This is an analysis of the poem They Could Not Tell Me Who Should Be My Lord that begins with:

They could not tell me who should be my lord,
But I could read from every word they said ...

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: aaaabccXdbdbee
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 14,
  • Closest metre: iambic pentameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: alternate rhyme
  • Сlosest stanza type: sonnet
  • Guessed form: Shakespearean sonnet
  • Metre: 1111111011 11110100111 0101011111 1100101101001 111100111010 1111110101 1001010111 110011100110 1110100101001 1111000101 0100111001 1001010101 1111011111 1001010011
  • Amount of stanzas: 1
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 628
  • Average number of words per stanza: 123
  • Amount of lines: 14
  • Average number of symbols per line: 44 (strings are more long than medium ones)
  • Average number of words per line: 9
  • Mood of the speaker:

    The punctuation marks are various. Neither mark predominates.

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

  • summary of They Could Not Tell Me Who Should Be My Lord;
  • 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 Muir