I Think of Thee (Sonnet 29) Essay Questions

Discuss Browning's use of caesura in this work.

A caesura is a poetic device in which a single line is broken by a pause, with two separate phrases oriented around that central pause. This poem includes a good deal of caesura, which is especially prominent in its first and final lines. In line one, Browning writes "I think of thee! - my thoughts do twine and bud," with an exclamation point and a hyphen dividing the two phrases. The second of these phrases offers a metaphorical elaboration upon the statement made in the first. In the final line, Browning writes "I do not think of thee - I am too near thee," again using a hyphen to juxtapose two thoughts, so that the second phrase explains the first. The parallel structure of these two lines, each containing caesura, help to bring the poem full circle and emphasize their juxtaposed content.

How does Browning use extended metaphor in this poem?

An extended metaphor is used to convey a highly abstract, complex concept in clear and accessible terms. The poem's speaker describes a knotty situation in which her own thoughts about a lover cause her to lose sight of the lover's real self, even as she simultaneously feels close to him via imagination. This odd dynamic is made comprehensible through figurative language in which the speaker's thoughts are represented as vines, and the listener is represented as a tree. In particular, the use of a physical object to describe non-corporeal thoughts helps make the situation feel visceral and urgent.