On A Corkscrew by Jonathan Swift: poem analysis

This is an analysis of the poem On A Corkscrew that begins with:

Though I, alas! a prisoner be,
My trade is prisoners to set free.... 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: aabbccbbddcceeccccaaffeeccgghhddffhhhh
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 38,
  • Closest metre: iambic tetrameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: alternate rhyme
  • Сlosest stanza type: sonnet
  • Guessed form: ballad stanza
  • Metre: 110101000 110100011 11010101 01010001 11010111 01010101 01011111 11111111 01110111 01010001 01011101 11111101 01110101 01011101 101110101 11111101 11011111 011101001 01010111 100100111 11101101 11011001 11010101 01010111 11010001 110100111 10111101 01011111 11011111 11011101 11010101 11010111 11111101 11110001 11101101 01010101 11011101 11111101
  • Amount of stanzas: 1
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 1296
  • Average number of words per stanza: 255
  • Amount of lines: 38
  • Average number of symbols per line: 33 (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; and is repeated.

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

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

  • summary of On A Corkscrew;
  • central theme;
  • idea of the verse;
  • history of its creation;
  • critical appreciation.

Good luck in your poetry interpretation practice!

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