What About My Image? by Lawrence S. Pertillar: poem analysis

This is an analysis of the poem What About My Image? that begins with:

But you've graduated from high school.
Why is it that you desire to go back? ...

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: aX bacddXabdXX ae XX e cbXXX
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 2,11,2,2,1,5,
  • Closest metre: trochaic tetrameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: no rhyme
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: unknown form
  • Metre: 111010011 10011010011 111011 0110111000100 1101 111111111010 111111011101 101 101100110100 11110 1 11101101 011010101011 1 11010001010010 11 11101111011000 10010110111 1110 0010011110 0010010111 10 1011101
  • Amount of stanzas: 6
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 118
  • Average number of words per stanza: 22
  • Amount of lines: 23
  • Average number of symbols per line: 30 (strings are less long than medium ones)
  • Average number of words per line: 6

  • 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; i is repeated.

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

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

  • summary of What About My Image?;
  • 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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