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

Across a thousand miles of sea, a hundred leagues of land,
Along a path I had not traced and could not understand,... 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: aaa bbb ccc ddd
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 3,3,3,3,
  • Closest metre: iambic pentameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: couplets
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: heroic couplets
  • Metre: 010101001010101 01011111111101 11011110011101 01010101111101 01000101010110 11100101011101 11010101011101 11011101100111 010101010111111 11011101010101 010111101111111 01110011111101
  • Amount of stanzas: 4
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 176
  • Average number of words per stanza: 36
  • Amount of lines: 12
  • Average number of symbols per line: 58 (very long strings)
  • Average number of words per line: 12
  • Mood of the speaker:

    The punctuation marks are various. Neither mark predominates.

  • The author used lexical repetitions to emphasize a significant image; not, of are repeated.

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

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

  • summary of Arrival;
  • 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 Van Dyke