The Red Flag by William Makepeace Thackeray: poem analysis

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

Where the quivering lightning flings
His arrows from out the clouds,... 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: aaaabcbcdc efefeaeada gegebabada
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 10,10,10,
  • Closest metre: iambic trimeter
  • Сlosest rhyme: enclosed rhyme
  • Сlosest stanza type: sonnet
  • Guessed form: unknown form
  • Metre: 10100101 0100101 1010101 1100101 11011001 010101 100101 1101101 01 1010101 010111 1111101 1010111 110101 1010111 110111 1110101 110101 01 1010101 100111 1100101 1110101 1010101 111111 111111 111111111 1110101 01 1010101
  • Amount of stanzas: 3
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 282
  • Average number of words per stanza: 51
  • Amount of lines: 30
  • Average number of symbols per line: 27 (strings are less long than medium ones)
  • Average number of words per line: 5

  • 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; well is repeated.

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

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

  • summary of The Red Flag;
  • 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 Makepeace Thackeray

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