This is an analysis of the poem When Dey 'Listed Colored Soldiers that begins with:

Dey was talkin' in de cabin, dey was talkin' in de hall;
But I listened kin' o' keerless, not a-t'inkin' 'bout it all;...

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: aaXXbbcd eeffeeXD ggffeedD hhaaeeXd hhXeXXcD
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 8,8,8,8,8,
  • Closest metre: trochaic pentameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: couplets
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: unknown form
  • Metre: 111000101110001 111011101010101 111111101111101 101100111111111 110111001010001 11110111111111 111100011110111 111010010111101 1111111111101101 111110101110011 111110101110101 101011111010001 1111111111100001 1110111110111001 111111101010001 111010010111101 1110101010111101 111100101111001 111111101111101 111111111110101 101010101011101 111111100011101 1110011101111111 111010010111101 1111101111101101 110111100010111 111011101111111 1110111011111001 111010111110101 111111101010001 111111011011111 111010010111101 101111101111111 111111101010111 1010111001110111 111011100011101 111111111011101 101111111011001 1111111011111111 111010010111101
  • Amount of stanzas: 5
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 494
  • Average number of words per stanza: 104
  • Amount of lines: 40
  • Average number of symbols per line: 61 (very long strings)
  • Average number of words per line: 13
  • Mood of the speaker:

    The punctuation marks are various. Neither mark predominates.

  • The author used lexical repetitions to emphasize a significant image; dey, de, to, an', him, i, he, his, had are repeated.

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

    The poet repeated the same word wah 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 When Dey 'Listed Colored Soldiers;
  • 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