This is an analysis of the poem A Dead Sea-Gull that begins with:

LACK-LUSTRE eye, and idle wing,
And smirchèd breast that skims no more, ... 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: abccba dXdded feeeef gdggdg hgddgh
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 6,6,6,6,6,
  • Closest metre: iambic trimeter
  • Сlosest rhyme: rima
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: unknown form
  • Metre: 11011101 1111111 11010101 1111001 010101 010101 11011111 11010010 10110101 100101 100101 101111 11110111 11011101 10110011 111111 110101 010101 11010101 11011101 11111011 110101 011101 100101 11010101 11110101 11010111 10101 111111 100101
  • Amount of stanzas: 5
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 193
  • Average number of words per stanza: 34
  • Amount of lines: 30
  • 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; nor is repeated.

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

  • summary of A Dead Sea-Gull;
  • central theme;
  • idea of the verse;
  • history of its creation;
  • critical appreciation.

Good luck in your poetry interpretation practice!

More information about poems by Dinah Maria Mulock Craik