This is an analysis of the poem The Ballad Of The Black-Sheep that begins with:

A black-sheep, from England, who worked on the run –
Riding where the stockmen ride –... 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: ababcc cc dedeCc Cc fbfbdd dbdbbbXaa
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 6,2,6,2,6,9,
  • Closest metre: iambic pentameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: rima
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: blank verse
  • Metre: 01101011101 1010101 11101101111 1110111 110011001111 11111011101 110011001111 11111011101 11001001011 1110111 11011101001 1100111 111101011111 11111011101 111101011111 11111011101 11001011001 101101 11001101001 1110111 11111011101 101001111001 01101001101 11010101 11001111101 1111101 01001011111 101101101101 01001111111 101101101101
  • Amount of stanzas: 7
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 197
  • Average number of words per stanza: 40
  • Amount of lines: 30
  • Average number of symbols per line: 45 (strings are more long than medium ones)
  • Average number of words per line: 9
  • Mood of the speaker:

    There are many exclamation marks in the poem. The speaker is excited. He or she has strong feelings on the subject that is described in the poem.

  • The author used lexical repetitions to emphasize a significant image; my, there, and, s, he are repeated.

    The author used the same word the at the beginnings of some neighboring stanzas. The figure of speech is a kind of anaphora.

    The poet repeated the same word me at the end of some neighboring stanzas. The poetic device is a kind of epiphora.

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

  • summary of The Ballad Of The Black-Sheep;
  • central theme;
  • idea of the verse;
  • history of its creation;
  • critical appreciation.

Good luck in your poetry interpretation practice!

More information about poems by Henry Lawson