This is an analysis of the poem A Rusty Nail that begins with:

I ran a nail into my hand,
The wound was hard to heal;...

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: ababcc XdXdcc ceceaa fefeadad
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 6,6,6,8,
  • Closest metre: iambic trimeter
  • Сlosest rhyme: enclosed rhyme
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: unknown form
  • Metre: 11010011 011101 11010101 111011 01111111 011101 11010101 010101 01010101 1100111 11001001 010111 11011101 010001 10010001 111101 11110101 011001 01010111 111111 10010011 110101 10110101 110101 01110101 010101
  • Amount of stanzas: 3
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 279
  • Average number of words per stanza: 51
  • Amount of lines: 27
  • Average number of symbols per line: 30 (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; of is repeated.

    The poet used anaphora at the beginnings of some neighboring lines. The same word of is repeated.

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

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

  • summary of A Rusty Nail;
  • 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 William Service