This is an analysis of the poem As Kingfishers Catch Fire that begins with:

As king fishers catch fire, dragonflies draw flame;
As tumbled over rim in roundy wells... 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: abbaabbaXbbbbbb
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 15,
  • Closest metre: trochaic pentameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: limerick
  • Сlosest stanza type: sonnet
  • Guessed form: sonnet with trochaic pentameter or irregular meter
  • Metre: 111011010011 1101010101 1111111111 1111011101 1101111101 1111011111 1101110111 10111011111 111011100 1111101010 1011101110 1111011010 10011100110 001010100110
  • Amount of stanzas: 2
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 341
  • Average number of words per stanza: 61
  • Amount of lines: 14
  • Average number of symbols per line: 48 (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.

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

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

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

  • summary of As Kingfishers Catch Fire;
  • central theme;
  • idea of the verse;
  • history of its creation;
  • critical appreciation.

Good luck in your poetry interpretation practice!

More information about poems by Gerard Manley Hopkins