This is an analysis of the poem The Rocks that begins with:

I was a timid little antelope;
My home was in the rocks, the lonely rocks.... 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: Xa Xa Xa ba ba bXa
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 2,2,2,2,2,3,
  • Closest metre: iambic pentameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: rondeau rhyme
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: blank verse
  • Metre: 1101010101 1110010101 11010100101 1101010101 1101000101 1100010101 1001110001 1111010001 1101010001 0101110001 1101010001 1101111111 1100010101
  • Amount of stanzas: 6
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 86
  • Average number of words per stanza: 17
  • Amount of lines: 13
  • Average number of symbols per line: 39 (medium-length strings)
  • Average number of words per line: 8
  • Mood of the speaker:

    The punctuation marks are various. Neither mark predominates.

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

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

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

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

Good luck in your poetry interpretation practice!

More information about poems by William Makepeace Thackeray