This is an analysis of the poem Bantry Bay that begins with:

On the eighteenth of October we lay in Bantry Bay,
All ready to set sail, with a fresh and steady gale:... 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: ababbcbc dedeacXc fgfghaha
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 8,8,8,
  • Closest metre: iambic pentameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: rima
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: blank verse
  • Metre: 10010010110101 1100110011101 011111100101 1111011110101 1101111011101 111011101110101 0101011111101 1110010111111 101100101010001 01111111010111 101101010101 110111011100111 011010101110111 01010101111101 0101011110101 1010111011111101 1101011110101 11010101100111 01110101000101 1011010011101 11011100110001 11110111111111 11111111010111 11010111111101
  • Amount of stanzas: 3
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 461
  • Average number of words per stanza: 90
  • Amount of lines: 24
  • Average number of symbols per line: 57 (very long strings)
  • Average number of words per line: 11
  • Mood of the speaker:

    The punctuation marks are various. Neither mark predominates.

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

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

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

    The poet repeated the same word go at the end of some neighboring stanzas. The poetic device is a kind of epiphora.

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

  • summary of Bantry Bay;
  • central theme;
  • idea of the verse;
  • history of its creation;
  • critical appreciation.

Good luck in your poetry interpretation practice!

More information about poems by John Clare