This is an analysis of the poem The Helmsman that begins with:

O be swift—
we have always known you wanted us....

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: AB bcdX dcXb cceaafbb aXbcXb fXddea afXa cbbbXbfbAB
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 2,4,4,8,6,6,4,10,
  • Closest metre: iambic trimeter
  • Сlosest rhyme: rima
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: unknown form
  • Metre: 101 111111101 1111011 11000010 11001 1011001 11011 111110 10111 1111 110011 1111110 1110110 111011101 01111 11111 111101101 11011101 101110 110101 111010 11110 11111 111110101 101001001 10101111 101011101 1101 1101 1010100 1011010 11011 10011 0101 10010001 01011 00101 1110 111111011 110111 1101 101 111111101
  • Amount of stanzas: 9
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 132
  • Average number of words per stanza: 25
  • Amount of lines: 43
  • Average number of symbols per line: 27 (strings are less long than medium ones)
  • Average number of words per line: 5
  • Mood of the speaker:

    The punctuation marks are various. Neither mark predominates.

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

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

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

    There is a poetic device epiphora at the end of some neighboring lines grass is repeated).

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

  • summary of The Helmsman;
  • central theme;
  • idea of the verse;
  • history of its creation;
  • critical appreciation.

Good luck in your poetry interpretation practice!

More information about poems by Hilda Doolittle