This is an analysis of the poem Tom Taylor that begins with:

On pay-day nights, neck-full with beer,
Old soldiers stumbling homeward here,...

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: aabbccXXddeeffggghhiibbffggjjaakk
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 33,
  • Closest metre: iambic tetrameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: couplets
  • Сlosest stanza type: sonnet
  • Guessed form: unknown form
  • Metre: 11111101 110100101 10110101 11001101 11010011 110010111 1010110101 110101101 10110101 10101111 11110011 10110011 10110111 11111101 11010111 01010111 11011111 11110101 11010111 11110101 10011111 01011111 11100101 001011001 110100101 110010101 10110101 01010101 01110111 10010111 11011101 11110001 11001101
  • Amount of stanzas: 1
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 1218
  • Average number of words per stanza: 215
  • Amount of lines: 33
  • 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.

    The literary device anadiplosis is detected in two or more neighboring lines. The word/phrase dead connects the lines.

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

  • summary of Tom Taylor;
  • 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 Graves