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

LIKE one who meets a staggering blow,
The stout old ship doth reel,... 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: abcccb deccce Xcaaac fagggXa hdiiid ehcccj Xeddde jXdddj ddkkkd fiXlliXcdgggd
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 6,6,6,7,6,6,6,6,6,13,
  • Closest metre: iambic tetrameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: shakespearean sonnet
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: unknown form
  • Metre: 111101001 011111 11011101 10010101 11011101 110101 01010001 011101 11010101 11111101 11110101 110101 11000101 0100101 11011111 01011111 11111111 111101 11111100 111111 11011101 11011101 11011101 110111001 111101 11110101 110101 11111101 11111111 11010111 110111 11110111 111101 11011111 111111001 11110001 0101001 01110101 111101 01010101 11110111 11110001 111111 01010111 010111 11111111 11111101 11111111 010101 01010111 111111 11111001 11110101 11010001 110001 11011100 111110 11011101 11010111 11101111 110111 11100101 111111 01011101 010110001 01010101 111111
  • Amount of stanzas: 11
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 204
  • Average number of words per stanza: 40
  • Amount of lines: 67
  • Average number of symbols per line: 33 (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, you are repeated.

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

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

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

Good luck in your poetry interpretation practice!

More information about poems by Henry Kendall