This is an analysis of the poem To The Committee Of The Cayley Portrait Fund that begins with:

O wretched race of men, to space confined!
What honour can ye pay to him, whose mind... 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: aaabba ccdXdd bbbbbb eeaffa
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 6,6,6,6,
  • Closest metre: iambic pentameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: couplets
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: heroic couplets
  • Metre: 1101010101 1101110111 01110111010 0101111101 1111110101 01110111010 1101000101 1101010111 01010101010 110001101 0101010101 11000100010 111100001 0101110101 11001001010 1101001111 11011101101 01010001010 1101010101 1001010111 11011100010 0101010111 0111111101 01010101010
  • Amount of stanzas: 4
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 252
  • Average number of words per stanza: 44
  • Amount of lines: 24
  • Average number of symbols per line: 41 (medium-length strings)
  • Average number of words per line: 7
  • 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; to, of are repeated.

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

  • summary of To The Committee Of The Cayley Portrait Fund;
  • central theme;
  • idea of the verse;
  • history of its creation;
  • critical appreciation.

Good luck in your poetry interpretation practice!

More information about poems by James Clerk Maxwell