This is an analysis of the poem Alcatraz * that begins with:

A pearl-foam at his feet
The waters leap and fall; ... 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 caca XdXd Xaca efef gaga XXXe Xc
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 4,4,4,4,4,4,4,2,
  • Closest metre: iambic trimeter
  • Сlosest rhyme: shakespearean sonnet
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: unknown form
  • Metre: 011101 010111 010101 010111 10101 110111 100101 110001 101101 01101 11101 010101 1101100 011111 010111 011101 111100 10101 00100101 0100101 1100111 0100101 100101 010101 1010101 011111 1001100 0100101 0101011001
  • Amount of stanzas: 8
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 106
  • Average number of words per stanza: 18
  • Amount of lines: 30
  • Average number of symbols per line: 28 (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; of is repeated.

    The poet used anaphora at the beginnings of some neighboring lines. The same word the is repeated.

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

  • summary of Alcatraz *;
  • central theme;
  • idea of the verse;
  • history of its creation;
  • critical appreciation.

Good luck in your poetry interpretation practice!

More information about poems by Ina D. Coolbrith