Am I Living Within My Means? by Lawrence S. Pertillar: poem analysis

This is an analysis of the poem Am I Living Within My Means? that begins with:

Am I living within my means?
Isn't that obvious? ...

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: ABcXbbaabbXac ABdcXa AcXcXAdcb
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 13,6,9,
  • Closest metre: iambic tetrameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: limerick
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: unknown form
  • Metre: 11100111 001100 1111011101 001 011001101 0101101 0101111100 0100101 10110100100 101 0110010 10100110 111100101 11100111 001100 11011 11000100110 110010110 110101001100 11100111 011101010 11111010 100 11100111 010011 11111100 011111010
  • Amount of stanzas: 4
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 201
  • Average number of words per stanza: 39
  • Amount of lines: 27
  • Average number of symbols per line: 29 (strings are less long than medium ones)
  • Average number of words per line: 6

  • Mood of the speaker:

    The speaker asks many questions. Perhaps, he or she is in confusion.

  • The author used lexical repetitions to emphasize a significant image; my is repeated.

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

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

  • summary of Am I Living Within My Means?;
  • central theme;
  • idea of the verse;
  • history of its creation;
  • critical appreciation.

Good luck in your poetry interpretation practice!

More information about poems by Lawrence S. Pertillar

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