Being Insensitive by Lawrence S. Pertillar: poem analysis

This is an analysis of the poem Being Insensitive that begins with:

You said to me 'if' I rode my bicycle,
I may or MAY NOT get a flat tire....

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: aXabbcb XdbaXXeXXdXX bf bbeeacf X
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 7,12,2,7,1,
  • Closest metre: trochaic tetrameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: no rhyme
  • Сlosest stanza type: sonnet
  • Guessed form: unknown form
  • Metre: 11011111100 1111110110 1 10101 11111 11101 110101010 110101000101 1110101001 100101010 1110111 1 111011010 0100101010 011110001 010110 1101101 101101 10100110011110 110101 1111010010100 10111 1110101 11111001101 00111111100 111 1 1100100 1101101
  • Amount of stanzas: 5
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 172
  • Average number of words per stanza: 31
  • Amount of lines: 29
  • Average number of symbols per line: 29 (strings are less long than medium ones)
  • Average number of words per line: 5

  • Mood of the speaker:

    There are many three dots in the poem. Readers should think of the author's idea together with the pensive speaker.

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

    The poet repeated the same word insensitive 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 Being Insensitive;
  • 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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