How Often Do You Bat Your Eyes? by Lawrence S. Pertillar: poem analysis

This is an analysis of the poem How Often Do You Bat Your Eyes? that begins with:

Can you explain to us,
With clarity......

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: aXbABABXXccX XXaXXabbX Xb X da X dX XXd
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 12,9,2,1,2,1,2,3,
  • Closest metre: iambic trimeter
  • Сlosest rhyme: no rhyme
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: unknown form
  • Metre: 110101 0100 11010011 10 11 10 11 11101001 111111 01001010 1111101010 111011 1 1111 111 111100 0110 01110 101101 1101010100 11010101001101 1 111 1111111101111 11111010101 111101010 11110101 111 101 1011111 11011111
  • Amount of stanzas: 9
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 85
  • Average number of words per stanza: 16
  • Amount of lines: 31
  • Average number of symbols per line: 24 (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; and, you are repeated.

    The poet used anaphora at the beginnings of some neighboring lines. The same word and is repeated.

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

  • summary of How Often Do You Bat Your Eyes?;
  • 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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