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

Our shells clacked on the plates.
My tongue was a filling estuary,...

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: abcdXeafgecgXbbXhijidhXjf
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 25,
  • Closest metre: trochaic tetrameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: shakespearean sonnet
  • Сlosest stanza type: sonnet
  • Guessed form: unknown form
  • Metre: 1110101 1110101010 1101011 1110010101 01010100010 0111000 1111101 11011 101001010 1000111110 1110011 110111 11101010 101001100 001011100 1001110111 0101110101 1111001 01111 10100 11101111101 00111100110 100011101 01000101 1101100111
  • Amount of stanzas: 1
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 848
  • Average number of words per stanza: 152
  • Amount of lines: 25
  • Average number of symbols per line: 33 (medium-length strings)
  • Average number of words per line: 6
  • Mood of the speaker:

    The punctuation marks are various. Neither mark predominates.

  • The author used lexical repetitions to emphasize a significant image; and is repeated.

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

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

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

Good luck in your poetry interpretation practice!

More information about poems by Seamus Heaney