This is an analysis of the poem They Held Me Down that begins with:

It was Sat night at the slammer the gavel was falling like a hammer
As they dragged in every freak from off the road...

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: XaXbcccbbaXbbdeXeeXfbffcagggggd
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 31,
  • Closest metre: trochaic pentameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: rima
  • Сlosest stanza type: sonnet
  • Guessed form: unknown form
  • Metre: 011110100101101010 111010010101 11111001101011101 0110011101101011 1111110111110100101111 1111110111101 11111110011 01000101111011 1111111110111 1110 11010010011100011 1010111111111101 101111110111 101001111111110 111111011111110111 11111101011101101 11101001110101 1111110111 11011111111 110011111111111110011 1101010011111010 111111111110101 10011011111110011 110101011001111 101000101110111 1111110011 1001 110111010111 111011100111111 11111110011 1111111101
  • Amount of stanzas: 1
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 1772
  • Average number of words per stanza: 383
  • Amount of lines: 31
  • Average number of symbols per line: 56 (very long strings)
  • Average number of words per line: 12
  • Mood of the speaker:

    The punctuation marks are various. Neither mark predominates.

  • The author used lexical repetitions to emphasize a significant image; they, and, my, you, i, he, down, me, it 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 They Held Me Down;
  • central theme;
  • idea of the verse;
  • history of its creation;
  • critical appreciation.

Good luck in your poetry interpretation practice!

More information about poems by Shel Silverstein