Poetry Flashcards
What are two main types of form in poetry?
Rigid and structured, or less strict.
What are examples of strict form?
Exposure - a strict ABBAC rhyme scheme, 8 stanzaz, all with 4 long lines one half line. This form reflects the monotonous existence of soldiers in the trenches, no hope of change for the men. The half lines reinforce this, gaps are left which emphasise the lack of action or hope.
War Photogragher - four six line stanzas, all similar length, ABBCDD rhyme scheme. Regularity shows the photograghers work, odered rows like “spools” in his dark room. Regular form echoes the methodical process he goes through. As the photographs put the suffering of war in “black and white”, the poem presents a dangerous and unpredictable work for the war photographer.
What are examples of less rigid form?
Charge of the light brigade - irregular form reflects the chaos of war. Its made up of 6 unique stanzas. All with different amounts of lines and rhyme schemes.
There’s no regular rhyme schemes, lots of rhyme is there to drive the poem forwards like a galloping cavalry. Rhyming triplets such as ‘reply’ ‘why’ die’ create momentum, stopped by the next line like tha falling of shot horses.
Checking out me history - different stanza forms to seperate the humorous attacks on British culture and historcal figures from serious Carribean ones. British stanzas are all quadtrains, representing the restrictive education of the British.
What can onomatopoeia be used for?
It mimics the noise of the battlefield.
E.g in ‘The Charge of the Light Brigade’ - verbs like “thunder’d” and “shatter’d” imitate the chaotic, deafening noise of battle. By replicating the powerful, threatening noise of the battlefield, Tennyson shows how frightening it must have been, emphasising their heroic actions in battle.
How is onomatopoeia used in ‘Beyonet Charge’?
Verbs ‘smacking’ creates a loud and jarring effect with the harsh ‘Ck’ sound (plosive). Acts as a violent reminder of the dangers soldiers face.
‘Crackling air’ in the final stanza sounds dangerous and emphasises the fact the soldier is fully surrrounded by gun fire.
How are repeated sounds used in ‘The Prelude’?
Repitition of sibilant sounds ‘struck’, ‘still’, ‘stars’ emphasises the sinester way that the mountain glides after the narrator.
Repition is gentle ‘L’ sounds ‘small”, ‘still’, ‘melted all’ creates consonance. A flowing effect, reflectimg gentle movements of the boat across a lake.
What is the importance of Ozymandias being told by a narrator who hasn’t seen the statue?
“I met a traveller”, this shows how umimportant ozymandias is now.
Where is irony shown in Ozymandis?
“Shattered visage lies” - Even a human so powerful cannot control the damaging effects of time, all is conquere by the nature of power.
He tells other rulers to ‘dispear’ because of the size of his works, they should dispear as their power is only temporary. However we clearly see Ozymandias’ power is also very much temporary.
“Of that colossal wreck”
How can we see arrogance in ozymandias?
‘Sneer of cold command’ - the sculptor understood the arrogance which was shown by the ruler.
“King of kings” - He is arrogant and powerful, even challanging other leaders.
What are the three main feelings in Ozymandias?
Pride - The ruler was proud of what he had achieved
Arrogance - the ruler truly believed that he was the most powerful in all the land, no one could compete with him.
Power - Human insignificance is great in comparison with the passing of time, art can preserve human power, but that (unlike nature) is also only temporary.
What does the Form in Ozymandias show?
The volta on line 9 shows how time will pass and humans will lose power and be forgotten, but nature will stay.
It doesn’t follow a regular rhyme scheme, and this could prehaps reflect the way in which human powers and structures can be destroyed. Similarly, it is in iambic pentameter however this is also at times disruppted.
How was the language of power shown in Ozymandias?
“Survive” and “lifeless” is on the same line, this antithesis shows how human power can survive temporarily but a statue can’t immortalise power.
“Boundless and bare, the lone and level Sands” these two examples of alliteration helps to emphasise the feeling of emptiness around the desert. By describing as boundless we can see how insignificant the statue of this ruler is.
What does the structure of Ozymandias show?
The narrator builds up an image of the statute by focusing on different parts of it in turn. The poem ends by describing the enormous desert, which helps to sum up the insignificance of the statue
How are senses used in the poem ‘London’?
First stanza is what he sees, ‘mark in every face I meet’ mark means notice.
The second stanza is about what he hears, ‘infants cry of fear’, ‘I hear’
Last two stanzas combine the visual and aural, ‘youthful harlot’s curse’ - he hears prosititutes swearing, but this could also mean he feels there’s a curse on London.
How are contrasts used in ‘London’?
“Marriage hearse” - oxymoron links happiness with death, suggests everything has been destroyed.
“Blasts the new-born infant’s tear” - innocence of a new born is lost straight away, society damages its members.
“Youthful harlots” - innocence of the youth contrasted with prosititution.
These show how all is affected by the negatives of London, nothing is pure or innocent.
How is language used in London?
