This is an analysis of the poem The Mystic Sea that begins with:

The smell of the sea in my nostrils,
The sound of the sea in mine ears;...

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: aaXa XbXb acdc dXcX
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 4,4,4,4,
  • Closest metre: iambic tetrameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: limerick
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: unknown form
  • Metre: 010010110 01001011 0100111101 10100101 01001011 0100101 0110110111 10100001 11001010 1100101 1100101101 11101001 111011110 01000101 11001111001 10100101
  • Amount of stanzas: 4
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 140
  • Average number of words per stanza: 29
  • Amount of lines: 16
  • Average number of symbols per line: 34 (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; of, and, ever are repeated.

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

    The author used the same word the 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 The Mystic Sea;
  • 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