This is an analysis of the poem Olney Hymn 36: Afflictions Sanctified By The Word that begins with:

Oh how I love Thy holy Word,
Thy gracious covenant, O Lord! ... 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: aabb ccdd Xaaa eeff XaaaXaaee
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 4,4,4,4,9,
  • Closest metre: iambic tetrameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: couplets
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: unknown form
  • Metre: 11111101 11010011 01100101 11010101 11010101 01010101 11110101 11010101 110001000 010010111 11111101 11111011 11011101 11111101 01110101 11100101 111111000 11111101 11010101 11010101 11111111 11011101 10110101 11011101
  • Amount of stanzas: 6
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 143
  • Average number of words per stanza: 25
  • Amount of lines: 24
  • Average number of symbols per line: 35 (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; of, thy are repeated.

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

  • summary of Olney Hymn 36: Afflictions Sanctified By The Word;
  • central theme;
  • idea of the verse;
  • history of its creation;
  • critical appreciation.

Good luck in your poetry interpretation practice!

More information about poems by William Cowper