This is an analysis of the poem Prayer, Under The Pressure Of Violent Anguish that begins with:

O Thou Great Being! what Thou art,
Surpasses me to know;... full text

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: abcb dXXa aede cXdX
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 4,4,4,4,
  • Closest metre: iambic tetrameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: alternate rhyme
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: ballad stanza
  • Metre: 11110111 010101 11111101 111101 11010111 110110 11111111 011101 11010111 010011 11110101 110101 10110100 011101 11110101 011110
  • Amount of stanzas: 4
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 119
  • Average number of words per stanza: 23
  • Amount of lines: 16
  • Average number of symbols per line: 29 (strings are less long than medium ones)
  • Average number of words per line: 6
  • Mood of the speaker:

    There are many exclamation marks in the poem. The speaker is excited. He or she has strong feelings on the subject that is described in the poem.

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

  • summary of Prayer, Under The Pressure Of Violent Anguish;
  • central theme;
  • idea of the verse;
  • history of its creation;
  • critical appreciation.

Good luck in your poetry interpretation practice!

More information about poems by Robert Burns