Studying poetry can be difficult at times . . .
for levels of understanding differs depending on many factors . . .
in parts, perhaps, one's own experiences for identification . . .
or similar feelings to be projected into one's understanding of
certain literary works . . .
As a student of literature, I would like to share a few of
techniques or ways that I learned to empathize with poetry.
Including a few terms that may have been introduced to many
of us, and are open to discussion and individual interpretation.
As the followings:
In understanding certain works, we may find it helpful to
consider several questions, and attempt to answer these questions
base on our knowledge of the poetic elements.
A few of these questions may be but are not limited to :
(suggested by Michael Meyer's anthology)
1. Who is the speaker? Is it possible to determine the speaker's age, sex,
sensibilities, level of awareness, and values?
2.Is the speaker addressing anyone in particular?
3.How do you respond to the speaker? Favorably? Negatively?
What is the situation? Are there any special circumstances that inform
what the speaker says?
4. Is there a specific setting of time and place?
5. Does reading the poem aloud help you to understand it?
6. Does a paraphrase reveal the basic purpose of the poem?
7. What does the title emphasize?
8. Is the theme presented directly or indirectly?
9. Do any allusions enrich the poem's meaning?
10. How does the diction reveal meaning? Are any words repeated
Do any carry evocative connotative meanings?
Are there any puns or other form of verbal wit?
11. Are figures of speech used? How does the figurative langugage
contribute to the poem's vividness and meaning?
12. Do any objects, persons, places, events, or actions have allegorical
or symbolic meanings? What other details in the poem support your
interpretation?
13. Is irony used? Are there any examples of situational irony, verbal irony,
or dramatic irony? Is understatement or paradox used?
14. What is the tone of the poem? Is the tone consistent?
15. Does the poem use onomatopoeia, assonance, consonance, or alliteration?
How do these sounds affect you?
16. What sounds are repeated? If there are rhymes, what is their effect?
Do they seem forced or natural? Is there a rhyme scheme?
Do the rhymes contribute to the poem's meaning?
17. Do the lines have a regular meter? What is the predominant meter?
Are there significant variations?
Does the rhythm seem appropriate for the tone of the poem?
as you can see, many of these questions already involve you, as a reader,
to ponder about what poetic elements are present, and why they are present...
since poetry is a very concise form of literature... a very condense form...
repetitions of any sorts can be of emphasis to the theme or meaning or
essentially what the author attempt to say or create....
There are many possible elements that a poet can utilize.
However, that does not necessarily mean all of the possible elements
will be present in any one poem. Thus, which elements and the way
the poet chooses to use the elements does matter.
Since this entry has already become too lengthy, I shall continue
in the next entries rather than writing them all here.
<<to be continued>>
--
Thinking is the talking of the soul with itself.
~ Plato
--
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作者: dyang007 (好奇的沖ㄦ~^^) 看板: poetry
標題: Re: [分享] a few poetic element descriptions
時間: Mon Nov 21 03:17:41 2005
when examining a poem,
of course, you see words ~
words that has (often)
literal meanings vs. figurative meanings
and
denotations and connotations
and since poetry is a short form of literature...
the diction, word choice of the poet, is significant!
Looking closely at what and why the poet chooses one word over
other hundreds of thousands of possible words out there may give insight
to the meaning and/or theme of the poem.
Many words can have the same denotation, dictionary definition,
but have different connotations, associations and implications that
go beyond a word's literal meaning.
The connotations may help to estabilish certain moods that the poet
tries to create by setting up the tone of the poem.
Tone of a poem is essentially the writer's attitude towards the subject,
as you can often hear in conversations how one can be sarcastic or ...
stating something as a matter of fact... you can reach into how
the poet feels about the situation....presented... by the way he/she
presents it...
as thinking of words... the order of the words is apparently
very important as well... as it places emphasis and infer
meaning....the first and the last of the words seem to be
important.
--
*合作 勝於單打獨鬥, 大家要一起共生演化ㄚ~!*
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作者: dyang007 (好奇的沖ㄦ~^^) 看板: poetry
標題: Re: [分享] a few poetic element descriptions
時間: Mon Nov 21 09:43:02 2005
words ~ weave pictures that are called imagery
that appeals to our senses ~
imagery ~ makes you see ~ through words ~ into imaginations . . .
causing specific emotional responses ~ that are relevent ~
or even highlights ~ the theme ~
--
~ If people did not sometimes do silly things,
nothing intelligent would ever get done. ~
~ Ludwig Wittgenstei ~
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