This is an analysis of the poem The Attack At Dawn that begins with:

‘At every cost,’ they said, ‘it must be done.’
They told us in the early afternoon....

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: AaaababacdcdaAaa
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 16,
  • Closest metre: iambic pentameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: limerick
  • Сlosest stanza type: sonnet
  • Guessed form: blank verse
  • Metre: 11001110101 1110010101 1111010001 1101111101 1111110101 1101010111 1111110111 1011011101 11110010101 110111101 1111110111 1101010111 0101010101 11001110101 0101110101 0101111101
  • Amount of stanzas: 1
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 718
  • Average number of words per stanza: 140
  • Amount of lines: 16
  • Average number of symbols per line: 44 (strings are more long than medium ones)
  • Average number of words per line: 9
  • Mood of the speaker:

    There are many exclamation marks in the poem. The speaker is excited. He or she has strong feelings on the subject that is described in the poem.

  • 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 we is repeated.

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

  • summary of The Attack At Dawn;
  • central theme;
  • idea of the verse;
  • history of its creation;
  • critical appreciation.

Good luck in your poetry interpretation practice!

More information about poems by Leon Gellert