This is an analysis of the poem The Emulation that begins with:

Say, Tyrant Custom, why must we obey
The impositions of thy haughty Sway;... 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: aabbccddXXXXeeffgghhccccccccaddccbbiijj
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 39,
  • Closest metre: iambic pentameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: couplets
  • Сlosest stanza type: sonnet
  • Guessed form: heroic couplets
  • Metre: 1101011101 0100001101 0011011001 11000100101 0101010101 1111110111 1101010100 0100010100 1111010011 1111010101 1011110001 1101110100 1101111111 0101111101 1111011101 1101001001 01011101101 1101100101 1111011101 1101010011 0110011001 1111011101 1101101001 1101110101 1101000101 110101011101 1001111010 110010100010 11110111001 1101000100 1111010100 1011010101 11001110111 1111010101 0101010101 1101011101 1111110100 1111110111 1101111101
  • Amount of stanzas: 1
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 1744
  • Average number of words per stanza: 302
  • Amount of lines: 39
  • Average number of symbols per line: 44 (strings are more long than medium ones)
  • Average number of words per line: 8
  • Mood of the speaker:

    The punctuation marks are various. Neither mark predominates.

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

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

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

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

Good luck in your poetry interpretation practice!

More information about poems by Sarah Fyge