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

Life is too grim with anxious, eating care
To cherish what is best. Our souls are scarred...

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: abbaabba cdceed
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 8,6,
  • Closest metre: iambic pentameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: alternate rhyme
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: Shakespearean sonnet
  • Metre: 1011010101 0101011111 11010011101 1101001111 1001011101 1111011101 110010101001 0101010111 1111000101 1101010001 0011010101 1101111101 1111111011 1111010011
  • Amount of stanzas: 2
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 340
  • Average number of words per stanza: 55
  • Amount of lines: 14
  • Average number of symbols per line: 48 (strings are more long than medium ones)
  • Average number of words per line: 8
  • Mood of the speaker:

    The punctuation marks are various. Neither mark predominates.

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

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

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

  • summary of The Higher Kinship;
  • 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 Wilfred Campbell