This is an analysis of the poem The Slave In The Dismal Swamp that begins with:

In dark fens of the Dismal Swamp
The hunted Negro lay;... 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: abaab cdccd efeef gegge fbffX chcch
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 5,5,5,5,5,5,
  • Closest metre: iambic tetrameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: alternate rhyme
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: ballad stanza
  • Metre: 01100101 010101 1101000111 11110101 1010101 101011111 010101 11010101 10101101001 010101 110010111 1010111 1010100110 110011101 1011001 01110111 110101 1010110101 101110101 00100001 11010111 110111 11010111 111101001 010100 110110101 0010001 11010101 110110101 111001
  • Amount of stanzas: 6
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 172
  • Average number of words per stanza: 33
  • Amount of lines: 30
  • Average number of symbols per line: 34 (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, his, of are repeated.

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

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

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

  • summary of The Slave In The Dismal Swamp;
  • 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 Wadsworth Longfellow