This is an analysis of the poem On A Ferry Boat that begins with:

THE RIVER widens to a pathless sea
Beneath the rain and mist and sullen skies. ...

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: abbcdd effegg hddhac biibaXXaggaee
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 6,6,6,13,
  • Closest metre: iambic pentameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: enclosed rhyme
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: blank verse
  • Metre: 0101000101 0101111101 11010100101 0100010100 1101010101 1101110011 1111000101 0110011101 1101010100 1101011111 11011101011 0111000001 1101010101 0101010101 01111100101 0111010101 0111110111 0101010100 1101000101 0101010101 1111110001 1111010101 01001010101 010011101 11101110111 1101010101 01011110111 1100110101 1011010101 0111011101
  • Amount of stanzas: 5
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 265
  • Average number of words per stanza: 49
  • Amount of lines: 30
  • Average number of symbols per line: 44 (strings are more long than medium ones)
  • Average number of words per line: 8
  • Mood of the speaker:

    The punctuation marks are various. Neither mark predominates.

  • The author used lexical repetitions to emphasize a significant image; her is repeated.

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

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

Good luck in your poetry interpretation practice!

More information about poems by Richard Francis Burton