ENGLISH POETRY Flashcards
What is an Iamb?
An iamb is a group of two syllables, the first unstressed (weak) and the second stressed (or
strong).
What is an Iambic pentameter?
Iambic pentameter is a line of poetry containing five iambs or ten syllables with an
alternation of stressed and unstressed syllables
What poetic technique does Owen use in this line from ‘Exposure’: ‘sudden successive
flights of bullets streak the silence’? What is the impact on the reader?
This is an example of sibilance (or alliteration of the ‘s’ sound). The repetition of the ‘s’ sound
creates an impression of hissing which suggests the bullets flying past. This sound effect
increases the intensity of the description and helps the reader imagines the soldiers’ experience.
What poetic technique does Heaney use in this line from ‘Storm on the Island’: ‘spits
like a tame cat /Turned savage’? What is the effect on the reader?
This is an example of a simile. By comparing the storm to an animals which goes from being
tame to savage, he conveys the sense of fear felt by the islanders when the storm begins.
Nature goes from being something calm to something threatening.
Describe the difference between the first part (lines 1-6) and second part (lines 7-
19) of the poem ‘Storm on the Island’.
The first part of the poem describes a relatively harmonious relationship between people and
nature. The people are are prepared, and have used natural materials to build their sturdy
homes. The mood changes with the word ‘Blast’ at the beginning of line 7. This word is
stressed, upsetting the iambic pentameter of the first part. From now on the poem
concentrates vocabulary about violence and warfare.
What poetic technique does Heaney use in this line from ‘Storm on the Island’: leaves
and branches / Can raise a tragic chorus in a gale’? What is the effect on the reader?
This is an example of personification. Parts of trees are represented as having the ability to
sing and to feel and express emotions. The effect is to create the impression that nature is an
active participant in the lives of the inhabitants, and that nature contributes to their sadness.
What is a sonnet? Does Shelley respect the sonnet form in his poem ‘Ozymandias’?
A sonnet is a poem of fourteen lines, each of which consists of 10 syllables. The Italian sonnet is
composed of a group of 8 lines and a group of 6 lines. The English (or Shakespearean) sonnet
is composed of 3 groups of 4 lines and a couplet (two lines). Shelley does not entirely respect
the rules of either form of sonnet. Perhaps he wanted to show that he was breaking the rules,
in the spirit of Romanticism. Or he wanted to convey a sense of ‘brokenness’ like the statue.
What poetic technique does Owen use at the end of this line from ‘Exposure’: ‘The
poignant misery of dawn begins to grow . . . ’? What is the impact on the reader
This is an example of ellipsis (leaving something out and drawing the reader’s attention to the
fact that something is missing). The effect on the reader is to slow down the pace of the poem,
to force the reader to imagine what this ‘misery’ might be precisely. It also makes the reader
share in the soldier’s frustration with the waiting and monotony
Consider the rhyme in these two lines from ‘Exposure’. What can you say about the
effect?
We only know war lasts, rain soaks, and clouds sag stormy.
Dawn massing in the east her melancholy army
This is an example of half-rhyme or pararhyme (where the consonant sounds but not the vowel
sounds are the same). The use of half-rhymes creates a jarring, uncomfortable feeling which
echoes the anxiety felt by the soldiers.
Why can the following lines from ‘Ozymandias’ be said to be ironic?
Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!
Nothing beside remains.
This is ironic because what Ozymandias hoped for in building his statue is not what has
occurred. He wanted to gain respect and admiration, the inscription expresses pride, even
arrogance. In fact, his statue has come to represent the destructive power of nature and the
transient nature of power
What is the difference between ‘mood’ and ‘tone’ when referring to a piece of writing?
The mood of a piece of writing is its emotional atmosphere, the feelings it evokes in the reader.
The tone of a piece of writing is the attitude it expresses about its subject. This
could be the attitude of the writer or narrator.
