The Swallow by William Cowper: poem analysis

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

I am fond of the swallow--I learn from her flight,
Had I skill to improve it, a lesson of love:... 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: abab cdcd cece dfdf ghgh ibib
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 4,4,4,4,4,4,
  • Closest metre: iambic pentameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: alternate rhyme
  • Сlosest stanza type: sonnet
  • Guessed form: blank verse
  • Metre: 111001011001 111001001001 11011111001 11001101001 00101111001 01011001001 11011101001 001101101001 110001101011 1100111001 11011111001 1011111010001 11101111001 001001111011 01001001001 001001011001 11001011001 11011001101 001101111001 01011011011 111001101001 011001001001 111011011001 11001001001
  • Amount of stanzas: 6
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 185
  • Average number of words per stanza: 36
  • Amount of lines: 24
  • Average number of symbols per line: 46 (strings are more long than medium ones)
  • Average number of words per line: 9

  • Mood of the speaker:

    The punctuation marks are various. Neither mark predominates.

  • The author used lexical repetitions to emphasize a significant image; i is repeated.

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

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

Good luck in your poetry interpretation practice!

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