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

In the dead calm of night, when the stars are all shining,
The deep, silent shadows lie cold o'er my head,... 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 cdcd efef gdgd eheh
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 4,4,4,4,4,
  • Closest metre: trochaic pentameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: alternate rhyme
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: unknown form
  • Metre: 0011011011110 011011111011 1011011010110 11011001001 111110110010 11111101101 111111111010 11101001111 110011010010 11011111001 010111010010 01101011101 110110110110 11001011001 1111011100010 01011011011 1111010110010 110011111011 1111010110010 01011111011
  • Amount of stanzas: 5
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 200
  • Average number of words per stanza: 38
  • Amount of lines: 20
  • Average number of symbols per line: 49 (strings are more long than medium ones)
  • Average number of words per line: 9
  • Mood of the speaker:

    The punctuation marks are various. Neither mark predominates.

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

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

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

  • summary of Gray;
  • central theme;
  • idea of the verse;
  • history of its creation;
  • critical appreciation.

Good luck in your poetry interpretation practice!

More information about poems by Rose Terry Cooke