This is an analysis of the poem To A Private Soldier that begins with:

The air is still, the light winds blow
Too quietly to wake you now.... 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: aaaabc bc dede XfXf gdgdhihiXfcfcigig
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 6,2,4,4,17,
  • Closest metre: iambic tetrameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: alternate rhyme
  • Сlosest stanza type: sonnet
  • Guessed form: ballad stanza
  • Metre: 01010111 11000111 10111101 11110111 01010101 01010101 11010011 11010001 11110111 11010111 11010111 01111101 01110001 11110101 01010001 01011111 11010101 11001101 11010001 11101101 11101101 11110101 10011101 11110101 01010111 01010101 11110111 01011101 11110101 11000101 1111101 010101001
  • Amount of stanzas: 6
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 187
  • Average number of words per stanza: 35
  • Amount of lines: 32
  • Average number of symbols per line: 34 (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; you, good, night are repeated.

    The poet used anaphora at the beginnings of some neighboring lines. The same words your, their are repeated.

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

  • summary of To A Private Soldier;
  • central theme;
  • idea of the verse;
  • history of its creation;
  • critical appreciation.

Good luck in your poetry interpretation practice!

More information about poems by Ewart Alan Mackintosh