Some Key Questions
Below are some key questions and prompt
statements to help you reflect and analyse each poem we study.
·
Comment on
the poetic voice of the poem.
There maybe more than one voice – different voices may offer different perspectives
on the themes raised. For example the voice maybe male, female, young, old,
subjective, objective, detached, engaged. Is the voice angry, sad, joyful etc
·
What
is the main subject of the poem?
The title
of the poem may give you a clue to the poem’s subject. Make a note of the
subject and consider how the subject is being presented. Be prepared for the
presentation of the subject to change and develop through the poem. The subject
maybe a character, an object, a location, etc
·
What
happens in the poem?
Sometimes
poems tell stories, they are narrative poems. And sometimes there are
developments and time shifts that occur. Often poets include autobiography in
their poetry and write about the past – sometimes using the present tense.
Action, movement and stasis are important to consider.
·
What
are the main themes or issues raised in the poem?
Although
the subject of a poem maybe physical and material a poem will also engage with
broader and more abstract set of concepts. Themes may occur explicitly or
implicitly. Issues are usually clearly defined where the poet presents a
conscious position on a subject.
·
Comment
on the setting and context[s] of the poem.
An
important element in poetry can be the poem’s setting. The immediate setting is
the physical landscape that frames the subject of the poem. Poets use setting
to develop the themes, subject and meaning of a poem. Contexts are broader and
more abstract and may link to political, cultural, social and historical
concerns. Contexts often involve the poet and the personal and societal
·
Comment
on the structure and form of the poem.
Poems are
usually highly organized texts. A poet will have worked and reworked their
material to suit their purposes and to engage the reader. The physical shape of the poem and the way it
is presented on the page will help convey the poem’s meaning.
·
Response to
the poem.
To consider all the above questions carefully and reflectively will help
you develop an informed, sensitive, thoughtful, imaginative, analytical
response to these poems. In turn this will help you enormously to write a good
1000 word essay.
What key language and literary features can you
identify and what effect do these features have on a reader?
- What genre does the poem draw from? Consider whether the poem is
largely descriptive, narrative, monologue, dialogue, abstract, physical,
etc
- Generally poets use two different techniques to communicate to
their readers. One is imagery –
where poets appeal to the imaginations of their readers. For example;
metaphor, simile, symbolism and personification. The other technique is phonology – where a poet uses
sound to appeal to their readers. For example; alliteration, assonance, rhyme,
onomatopoeia and repetition etc. Another unique feature of poetry is the
use of form. At its most basic
consider the shape of the poem on the page. Is there any specific pattern
to them poem? Is the poem a ballad, a sonnet or lyric poem? Is it written
in free verse? Consider such things as line length – iambic pentameters
and tetrameters are two line structures. But also consider stanzas.
·
You should also consider such features as – grammar – the structures
that exist within a sentence. For example identifying verbs, nouns and
adjectives. Lexis – or vocabulary.
Consider such things as simple or complex, emotive or neutral words. Also the
denotations and connotations of words. Syntax – sentence
structure. Consider such things as simple, compound or complex sentences. As
well as declarative, interrogative, instructional and exclamatory
sentences. Rhetorical devices – are techniques
designed to persuade a reader to a specific point of view. These techniques
include repetition, comparative and contrasting pairs, lists and lists of three
and direct address, etc. Register – is the
relationship the poetic voice adopts towards the reader. This is established
through using either formal or informal lexis.
- Identifying features in a poem will not enable you to get good grades
in your assessments. It is vital that you link the features of a poem to
the effects on you and a generalised reader. You may also be required to
link the work you are studying to specific contextual references – these
may be biographical or cultural. You may also be expected to refer to
theoretical perspectives such as Marxism or Feminism.
One 2500 word essay
comparing two poets on a comparative theme
