and, ye, i are repeated.

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

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

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

Good luck in your poetry interpretation practice!

More information about poems by Edith Nesbit