This is an analysis of the poem Formerly A Slave that begins with:

The sufferance of her race is shown,
And retrospect of life,... 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: abab XXXX XaXa
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 4,4,4,
  • Closest metre: iambic tetrameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: alternate rhyme
  • Сlosest stanza type: sonnet
  • Guessed form: ballad stanza
  • Metre: 010000101 110101 11110100101 101111 01010111 000100 11010010101 0101101 11010100 110101 0101010101 100101
  • Amount of stanzas: 3
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 132
  • Average number of words per stanza: 24
  • Amount of lines: 12
  • Average number of symbols per line: 32 (medium-length strings)
  • Average number of words per line: 6
  • Mood of the speaker:

    The punctuation marks are various. Neither mark predominates.

  • The author used lexical repetitions to emphasize a significant image; her is repeated.

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

  • summary of Formerly A Slave;
  • central theme;
  • idea of the verse;
  • history of its creation;
  • critical appreciation.

Good luck in your poetry interpretation practice!

More information about poems by Herman Melville