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

Swing to the harbor from the deep sea,
O Sail of mine, but hold the sea in sight! ... 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 cdcd ecec fcfc dada X
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 4,4,4,4,4,1,
  • Closest metre: iambic pentameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: alternate rhyme
  • Сlosest stanza type: sonnet
  • Guessed form: blank verse
  • Metre: 100100011 1101110101 1111011101 1101001101 11010010101 01010010101 011110101 1001010100 0101010101 1101000101 0101111111 1001011101 1111011111 1101011111 01110011001 0111010101 111101111 100001111101 1011011101 1101110111 0100010101010011101100
  • Amount of stanzas: 6
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 172
  • Average number of words per stanza: 30
  • Amount of lines: 22
  • Average number of symbols per line: 46 (strings are more long than medium ones)
  • Average number of words per line: 8
  • 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; my, of, and are repeated.

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

  • summary of At Anchor *;
  • 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