With the exception of Section IV, the poem is written in free verse, so it follows no regular form or meter. This is in keeping with Eliot’s practice as a modernist poet who constructs new forms without regard to poetic tradition. This gives him great flexibility, and in “East Coker,” he frequently adopts a conversational tone, using the pronouns “you” and “we,” to draw the reader into his experience and understanding of life. The lines tend to be long—up to as many as 18 syllables, with around 12 to 15 syllables being common—although some lines are shorter. The patterns of stress vary considerably.

Section IV consistently follows an iambic meter. An iambic foot comprises an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable: “The wounded surgeon plies the steel” (Line 149). In each of the five stanzas in this section, the first three lines are iambic tetrameter, which comprises four feet; Line 4 is iambic pentameter (five feet), and Line 5 is iambic hexameter (six feet).

This strict adherence to form in a poem that otherwise consists of free verse reflects the thematic content of Section IV. Although humanity suffers from a sickness, salvation is at hand through Christ’s sacrifice and the sacraments of the church.