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

Between the gates of birth and death
An old and saintly pilgrim passed,... 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: XaXa bcbc XdXd bXbX abab ecec bdbd fdfd dcdc dXdX
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 4,4,4,4,4,4,4,4,4,4,
  • Closest metre: iambic tetrameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: alternate rhyme
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: ballad stanza
  • Metre: 01010111 11110101 01011100 011111 111100111 01011011 11011101 010111 11111111 11010101 11111100 010101 11110101 110101110 11010101 010101 11110111 1100100101 11000101 110101 100010111 110011111 11010101 101101 11110100 00110011 01110101 111101 11011101 01010101 11100111 010101 11110111 110010101 01110001 111001 11011101 110010011 11111111 1100010
  • Amount of stanzas: 10
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 132
  • Average number of words per stanza: 25
  • Amount of lines: 40
  • Average number of symbols per line: 32 (medium-length strings)
  • Average number of words per line: 6
  • Mood of the speaker:

    The punctuation marks are various. Neither mark predominates.

  • The author used lexical repetitions to emphasize a significant image; and is repeated.

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

  • summary of Between The Gates;
  • 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 Greenleaf Whittier