‘Wander’ - verb sounds powerless, like he can’t change what’s happening
Repetition of ‘marks’ and ‘every’ - these help to show the sheer number of people affected.
‘Chimney-sweeper’s cry’ - these were usually young boys, emotive language to show the image of child labour.
‘Blights with plagues’ - implies the suffering of London/weakness is uncontrollable and we can’t help the fact its destined to affect lots of people.
What does London’s structure show?
Relentless images of downtrodden, deprived people. First two stanzas focus on what he sees/hears, but this then shifts is stanza three to what he feels is responsible. Final stanza returns to looking at people, showing how even newborn babies are affected.
What does the form in ‘London’ show?
Its a dramatic monologue - first person narrator speaks passionately and personally about the suffering he sees. The rigid ABAB rhyme scheme shows how continous the suffering is and echos the relentless misery around the city.
What does London show a semantic field of?
Lack of power - ‘cry of fear’, ‘weakness’, ‘blights with plagues’, ‘youthful harlots curse’
What does form show in the prelude?
A first person narrative, it sounds personal and therefore decrives a turing point in someones life. The uses of blank verses makes it seem serious and important. The regular rhythm makes it sound like natural speech.
What does the structure in the prelude show?
There are three main sections in the extract. The 1st has a tone which is light and carefree, but a distinct change happens when the mountains appear. The tone becomes darker and more fearful, in the final section, the narrator reflects on how the experience has changed him. We see these changes through voltas.
What words/phrases show a semantic field of the beauty of nature in the prelude? (In the 1st half)
“Litte boat tied to a willow tree” , “small circles glittering”, “melted”, “light”
How can we see confidence initially in The Prelude?
He was boating “like a swan” - this simile shows confidence in that fact he was gliding across the water.
“Proud of his skill” “with an unswerving line” - this shows him as confident and possibly slightly arrogant, which contrasts the feelings show later on.
“Act of stealth” “troubled pleasure” - the oxymoron of “troubled pleasure” hints to his guilt and the fact hes done something he shouldn’t of, however he isn’t afraid of what he’s done which once again shows his confidence.
How can we then see fear in the prelude after the volta?
“The horizon’s bound, a huge peak, black and huge” - emotive language and also pathetic fallacy, where the atmosphere describes the darker mood now felt by the narrator.
“Upreared its head” - personifies the mountain to make it seem more powerful. These contrast the previous images of beauty, ‘swan’ and ‘elfin’.
Semantic field of fear - “towered”, “trembling”, “silent”, contrasts the earlier semantic fields of beauty.
What are the three main feelings and attitudes in the prelude?
Confidence - initially the narrator feels confident and in control, however after seeing the mountain this starts to change.
Fear - Nature is shown to be a lot more powerful than humans, and therefore the narrator is left with a feeling of awe and respect for nature.
Reflection - The poem ends with the narrator reflecting on how he’s been changed by the event, still he is troubled by what he has experienced.
How do we see reflection at the end of the prelude?
“Trouble to my dreams” - image is unsettling, which helps us to symthasise with him.
“In grave and serious mood” - the event has clearly taken the fun and confidence out of him, grave has a double meaning which the reader can interpret of meaning serious, but it also can be seen as a reminder of his mortalilty.
Both of these allow the reader to feel PATHOS!!!!!!!!!!
What does the form in ‘beynot charge’ show us?
The poem uses enjambment and caesura, as well as lines of uneven length. This creates the irregular rhythm that mimics the soldier struggling through the mud.
By calling this soldier ‘he’ rather than naming, keeps the interpretation open that this could show the struggles any young soldier can go through.
What does the structure in ‘beyonet charge’ show?
The poem starts ‘in media res’, and covers the soldiers movement over a short period of time.
1st stanza - soldier acting on instinct
2nd stana - time appears to stand still in the second stanza, when he thinks of his situation
Final stanza, gives up with thoughts and seems to have lost his humanity.
How do we see violence in the poem ‘Beyonet charge’?
“Bullets smacking the belly out of the air” - violent imagery and onomatopoeia describes the sound and impact of shots.
“A rifle as numb as a smashed arm” - rifle is useless, foreshadows the injuries he is likely to face later on.
“Open silent” - suggests fear and pain beyond expression.
How does language show fear and terror in “beyonet charge”?
“Patriotic tear” - oxymoron shows how the initial patriotism very quickly can change to fear.
“Sweating like molten iron in the centre of his chest” - patriotism has changed to fear and pain - heroic ideals have been replaced by a painful reality.
“In what cold clockwork of the stars and the nations” - emphasises the soldiers insignificance and lack of control. “Cold” shows the people in charge don’t care what happens about individual soldiers. Uses pathos.
“King, honour, human dignity, etcetera” - the use of etcetera shows the reasons for war aren’t even worth listing, all patriotism has been lost to fear.
How is natural imagery used in the “beyonet charge”?
“Green hedge” - contrasts with the violence and terror of war.
