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

No matter how he toil and strive
The fate of every man alive...

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: aabb ccdd eeff
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 4,4,4,
  • Closest metre: iambic tetrameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: couplets
  • Сlosest stanza type: sonnet
  • Guessed form: unknown form
  • Metre: 11011111 010100101 01000101 01011001 11010101 11010101 11010001 01110100 11011111 01010101 01010001 01010101
  • Amount of stanzas: 3
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 133
  • Average number of words per stanza: 27
  • Amount of lines: 12
  • Average number of symbols per line: 33 (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; his is repeated.

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

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

  • summary of Epitaph;
  • 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