This is an analysis of the poem Ships That Pass In The Night that begins with:

Out in the sky the great dark clouds are massing;
I look far out into the pregnant night,...

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: abXbcaXdXdaacXca
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 16,
  • Closest metre: iambic pentameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: limerick
  • Сlosest stanza type: sonnet
  • Guessed form: blank verse
  • Metre: 10010111110 1111000101 1111010101 1101000101 11110111 01010 11011111110 1111111101 1111010101 1111010111 1101111101010 11111101010 1101111101 0111110111 1111111101 11011101010
  • Amount of stanzas: 1
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 727
  • Average number of words per stanza: 137
  • Amount of lines: 16
  • Average number of symbols per line: 45 (strings are more long than medium ones)
  • Average number of words per line: 9
  • Mood of the speaker:

    The punctuation marks are various. Neither mark predominates.

  • The author used lexical repetitions to emphasize a significant image; that, o are repeated.

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

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

  • summary of Ships That Pass In The Night;
  • central theme;
  • idea of the verse;
  • history of its creation;
  • critical appreciation.

Good luck in your poetry interpretation practice!

More information about poems by Paul Laurence Dunbar