This is an analysis of the poem Barrack-Room Ballads that begins with:

When 'Omer smote 'is bloomin' lyre,
He'd 'eard men sing by land an' sea;... 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: XaXa bcbc dede
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 4,4,4,
  • Closest metre: iambic tetrameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: rima
  • Сlosest stanza type: sonnet
  • Guessed form: unknown form
  • Metre: 11011101 11111111 111111010 11110111 01011100 01010101 11111101 11010111 11111111 11011101 11110101 11110111
  • Amount of stanzas: 3
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 161
  • Average number of words per stanza: 28
  • Amount of lines: 12
  • Average number of symbols per line: 40 (medium-length strings)
  • Average number of words per line: 7
  • 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; an', they, 'e are repeated.

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

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

  • summary of Barrack-Room Ballads;
  • central theme;
  • idea of the verse;
  • history of its creation;
  • critical appreciation.

Good luck in your poetry interpretation practice!

More information about poems by Rudyard Kipling