This is an analysis of the poem Meant To Be Overheard that begins with:

Listen to them...
And you can tell, ...

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: abXXccb Adee Afef AdgXhdd Adbih AeiXee Agc Aheccc jhXjehbgiigc
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 7,4,4,7,5,6,3,6,12,
  • Closest metre: iambic trimeter
  • Сlosest rhyme: alternate rhyme
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: unknown form
  • Metre: 1000 1111 1101011 11110 1 11101 111011 001000 111 1010001 01101 001000 111 111101 1010111 001000 111 1010010011 11101111 0101 0110011 100111 001000 1100111 111010101 010011 11110110001 001000 111010 11011 11111 110111 11101111 001000 11111 00110100 001000 010101 10101010001010 110101111 111111 1110001 1100010011001 101110 0010001000 101000001001 01010101 110100100001 111010 101001101010 0110111 11001 0101011001010010 10010110001
  • Amount of stanzas: 9
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 178
  • Average number of words per stanza: 31
  • Amount of lines: 54
  • 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:

    The punctuation marks are various. Neither mark predominates.

  • The author used lexical repetitions to emphasize a significant image; they, and, to, from, be are repeated.

    The author used the same word it's 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 Meant To Be Overheard;
  • 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