Analysis of Common Carnage
Jeffrey Powell 1979 (Pittsburgh, PA)
Biting-Tearing-Scathing
this is not somewhere inviting.
Eviscerating skin and nerves-
effacing and obliterating
sensation;
swift removal of lands and tribes
brings devastation.
No reasoning or rationale,
the freshly arrived just have to go.
Erasing back to barren states;
defacing the
responsive and vibrant.
The unblemished are sunk in despondence.
| Scheme | AABACDCEFGHIB |
|---|---|
| Poetic Form | |
| Metre | 101010 1111010 1101 01000100 010 10101101 1010 1100101 010011111 01011101 0100 010010 00101101 |
| Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
| Characters | 352 |
| Words | 58 |
| Sentences | 5 |
| Stanzas | 1 |
| Stanza Lengths | 13 |
| Lines Amount | 13 |
| Letters per line (avg) | 22 |
| Words per line (avg) | 4 |
| Letters per stanza (avg) | 290 |
| Words per stanza (avg) | 49 |
About this poem
It is probably true that warfare and aggression are written into the human genetic code. Originally intended to describe an individual's personal struggles, this piece quickly expanded to encompass any loss of life through violent acts. Whether from combat, corruption, or clear-cut chaos the tragic ripple effect from man's brutality is unnerving.
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"Common Carnage" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 15 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/142581/common-carnage>.
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