This is an analysis of the poem Ballad Of Broken Flutes that begins with:

In dreams I crossed a barren land,
A land of ruin, far away; ... 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: ababbbbX ababbbbX ababbbbX X bbbX
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 8,8,8,1,4,
  • Closest metre: iambic tetrameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: limerick
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: unknown form
  • Metre: 01110101 01010101 011111001 01010001 11010101 11110100 11010111 01010100 01011111 11110111 11010101 01000101 01010101 10110001 11011111 01010100 11110101 01110011 11111001 11001101 11011101 01000001 01011101 01010100 10 11110101 01110101 11010111 01010100
  • Amount of stanzas: 5
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 185
  • Average number of words per stanza: 34
  • Amount of lines: 29
  • Average number of symbols per line: 31 (strings are less long than medium ones)
  • Average number of words per line: 6
  • Mood of the speaker:

    The punctuation marks are various. Neither mark predominates.

  • The author used lexical repetitions to emphasize a significant image; of is repeated.

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

    The poet repeated the same word arcady 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 Ballad Of Broken Flutes;
  • central theme;
  • idea of the verse;
  • history of its creation;
  • critical appreciation.

Good luck in your poetry interpretation practice!

More information about poems by Edwin Arlington Robinson