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

The gulf of seven and fifty years
We stretch our welcoming hands across;... 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: abba cdXc edde fccf bggb dddd haah cccc aaaa ijji ciic fbbfXedde
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 4,4,4,4,4,4,4,4,4,4,4,9,
  • Closest metre: iambic tetrameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: enclosed rhyme
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: unknown form
  • Metre: 010101100 111100101 01010101 01111101 10111101 01000111 101101000 01000101 11110011 11010101 11010001 11111111 11010111 01111101 11010101 11011101 10010100 01010111 11011101 110010011 01111101 01010101 110010101 01001110 101011101 11001101 110100011 10110100 11001101 01011101 11010101 01111101 01110011 11011110 111101001 01111101 11110111 10111101 11010101 111011001 11110111 01110101 11111111 11110111 11010101 01010111 110101001 11111111 11111111 11111101 01110001 01010001
  • Amount of stanzas: 13
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 141
  • Average number of words per stanza: 26
  • Amount of lines: 52
  • Average number of symbols per line: 34 (medium-length strings)
  • Average number of words per line: 7
  • Mood of the speaker:

    The punctuation marks are various. Neither mark predominates.

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

    The poet used anaphora at the beginnings of some neighboring lines. The same words and, for, the are repeated.

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

    The literary device anadiplosis is detected in two or more neighboring lines. The word/phrase still connects the lines.

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

  • summary of The Reunion;
  • 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