This is an analysis of the poem Sonnet Xviii: I Never Gave A Lock Of Hair that begins with:

I never gave a lock of hair away
To a man, dearest, except this to thee, ... 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: aaXaXaaabcbcbc
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 14,
  • Closest metre: iambic pentameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: limerick
  • Сlosest stanza type: sonnet
  • Guessed form: sonnet with iambic pentameter or irregular meter
  • Metre: 1101010101 0011001001 1101110100 1110011111 101011011101 1111010111 1110011101 1111010101 1111110101 1100011101 11011101001 1101110101 1011010110 0111011111
  • Amount of stanzas: 1
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 628
  • Average number of words per stanza: 120
  • Amount of lines: 14
  • Average number of symbols per line: 44 (strings are more long than medium ones)
  • Average number of words per line: 9
  • Mood of the speaker:

    The punctuation marks are various. Neither mark predominates.

  • The author used lexical repetitions to emphasize a significant image; to, i, it, my are repeated.

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

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

  • summary of Sonnet Xviii: I Never Gave A Lock Of Hair;
  • central theme;
  • idea of the verse;
  • history of its creation;
  • critical appreciation.

Good luck in your poetry interpretation practice!

More information about poems by Elizabeth Barrett Browning