This is an analysis of the poem Nothing But The Blood that begins with:

What can wash away my sin?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus;... 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: aBaB cBcB aBaB bBbB b dddB
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 4,4,4,4,1,4,
  • Closest metre: trochaic tetrameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: alternate rhyme
  • Сlosest stanza type: sonnet
  • Guessed form: unknown form
  • Metre: 1110111 10101010 1111101 10101010 1110011 10101010 1110011 10101010 1011101 10101010 1001111 10101010 0011111 10101010 0011100 10101010 10 110001 111111 110111 10101010
  • Amount of stanzas: 6
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 102
  • Average number of words per stanza: 20
  • Amount of lines: 21
  • Average number of symbols per line: 28 (strings are less long than medium ones)
  • Average number of words per line: 6
  • Mood of the speaker:

    The punctuation marks are various. Neither mark predominates.

  • The author used lexical repetitions to emphasize a significant image; my, of, nothing are repeated.

    The poet used anaphora at the beginnings of some neighboring lines. The same word nothing is repeated.

    The poet repeated the same word jesus at the end of some neighboring stanzas. The poetic device is a kind of epiphora.

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

  • summary of Nothing But The Blood;
  • 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 Wadsworth Lowry