“Threshing circle” - in agricultural terms, it’s used to suggest that nature is affected by war.
“Yellow hare” suggest not only soldiers and humans suffer, but nature as well,
What are the two main feelings and attitudes in “bayonet charge”?
Terror - The poem challenges patriotism and shows how desperate terrible come to the overriding emotion in battle. The soldiers driven forward by fear rather than any more noble motive.
Confusion - The soldier is physically disorientated by the gunfire, but he’s also questioning what he’s doing there at all.
What is the effecf of Remains starting in media res?
“On another occasion, we get sent out” - As we go straight into the action the reader is left initally confused about what is actually going on. This mirrors the confusion that the soldiers will feel whem chucked into battle, as they also don’t know what’s going to come next and don’t know how to deal with the emotional affects of it.
What affect does the statement “probably armed, possibly not” create?
Suggests there’s a slight chance that the looter wasn’t armed and was innocent. The fact “probably” comes first suggests to us that he wants to believe this as justification for his killing. The anaphora of this shows the posibility of the killing being unjustified and the guilt which he feels.
What does the repition of hinting at three of them killing him show in ‘Remains’?
“Myself and somebody else and somebody else” “all”, “all three”, through this we can see he desperately wants to show he wasn’t the only one involved in the killing, this could once again show guilt,
What affect does grusome imagery have in remains?
“Sort of inside out, pain itself, the image of agony” this switch from colloquial to emotional language. The colloquial language comes from pretending that he isn’t impacted. It could also suggest they’re using colloquial language as they’re so used to killing it doesn’t affect them anymore.
How can we see they’re used to killing in remains?
“Tosses his guts back into his body. Then he’s carted off in the back of a lorry”. The verb ‘tosses’ shows a lack of respect and treating the body like an object. Suggests this is an action they’re used to. Writer uses a ryhme of “lorry” and “body” which adds fluidity and makes it seem more natural. This once again suggests its a routine which they’re used to.
What is the volta in remains?
“End of story, expect not really”, this is where it shifts to talking of the speaker’s mood. “His blood shadow” has a double meaning. Yes his blood stains the street, but it also stains a persons conscience and memory.
How do we see PTSD in remains?
“I’m home on leave. but” - caesura shows this should be final. However the warzone impacts him and even though he’s physically left it, mentally he hasn’t.
“I blink and he bursts” - enjambment across the two stanzas emphasises how this memory sticks with him for so long. Lots of plosives of ‘b’ also imply the harsh realities of war.
What does “his bloody life in my bloody hands” show in the poem remains?
Adjective bloody could have a double meaning. He could be talking about the physical blood from the man, but could also be interpreted by the reader as being cursing with bloody. Now he takes full responsibility with ‘my’. The affects of PTSD has lead him to feeling fully responsible.
What does the form in ‘remains’ show?
No regular rhyme length or rhyme scheme, makes it sound like someone telling a story. Starts in the first person plural ‘we’, however later becomes the first person singular ‘I’. This makes it sound more personal, like a confession. Couplet in the final lines have the same meter, showing the final guilt will stay with the man.
What does the structure in remains show?
Initially the speaker tries making excuses for what he’s done and claims it wasn’t just him. However the volta shift in the 5th stanza shows him accept his role and responsibility with the affcets of PTSD, however he also takes the full blame through the guilt. Shows how PTSD can even change someones memories.
How is language used in ‘war photographer’ to show the affects of war?
“Spools of suffering set out in odered rows” - the photos symbolise the suffering of soldiers.
“Belfast. Beirut. Phnom Penh” - the plosives of these words of previous words sounds like gunshots. These contrats the sounds of ‘rural england’ in stanza two.
The final stanza showing the readers reaction in ‘tears’ and ‘beers’ shows the sadness of war but that’s quicky washed away by a beer. This is backed up by the final line of “they don’t care”
How does war photographer show the suffering of war?
“Strangers features…. twist before his eyes” - focusing on one photo shows the personal and great suffering of war.
“Blood stained into foreign dust” - reminds us this all happens somewhere else. “Stained” hints to the lasting impacts of war.
In rural england the fields “don’t explode” and there isn’t ‘nightmare heat’ - the fact he can only see rural england through its comaparitive lens of conflict shows how you war never leaves you once you’ve experienced it.
What does form show in ‘war photographer’?
Tight form of six lines a stanza in ABBCDD rhyme schemes. The rigidity of this form odds with the chaos caused by the conflict and reflect the order of ‘rural england’. This structure could also show nothing changes through out, and the little power war photographers actually have to make a difference.
What does the structure in ‘war photographer’ show?
A cyclical structure as the poem ends through the photographer returning to the warzone from “the areoplane”. This cyclical structure shows that no matter the work of the war photographer, nothing has changed and this shows how ‘he stares impassively at how he earns a living and no one cares.
Throughout the poem the images also become clearler and clearer until they end up in the newspaper, the description of the suffering of war also increase with this.
