Living 'Their' Lives by Lawrence S. Pertillar: poem analysis

This is an analysis of the poem Living 'Their' Lives that begins with:

Why is it you have to voice your opinion,
And dislikes, ...

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: abcc XX dee X eXbfbgdcea XeXXfga
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 4,2,3,1,10,7,
  • Closest metre: iambic trimeter
  • Сlosest rhyme: alternate rhyme
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: unknown form
  • Metre: 10011011010 101 0111111 111111 111111110 1101010 1 011 1011101001 1101001001 1 11001010010100 1110 1011111100 101011110110101 11 1 1101011 1011 1111 1 111111111 01101 011001 1 110111
  • Amount of stanzas: 7
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 96
  • Average number of words per stanza: 18
  • Amount of lines: 26
  • Average number of symbols per line: 25 (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; they is repeated.

    The literary device anadiplosis is detected in two or more neighboring lines. The word/phrase you connects the lines.

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

  • summary of Living 'Their' Lives;
  • 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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