This is an analysis of the poem Longings For Home that begins with:

O MAGNET-SOUTH! O glistening, perfumed South! My South!
O quick mettle, rich blood, impulse, and love! Good and evil! O all dear to me! ... 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: XabcbbXbdeXcffeceXbgchfgXbXgeeciabcigjciiXXXijhifd
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 50,
  • Closest metre: trochaic pentameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: enclosed rhyme
  • Сlosest stanza type: sonnet
  • Guessed form: unknown form
  • Metre: 1101110001111 1110110111011011101 11011111101101111 10 1 110 1011111010111101010100 1 1 11 10101010010010000101001 0 101001 110101100101011011101 01010011101011110011011 0 10111101001110 110100011101011010010 01100110111111011101010 1110110101110101010 110 10110010010010 1111101101001111111110 11 10101010101101 0101001010101110 0101010110001110101 1 101 010101010101001010111 0 100100110100110011 101101001111010010101 10 01000100010100110001110 11 1 0100101 0101001001010101001010 11 1 010101100010010 0101110110110110 10 1 101001001111001 11011001011110 111110111111011001 10000101111100010100 110001001101101101110101
  • Amount of stanzas: 1
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 2331
  • Average number of words per stanza: 412
  • Amount of lines: 50
  • Average number of symbols per line: 46 (strings are more long than medium ones)
  • Average number of words per line: 8
  • 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; o, south, and, i, see, with, of are repeated.

    The poet used anaphora at the beginnings of some neighboring lines. The same words o, the are repeated.

    The literary device anadiplosis is detected in two or more neighboring lines. The word/phrase again connects the lines.

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

  • summary of Longings For Home;
  • central theme;
  • idea of the verse;
  • history of its creation;
  • critical appreciation.

Good luck in your poetry interpretation practice!

More information about poems by Walt Whitman