This is an analysis of the poem Life! I Know Not What Thou Art that begins with:

LIFE! I know not what thou art,
But know that thou and I must part; ... 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: aaaabbcc cddceebbaaffcc ffggheXh
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 8,14,8,
  • Closest metre: iambic tetrameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: couplets
  • Сlosest stanza type: sonnet
  • Guessed form: unknown form
  • Metre: 1111111 11111111 11111111 110110101 10111111 100111101 11110010 11110101 11010111 11011101 100101 1111110101 0011001001 011101 11110111 010110001 111101 111111 1101000101010 01111001110 1110111100 1111111111 11101010 110111010 11011111 01110101 110111010 1111 1101101101 11010
  • Amount of stanzas: 3
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 375
  • Average number of words per stanza: 68
  • Amount of lines: 30
  • Average number of symbols per line: 37 (medium-length strings)
  • Average number of words per line: 7
  • Mood of the speaker:

    The speaker asks many questions. Perhaps, he or she is in confusion.

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

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

  • summary of Life! I Know Not What Thou Art;
  • central theme;
  • idea of the verse;
  • history of its creation;
  • critical appreciation.

Good luck in your poetry interpretation practice!

More information about poems by Anna Laetitia Barbauld