This is an analysis of the poem A Thaw that begins with:

The farm-house fire is dull and black,
The trailing smoke rolls white and low ...

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: abcbcded facaeghg bhdhXhfh
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 8,8,8,
  • Closest metre: iambic tetrameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: shakespearean sonnet
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: unknown form
  • Metre: 011100111 01011111 01011101 01110101 010011111 01010111 100101001 01010101 10011101 01010101 11010101 01011101 01010011 01111111 01110101 0111111 01011101 01110101 11010101 01010101 01110111 01010101 11110101 01110111
  • Amount of stanzas: 3
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 297
  • Average number of words per stanza: 54
  • Amount of lines: 24
  • Average number of symbols per line: 36 (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; and is repeated.

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

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

  • summary of A Thaw;
  • central theme;
  • idea of the verse;
  • history of its creation;
  • critical appreciation.

Good luck in your poetry interpretation practice!

More information about poems by Peter McArthur