This is an analysis of the poem The Shadow Of The Cross that begins with:

At the drowsy dusk when the shadows creep
From the golden west, where the sunbeams sleep,...

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: aa bb bX cc cc cc dX ee dd eX ff ggXcc
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 2,2,2,2,2,2,2,2,2,2,2,5,
  • Closest metre: iambic pentameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: couplets
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: heroic couplets
  • Metre: 1010110111 0010110101 1101101011 00111111001 101011111 110111000010 10100100101 111011111 0011101001 110101101 111111111 11101110101 01011100110 01111011110 111101101 01011111 110100101 10111001001 11101001001 101111111100 1010110101 10101101101 111111101 111111101 0010100101 0110101101
  • Amount of stanzas: 13
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 89
  • Average number of words per stanza: 16
  • Amount of lines: 26
  • Average number of symbols per line: 44 (strings are more long than medium ones)
  • Average number of words per line: 8
  • 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 The Shadow Of The Cross;
  • 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 McCrae