This is an analysis of the poem Dreams that begins with:

I had a dream, a dream of dread:
I thought that horror held the house; ...

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: ababcdcd eebefdfd gbgbgaga bfbffhfh
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 8,8,8,8,
  • Closest metre: iambic tetrameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: alternate rhyme
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: ballad stanza
  • Metre: 11010101 11110101 01010111 11110101 01011101 11010101 01100011 11010101 11010101 01011101 11111111 11010101 01111101 11110101 11010001 11110001 11010101 11011111 0110101 11110101 11110101 11000101 111100101 11010011 01110101 01001101 01000101 11110001 011111010 11010011 111110110 11010101
  • Amount of stanzas: 4
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 262
  • Average number of words per stanza: 51
  • Amount of lines: 32
  • Average number of symbols per line: 32 (medium-length strings)
  • 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.

  • The author used lexical repetitions to emphasize a significant image; i, of are repeated.

    The poet used anaphora at the beginnings of some neighboring lines. The same words i, and are repeated.

    The author used the same word i at the beginnings of some neighboring stanzas. The figure of speech is a kind of anaphora.

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

  • summary of Dreams;
  • 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