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

They come to thee, the halt, the maimed, the blind,
The devil-torn, the sick, the sore;...

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: abab cdcd efef bgbg cXcXXcaca
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 4,4,4,4,9,
  • Closest metre: iambic tetrameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: alternate rhyme
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: ballad stanza
  • Metre: 1101010101 01010101 11110111 111101 1111010101 11110101 11010101 110111 0101111101 11010101 01011111 110101 1011111111 11111101 01011111 110101 0111110101 11010110 11011101 010111 1111110101 10110101 01111101 111101
  • Amount of stanzas: 6
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 147
  • Average number of words per stanza: 28
  • Amount of lines: 24
  • Average number of symbols per line: 36 (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; and is repeated.

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

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

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

Good luck in your poetry interpretation practice!

More information about poems by George MacDonald