This is an analysis of the poem For The Anniversary Of My Death that begins with:

Every year without knowing it I have passed the day
When the last fires will wave to me...

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: aabcX cbXdddXb
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 5,8,
  • Closest metre: trochaic tetrameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: rima
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: unknown form
  • Metre: 10010110011101 101100101 1010011 100100 10100101 110110 11101100110 01101 1010110 10100001 10110101101 1001110101 11011001
  • Amount of stanzas: 2
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 215
  • Average number of words per stanza: 42
  • Amount of lines: 13
  • Average number of symbols per line: 32 (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; and, of are repeated.

    The poet used anaphora at the beginnings of some neighboring lines. The same word and is repeated.

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

  • summary of For The Anniversary Of My Death;
  • 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 Stanley Merwin