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

The Minstrel-Boy to the war is gone,
In the ranks of death you'll find him; ... 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: ababcdcX aeaedXdX
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 8,8,
  • Closest metre: iambic tetrameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: alternate rhyme
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: ballad stanza
  • Metre: 010100101 00101111 010111101 10111011 10010101001 10101011 11111111 11011110 010110101 11101110 01111101 11101010 111011101 11011100 110110111 1110101000
  • Amount of stanzas: 2
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 325
  • Average number of words per stanza: 56
  • Amount of lines: 16
  • 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; and is repeated.

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

    The author used the same word the at the beginnings of some neighboring stanzas. The figure of speech is a kind of anaphora.

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

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

Good luck in your poetry interpretation practice!

More information about poems by Thomas Moore