Strickly Business by Lawrence S. Pertillar: poem analysis

This is an analysis of the poem Strickly Business that begins with:

Long before you could pronounce my name,
I was taking myself seriously....

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: abccdefXedXXcefXXaXXbXXde
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 25,
  • Closest metre: trochaic pentameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: no rhyme
  • Сlosest stanza type: sonnet
  • Guessed form: unknown form
  • Metre: 101110111 1110111000 110111101 111 01010 110111101101 1101010 111011011 1110 0011111011110 0111000111010 101111010101110 1110111101 01001010100110000001 0110101010 0110111010001 11011001001111 0110111011 1101111101010 101101010010111 100010110110100 110 1010111010 111010 1100001001010
  • Amount of stanzas: 1
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 996
  • Average number of words per stanza: 187
  • Amount of lines: 25
  • Average number of symbols per line: 39 (medium-length strings)
  • Average number of words per line: 7

  • 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; i, you are repeated.

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

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

  • summary of Strickly Business;
  • 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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