This is an analysis of the poem Father Forgive Them that begins with:

Father, forgive (the Saviour said)
They know not what they do:... 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: abab acac dada dada efef gaga ahah
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 4,4,4,4,4,4,4,
  • Closest metre: iambic trimeter
  • Сlosest rhyme: shakespearean sonnet
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: unknown form
  • Metre: 10010101 111111 01111111 111111 11110101 110101 11111001 110101 11011101 011101 11011111 111110 11101001 111101 11110110 010111 11110111 110111 11011101 110101 11011111 110101 01010101 111101 11110111 111111 11111001 110001
  • Amount of stanzas: 7
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 119
  • Average number of words per stanza: 24
  • Amount of lines: 28
  • Average number of symbols per line: 29 (strings are less long than medium ones)
  • 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; we is repeated.

    The poet used anaphora at the beginnings of some neighboring lines. The same words we, nor, but are repeated.

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

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

  • summary of Father Forgive Them;
  • 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 Newton