This is an analysis of the poem The Old Guard that begins with:

Knew you the men of the Old Guard ? Men of the camp and trail;
Guard of the van when Time began in the land of grass and gale,...

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: aaa aaa Xbb cXc ddd bbb ccX
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 3,3,3,3,3,3,3,
  • Closest metre: iambic pentameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: rondeau rhyme
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: blank verse
  • Metre: 11010011100111 100111010010111 0011111011010001 10010011100110 100101111100111 1011111111011101 100100111001 01111101110111 11111101111111101 10010011101111 0101010111111110 1111101101110011 10010011101111 11111101111011111 10101001011100101 100100110100111 011111101010101 10101111100100101 10010011100101 0111111010101101 101111110011100101
  • Amount of stanzas: 7
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 207
  • Average number of words per stanza: 41
  • Amount of lines: 21
  • Average number of symbols per line: 68 (very long strings)
  • Average number of words per line: 14
  • Mood of the speaker:

    The speaker asks many questions. Perhaps, he or she is in confusion.

  • The author used lexical repetitions to emphasize a significant image; of, men, guard, and, they, at, their, with are repeated.

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

  • summary of The Old Guard;
  • 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 James Campbell Stead