To William E. Channing by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow: poem analysis

This is an analysis of the poem To William E. Channing that begins with:

The pages of thy book I read,
And as I closed each one,... 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: aXaX abab XbcX aXaX dcdc
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 4,4,4,4,4,
  • Closest metre: iambic tetrameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: limerick
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: unknown form
  • Metre: 01001111 111111 11010101 100011100 11111111 111101 11000101 110101 110101100 011101 01011111 010100 01010111 100101 10010111 010101000 11110101 0101001 01010101 010101
  • Amount of stanzas: 5
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 129
  • Average number of words per stanza: 23
  • Amount of lines: 20
  • Average number of symbols per line: 31 (strings are less long than medium ones)
  • Average number of words per line: 6

  • 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; this is repeated.

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

    The literary device anadiplosis is detected in two or more neighboring lines. The word/phrase write connects the lines.

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

  • summary of To William E. Channing;
  • 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

Poems about...
✕