This is an analysis of the poem A Ballad Of Baseball Burdens that begins with:

The burden of hard hitting. Slug away
Like Honus Wagner or like Tyrus Cobb. ...

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: abaXbcbD efeffcfD ghghhdhD iciXcdcD X hchXd
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 8,8,8,8,1,5,
  • Closest metre: iambic pentameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: alternate rhyme
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: blank verse
  • Metre: 0100110101 1101011101 11010101111 10010111010 1101111101 1111010101 1101010101 000101001010 0100010111 1011110111 0101110101 0101010101 1101001101 11110011101 1101010001 000101001010 0100110101 0101010001 0101010101 1011011111 0101110001 11110100010 1111111111 000101001010 0100010101 01001011101 0101010101 101001001110 1101010001 11010101110 1101001101 000101001010 10 1111010101 0101110101 1111111111 000101001010
  • Amount of stanzas: 7
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 223
  • Average number of words per stanza: 42
  • Amount of lines: 37
  • Average number of symbols per line: 42 (strings are more long than medium ones)
  • Average number of words per line: 8
  • Mood of the speaker:

    The punctuation marks are various. Neither mark predominates.

  • The author used lexical repetitions to emphasize a significant image; it, or, to, hope, of, not, but are repeated.

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

    The author used the same word the at the beginnings of some neighboring stanzas. The figure of speech is a kind of anaphora.

    The poet repeated the same word desire 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 A Ballad Of Baseball Burdens;
  • central theme;
  • idea of the verse;
  • history of its creation;
  • critical appreciation.

Good luck in your poetry interpretation practice!

More information about poems by Franklin Pierce Adams