This is an analysis of the poem The Wreck Of The Thomas Dryden that begins with:

As I stood upon the sandy beach
One morn near Pentland Ferry,... 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: XaXa bcdc bdXd eeff gbdb hcic djhj dgeg icec gkjk idbdXkece
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 4,4,4,4,4,4,4,4,4,4,9,
  • Closest metre: iambic tetrameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: rima
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: unknown form
  • Metre: 111010101 1111010 110100100 1101110 11010101 1010101 100100011 011101 1010101 111101 1010111100 01110101 1011101 0101000111 101011101 001001001 1110100101 1011111 11010101 1111001 0110100010 000101010 01110010 11010101 110101001001 1110001 1010100110 1010111 11101101001 10111001 01111101 01101 11111010 1010010 01110010 01100101 101100011 101101 10101101 011101 101110010 010111 10100111 110101 11010101 10100111 111010101 1110101
  • Amount of stanzas: 12
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 132
  • Average number of words per stanza: 25
  • Amount of lines: 48
  • 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; to, it, and are repeated.

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

    The author used the same word then at the beginnings of some neighboring stanzas. The figure of speech is a kind of anaphora.

    The literary device anadiplosis is detected in two or more neighboring lines. The word/phrase it connects the lines.

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

  • summary of The Wreck Of The Thomas Dryden;
  • 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 Topaz McGonagall