This is an analysis of the poem Sleep that begins with:

Do you give yourself to me utterly,
Body and no-body, flesh and no-flesh...

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: a b a b a a a c c c a X X X c X c d e dXe
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,3,
  • Closest metre: trochaic pentameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: rondeau rhyme
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: unknown form
  • Metre: 1111001100 1011101111 110100101100 1101101101 1100 11111111010 1011101010011000 111011 011011 001111011 010101000 11111101 110101110 101111111 100111011 101101110 11010101 111001010100 01010101 1001010100 11010011
  • Amount of stanzas: 21
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 36
  • Average number of words per stanza: 6
  • Amount of lines: 23
  • Average number of symbols per line: 33 (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; no, you, and are repeated.

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

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

    There is a poetic device epiphora at the end of some neighboring lines you is repeated).

    The poet repeated the same word you 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 Sleep;
  • central theme;
  • idea of the verse;
  • history of its creation;
  • critical appreciation.

Good luck in your poetry interpretation practice!

More information about poems by Kenneth Slessor