Unit 3 - Fundamental Concepts of Poetry Flashcards
Analysis of Title
Titles are often carefully written by poets; Talk about the information given by the title about the poem (ex: does it mention subject of poem, or if the title mentions “Ode” or “Sonnet”).
Analysis of Content
Write a basic summary of the poem and what had occured; ensure that you are familliar with the poem itself beforehand. Consider how the poem changes stanza by stanza, or by a group of lines if there are no formal divisions within the poem.
Analysis of Voice and Tone
Write about whether the narrator is trying to solve an issue or just talks about it; whether the narrator wants an answer or just speaks about something. Write about the poet’s tone, like whether the poet is angry, exhausted, sad, toxic, happy, excited or satisfied. Consider how all of this changes throughout the poem. All of the information about the poet’s voice and tone is crucial to the theme of the poem.
Analysis of Structure
Write how the poem is organized; Are there individual stanzas, and how many verses do each of those stanzas have; do the length of stanzas differ throughout, sporadically or never during the poem; Are the lengths of each verse similar? Does a short stanza suddenly move to a long one? Do not write about the actual length of the poem, or the actual flow of the poem.
Analysis of Structure (2)
It’s also important to consider how a formal verse or free verse structure of the poem may add deeper meaning to the topic of the poem, the author’s attitude towards the topic of the poem, or how the structure of the poem reflects what the poet might have intended. Consider how the structure can affect the theme of the poem.
Analysis of Sound and Rhythm
The sound of the poem enforces the meaning of the poem. Move your lips through the words when reading a poem. Heavily stressed or repeated words and syllables provide emphasis. Is any metric pattern established in the poem? All of this can provide information about the true meaning of the poem.
Analysis of Sound and Rhythm (2)
Can the verses be pronounced swiftly and smoothly, or do they take time and are rigid to pronounce? If there are rhymes at the end of the verse, does a definite rhyme pattern exist? Do not confuse “internal rhymes” with rhymes at the end of the verse for the rhyme scheme. Consider how the speed and rhymes within the poem affect the meaning of the poem and the poet’s intention.
Diction and Figures of Speech
Are clusters of words with similar connotations or certain patterns for words built during the poem? Also, look for imagery, comparisons, personifications, symbols and other figures that affect the poem. Find how much of these can be found within the poem and how they all add meaning to the poem. Also, consider why the author added these figures. Use the flashcard decks “Imagistic/Auditory Literary and Poetic Devices” to help you with this.
