Poetry Exam - Term 3 2023

Question 1

What are the 4 aspects to consider when analyzing a poem?

Answer 1

1. Sound
2. Structure
3. Imagery
4. Meaning

Question 2

What are the different types of imagery?

Answer 2

Visual - what you see
Olfactory - what you smell
Tactile - what you are touching
Auditory - what you hear
Gustatory - what you taste

Question 3

What is crucial when referencing imagery as a technique?

Answer 3

To specify!
(visual, gustatory, etc.)

Question 4

What could alliteration or assonance represent?

Answer 4

• mood/atmosphere of poem (hard consonants sound more confronting, violent, harsh…)
• emphasis a subject (‘ee’ sound creates a dragged out effect, maybe representing slowing down time - a central theme in said poem?)
• create a memorable image or replicate a subject (example: ‘h’ sound may replicate sound of falling snow, emphasizing the gentle atmosphere)

Question 5

What could be the purpose of anaphora?

Answer 5

• create rhythm
• makes line more memorable
• symbolically (i.e. anaphora describing working conditions could highlight monotony of work)

Question 6

What is ‘ich, ich, ich’ an example of?

Answer 6

Cacophony. It depends on context, but sounds like ‘k’, ‘p’, ‘t’ , ‘sh’ or ‘ch’ can be used to make readers feel or to convey negative emotions.

Question 7

What sound technique does the stanza ‘The woods are lovely, dark and deep, / But I have promises to keep, / And miles to go before I sleep, / And miles to go before I sleep. ‘ utilise?

Answer 7

Euphony. Assonance of the ‘ee’ drags out the poem, creating a dream-like, magical atmosphere.
It sounds pleasant to the ears, so this technique is generally used to convey positive feelings.

Question 8

What is the most important question to ask when annotating poetry?

Answer 8

Why?
Why has the author done this. Remember: recognizing the technique is half the battle. ‘Why’ is the meat of your response and should link to your point.

Question 9

What is metre?

Answer 9

pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables (ba-DUM)

Question 10

What can different types of verse symbolise?

Answer 10

Free verse can give the poem more artistic expression, can sound more flowing or to express chaos (some ideas)
Highly structured types of poems (ex. those with strict rhyme schemes and metre) may give a feeling of confinement, restriction…

Question 11

What is a round poem?

Answer 11

The first and last line of a poem holds the same abstract idea. This can be a thought, setting or metaphor. It does not necessarily have to be the same exact line. It could symbolize lack of change, inability to escape…

Question 12

What is the difference between tone and mood?

Answer 12

Tone is poet’s attitude towards subject (e.g. angry, hateful, relieved, despairing, despondent…)
Mood is the atmosphere of the poem (e.g. light-hearted, sinister, eerie, jovial…)

Question 13

What is the difference between symbolism and metaphor?

Answer 13

Symbolism requires context (apples = temptation, roses = romantic love). A metaphor explicitly compares 2 things. A metaphor can be a symbol.

Question 14

Explain the metaphor ‘life is a journey’.

Answer 14

Tenor: life (existence of a human being)
Vehicle: journey (traveling from one place to another)
Metaphor: Life is a journey
Meaning: Life is a long experience that happens as we travel to a destination.

Question 15

What type of novel is Animal Farm?

Answer 15

Allegorical. Napolean’s rise to power and the farm animals’ subsequent mutiny = vehicle.
Stalin’s usurption of Russian Revolution = tenor.

Question 16

What are the rough steps for analysing a poem?

Answer 16

1. Read it aloud (multiple times)
2. What is it about?
3. Notice rhythm and metre.
4. Look for enjambment (notice rejet effect - does this draw attention to anything?)
5. Look for techniques (crucial.)
6. Consider poetic form. (some types of poems convey different themes. E.g. sonnets= love; ballads = adventure; haikus = philosophy)
7. Ask; why?

Question 17

The TWISTUP acronym is useful for annotating a poem. What does it stand for?

Answer 17

Title
Words
Imagery
Structure
Themes + Tone
Understanding
Poet’s attitude

Question 18

How do you write a paragraph analysing a poem?

Answer 18

Topic (author’s intentions/ theme)
Technique (So-and-so has used …)
Example (…in ‘…’)
Effect (to….)
Elaboration (how is this relevant to main point?)
Link (reiteration, but you add in author’s tone )
Basically… TTEEEL (Kincumber’s TEEl but better!)

Question 19

What are the different types of ambiguity?

Answer 19

Syntactic - punctuation causes multiple meanings
Semantic - choice of word has multiple meanings
Narrative - motives of characters and plot is unclear and lead to interpretation
Conceptual - concepts or ideas or themes are ambiguous

Ambiguity is often used to highlight complex stuff.

Question 20

What is contrast?

Answer 20

deliberate positioning of two or more objects/ events/ characters who have different characteristics to accentuate their unique qualities.

Question 21

What on earth is diction?

Answer 21

Choice of words which hold meaning to the poem’s theme/

Question 22

What is register?

Answer 22

level of sophistication in a piece of language. (high register = sounds smarter and vice versa)
-slang
- colloquial
- informal
-formal

Question 23

Metonym

Answer 23

word or name that is used in place of something it is closely related to (e.g. crown = monarchy, hollywood = american film industry)

Question 24

Euphemism

Answer 24

word o phrase used to soften something harsh (e.g. passed away instead of died)

Question 25

Motif

Answer 25

repeated icon or symbol which has meaning

Question 26

Pathetic fallacy

Answer 26

attribution of human emotions to non-human objects, commonly nature or the weather.

Question 27

Repetition

Answer 27

repeat of words or syntax for emphasis or persuasion (always think deeper with this one - be critical!)

Question 28

Sibilance

Answer 28

repetition of soft consonant sounds, such as the ‘s’ sound which may be to create sinister or sensuous tone.