What Do We Want? by Lawrence S. Pertillar: poem analysis

This is an analysis of the poem What Do We Want? that begins with:

Those who have participated,
In their own diminished quality of life......

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: aXabXaccc dcaeXaaX X d X d X d XXeb
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 9,8,1,1,1,1,1,1,4,
  • Closest metre: iambic trimeter
  • Сlosest rhyme: rondeau rhyme
  • Сlosest stanza type: sonnet
  • Guessed form: unknown form
  • Metre: 11101010 01101010001 0110111 011011 0011101011 1101 11100001 00100011 10101001101001 11 011101011010 111101010 010100010111010 101000010 1111101101101 011000101010 010001 11111 111 1111101 1 11111 111 1111101 11110 10101
  • Amount of stanzas: 10
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 79
  • Average number of words per stanza: 14
  • Amount of lines: 26
  • Average number of symbols per line: 30 (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; to, we are repeated.

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

  • summary of What Do We Want?;
  • 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

Poems about...
✕