This is an analysis of the poem Counter-Attack that begins with:

We’d gained our first objective hours before
While dawn broke like a face with blinking eyes, ...

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: abcdefbXggahd cXXbgeXcaig feceeeeiXeehbgg
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 13,11,15,
  • Closest metre: iambic pentameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: shakespearean sonnet
  • Сlosest stanza type: sonnet
  • Guessed form: blank verse
  • Metre: 11110101001 1111010101 10100110101 1111111111 0101010111 110101000101 01110011101 110111000101 1111000101 1011011101 1101010101 11011001001 11010101011 0101010101 1001010101 110101001110 1101110011 01011111001 10010011101 10111100101 110010010101 11111001001 11011001010 1101010001 11001100101 10110101111 101101011001 1011010101 1011011101 11001010101 1111011101 110100101010 1101010101 1011111111 01110110111 11010101001 10010100111 111111111 10010100111
  • Amount of stanzas: 3
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 632
  • Average number of words per stanza: 105
  • Amount of lines: 39
  • Average number of symbols per line: 48 (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; and, him 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 Counter-Attack;
  • central theme;
  • idea of the verse;
  • history of its creation;
  • critical appreciation.

Good luck in your poetry interpretation practice!

More information about poems by Siegfried Sassoon