This is an analysis of the poem Meeting Of The Alumni Of Harvard College that begins with:

I THANK you, MR. PRESIDENT, you've kindly broke the ice;
Virtue should always be the first,--I 'm only SECOND VICE--... full text

Elements of the verse: questions and answers

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  • Rhyme scheme: aabb ccdd eeff gghh iicc ggii ggjj jjXe iigg jjjj eehX XiXX jjXi kkcc ccii ccjj kkjjXhhcc
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 4,4,4,4,4,4,4,4,4,4,4,4,4,4,4,4,9,
  • Closest metre: iambic pentameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: couplets
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: heroic couplets
  • Metre: 11110101110101 101110011010101 01010001110101 11111101011101 11010101010111 11000101110101 11011111110101 01011101110101 11010101100101 10010111111101 011101001010101 11110111010101 1101010110110111 110001011100001 111101101110111 11010110110101 1101110111011011 11010101111101 11011101110101 11010111110111 11110111110111 110101011101 11010111110101 0101010010111101 11011111111101 11010101111101 110010111110101 11010101011001 11011111110111 11011111111111 010111010101010 110001001110101 110101001010101 1100100101110101 11010001110101 01010101110101 11011101111111 11110101110101 111100101010001 01010001111101 11010101010101 01010100111101 111110101010101 1101001010101010 111110101110101 11010001110101 11010111110101 11110101110100 11011111011111 11011001110101 11011111011001 11000101010101 01010101110111 11010101110101 10110001010111 01010101010111 01010101010101 11010111110101 11010101010101 11010001111111 111111001011101 010111011100101 11110101110001 11110101110101 11110101011101 010101011111001 101001010111001 10011101010101 11111101011101 11011101010011 110101011100111 11000111011101
  • Amount of stanzas: 18
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 246
  • Average number of words per stanza: 46
  • Amount of lines: 72
  • Average number of symbols per line: 61 (very long strings)
  • Average number of words per line: 11
  • Mood of the speaker:

    The punctuation marks are various. Neither mark predominates.

  • The author used lexical repetitions to emphasize a significant image; her, and, we, some, one, what, to, as, of are repeated.

    The poet used anaphora at the beginnings of some neighboring lines. The same words we, one, what, the are repeated.

    The author used the same words we, we've, the at the beginnings of some neighboring stanzas. The figure of speech is a kind of anaphora.

    The poet repeated the same word ' at the end of some neighboring stanzas. The poetic device is a kind of epiphora.

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

  • summary of Meeting Of The Alumni Of Harvard College;
  • central theme;
  • idea of the verse;
  • history of its creation;
  • critical appreciation.

Good luck in your poetry interpretation practice!

More information about poems by Oliver Wendell Holmes