How Bad Do You Want This? by Lawrence S. Pertillar: poem analysis

This is an analysis of the poem How Bad Do You Want This? that begins with:

How bad do you want this?
And are you willing to sacrifice, ...

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: Aab ABAB ACdbec Ceb AcbfX ABABXbXdbff
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 3,4,6,3,5,11,
  • Closest metre: iambic tetrameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: rondeau rhyme
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: unknown form
  • Metre: 111110 111100101 1011001001 111110 1111001 101110 10101101101 1111110 0101010101 110110 00101001 0101111 10110110101 0101010101 010101101 111010001010 1111110 11100111011010 01010010011 111 111 111110 1111001 101110 10101101101 111001 01110101 11111010 01011111101 011101011 01010
  • Amount of stanzas: 7
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 148
  • Average number of words per stanza: 27
  • Amount of lines: 31
  • Average number of symbols per line: 33 (medium-length strings)
  • 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; you is repeated.

    The author used the same word how 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 How Bad Do You Want This?;
  • 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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