Poetry Structure And Form

Question 1

London

Answer 1

Structure
.repetition of “chartered”- properties around the speaker were privately owned- forcing of human power and control onto something natural “chartered Thames” , juxtaposition between the power of nature and power of man, man seeks to control something as uncontrollable and natural as the river Thames
.repetition of “mark”- highlights the inescapable repetitive suffering of those in the poem
.four quatrains written in iambic pentameter- highlights monotony of living in London, everything he sees is the same
.simple ABAB rhyme scheme to make the poem memorable for everyone

Question 2

Remains

Answer 2

Structure
.begins mid action “on another occasion”- reader is at first unaware of what is happening, reflecting the chaos of the situation
.repetition of “somebody else” at the start of the poem, helps speaker minimise his own role and puts blame on others but when he returns home, the word “my” is repeated which shows how he begins to take the blame for everything that has happened, showing his PTSD, impact of war is personal
Form
.7 quatrains with one final couplet and no rhyme scheme adds to the sense of disorientation and chaos, he does not know what to do with himself and his PTSD, his PTSD is taking over him

Question 3

Kamikaze

Answer 3

.six line stanza, tight and controlled structure, reflects tight control of the military
.free verse and enjambment lack the tight control, this freedom in the poem structure reflects the freedom the pilot wants to have
.juxtaposition between the tight controlled structure and free verse reflects the inner conflict he feels, he wants to honour his country, however he also wants to enjoy his life with his family and nature

Question 4

Storm on the island

Answer 4

.one long stanza with long confusing sentences reflects the uncontrollable overwhelming aspects of both nature and the conflict in Northern Ireland
.enjambment, this constant flow of language reflects the constant barrage of nature

Question 5

The prelude

Answer 5

.44 line poem could be mirroring the long, arduous journey of the speaker
.lack of rhyme scheme could be indicative of the speakers feeling of helplessness and lack of control
.rhythm of the poem is constantly interrupted by the next line which is symbolic of the Establishments power

Question 6

Checking out me history

Answer 6

.lack of punctuation, makes it difficult to follow the poem, this challenge in reading the poem reflects John Agards difficulties having a different culture forced upon him
.in the British stanzas Agard uses a lot of simple rhymes which sound like nursery rhymes, which demonstrates his anger that his culture is being neglected

Question 7

The emigree

Answer 7

.free verse, Enjambment, caesura, al of this combined creates a sense of chaos represents the lack of power that the speaker has because she cannot go there
.regular stanza length, could be the speaker trying to make order out of the chaos
.final stanza is the longest, reflects how much she doesn’t want to leave
.final word being the noun “sunlight” there is a conflict between a place that is in chaos and a place she loves but ultimately love wins

Question 8

War photographer

Answer 8

.tight controlled 6 line stanza, similar rhyme scheme- tight control reflects the war photographers job to impose order on the chaos of war, tight structure contrasts the reality of war, in reality war is chaos
.caesura “rural. England” shows how in the U.K. we are separated from the true reality of war
.internal rhyme “with tears between the bath and pre lunch beers” quickens the speed of the poem, highlighting how quickly people forget and are desensitised to the reality of war
.cyclical structure, starts with him returning from a trip and ends with him going back on a trip, represents the idea of fate, everything is inescapable, this is destined to happen again and again till people begin to recognise the reality of war

Question 9

Exposure

Answer 9

.anti climactic ending of each stanza- Owen wanted his readers to empathise with how to soldiers felt and how they had to sit around in the cold for so long, while also emphasising how repetitive war was, apprehensively waiting for something to happen, but nothing ever does
.repetitive ABBAC rhyme scheme showing the repetitive nature of nothing changing or happening at war
.pararhyme, “knive us” and “nervous”, reflects the unease of the situation and gives a permanent sense of being nervous, the soldiers are denied the satisfaction of full rhyme but are forced to be incomplete and imperfect