Asphalt by Conrad Potter Aiken: poem analysis

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

Light your cigarette, then, in this shadow,
And talk to her, your arm engaged with hers....

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: Xaba ccdc ebab efXf dgeg
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 4,4,4,4,4,
  • Closest metre: trochaic pentameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: rima
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: unknown form
  • Metre: 1110110011 1100110100 100101101010 0011010111 011100111011 1001111101 10010101110 10110010111 110100101010 01010100101 110100110101 01110100111 111100101010 10010010101 1000101010110 10011111001 111111101011 1001011101 0010100101110 1111010101
  • Amount of stanzas: 5
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 188
  • Average number of words per stanza: 33
  • Amount of lines: 20
  • Average number of symbols per line: 46 (strings are more long than medium ones)
  • 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; your, and, victim are repeated.

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

    The literary device anadiplosis is detected in two or more neighboring lines. The word/phrase victim connects the lines.

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

  • summary of Asphalt;
  • central theme;
  • idea of the verse;
  • history of its creation;
  • critical appreciation.

Good luck in your poetry interpretation practice!

More information about poems by Conrad Potter Aiken

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