This is an analysis of the poem At The Tug-0-War that begins with:

’Twas in a tug-of-war where I—the guvnor’s hope and pride—
Stepped proudly on the platform as the ringer on my side;... 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: aabbccdd eeff bgaa bbaa Xccgb
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 8,4,4,4,5,
  • Closest metre: iambic pentameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: couplets
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: heroic couplets
  • Metre: 10010111010111 11010111010111 11100101010111 01010101110101 01111101111101 11000100110101 11011101110101 11100101110111 11011101110111 11010101110101 01010101011101 11010101110111 11110101011111 111111111110100 11010101010101 10010111010101 11011100010101 11110101010101 01111111011111 11110101011101 11010111010111 11111111110001 11010101111100 01011101011111
  • Amount of stanzas: 5
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 290
  • Average number of words per stanza: 58
  • Amount of lines: 25
  • Average number of symbols per line: 57 (very long strings)
  • Average number of words per line: 12
  • Mood of the speaker:

    There are many exclamation marks in the poem. The speaker is excited. He or she has strong feelings on the subject that is described in the poem.

  • The author used lexical repetitions to emphasize a significant image; and, i, his, how are repeated.

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

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

  • summary of At The Tug-0-War;
  • 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 Lawson