This is an analysis of the poem Outback that begins with:

The old year went, and the new returned, in the withering weeks of drought,
The cheque was spent that the shearer earned, ... 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: abacdd abBdAd aadd eedfd XbbXdd Xgghdd hhdd ciidd ffdXdXabBdAd
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 6,6,4,5,6,6,4,5,12,
  • Closest metre: iambic pentameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: couplets
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: heroic couplets
  • Metre: 01111010100100101 011110101 1010111 010010111 10100101 10111101010100111 111101111 1011111 01001101111010101 111001111100101 010101101 1101111 1101001011010111 01001011101110111 01001011011101111 1101101011011111 11011011010100111 11101101011010101 1101011011100111 0100101101 11110111 0100110111 10110111 10101001110010111 101011101 1010111 11010010011110111 1101001110 001001001 11011101011100111 1111101101 1100101 10101001011100111 11011011111010111 1110101111100101 10101001011100101 01001101011011111 0101110111 00110101 1101101111011001 10100111111101001 11001001010100111 0101101011101001 11001001111011101 0111101010010101 1010100111 10100111 111101111 1011111 01001101111010101 111001110100111 010101101 1101111
  • Amount of stanzas: 10
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 303
  • Average number of words per stanza: 58
  • Amount of lines: 53
  • Average number of symbols per line: 57 (very long strings)
  • Average number of words per line: 11
  • Mood of the speaker:

    The punctuation marks are various. Neither mark predominates.

  • The author used lexical repetitions to emphasize a significant image; and, in, he, of are repeated.

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

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

    The poet repeated the same word back 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 Outback;
  • 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