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

Faint-gazing on the burning orb of day,
When Afric's injured son expiring lay,... 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: aabbccddeebbccddccccccffffeeccddddgghhiibbjjkkddddhhcckkeekkkkhhkkaa
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 68,
  • Closest metre: iambic tetrameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: couplets
  • Сlosest stanza type: sonnet
  • Guessed form: unknown form
  • Metre: 1101010101 1101010101 01010100101 0101010101 0101011101 0101010111 1111101 1010111 1010101 1011101 1000101 01011111 1010111 10011101 1010101 1111101 1110111 1110111 1110101 01010101 1111001 1010101 1011001 1001100 1010101 010010101 1110101 11110101 10100101 01110111 10100101 1111101 11010101 1011011 11010101 100010101 11011101 11100101 1001000101 10110101 01010001 11010101 11101010 10001010 1110101 110010111 1110111 10010101 1011101 11010101 10111001 0110111 11110101 01110001 1110111 1110101 110111001 01010001 01011101 11011101 1010101 11011001 10100101 01011101 10010011 1110111 11011101 11010101
  • Amount of stanzas: 1
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 2341
  • Average number of words per stanza: 409
  • Amount of lines: 68
  • Average number of symbols per line: 33 (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; his, thy, where, in are repeated.

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

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

  • summary of The Dying Slave;
  • 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 Lisle Bowles