Have You Forgotten? by Lawrence S. Pertillar: poem analysis

This is an analysis of the poem Have You Forgotten? that begins with:

Are my arms not strong enough,
To hold you within them......

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: ABA CDE fdf FGhFGh ABA CDE hhgg XXX
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 3,3,3,6,3,3,4,3,
  • Closest metre: iambic trimeter
  • Сlosest rhyme: alternate rhyme
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: unknown form
  • Metre: 1111101 011010 11111 11110111001 010110 011100101011 1110111 01011001 10101 011 11 10101001 011 11 11001001111 1111101 011010 11111 11110111001 010110 011100101011 11010 11110 111 11101011111 11 1111110 11111100011
  • Amount of stanzas: 8
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 99
  • Average number of words per stanza: 18
  • Amount of lines: 28
  • Average number of symbols per line: 28 (strings are less long than medium ones)
  • Average number of words per line: 5

  • Mood of the speaker:

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

    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; you is repeated.

    The author used the same word have 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 Have You Forgotten?;
  • 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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