Unseen Poetry Flashcards
1) How many Questions will be in your Exam?
2) How many Marks for each question
3) How many Poems will there be
1)2 Questions
2) - 1st is [24 marks] + AO4[4
marks]
- 2nd is [8 marks]
In total 32 marks.
3) Two unseen poems
1) What will you be Marked on?
1)AO1: Use quotations and build an essay.
AO2: Analyse the language and structure. Use appropriate terminology. Dicuss the writers effects and intentions.
A03: Make contextual links and Show understanding of the relationships between texts
AO4: Write clearly - SPaG.
What is the success Criteria for Question 1?
AO1:
Critical, exploratory conceptualised response to task and text
Judicious use of precise references to support interpretation(s)
AO2 :
Analysis of writer’s methods with subject terminology used judiciously
Exploration of effects of writer’s methods to create meanings.
At the top of the level, a candidate’s response is likely to be a critical, exploratory, well-structured argument. It takes a conceptualised approach to the task supported by a range of judicious references. There will be a finegrained and insightful analysis of language and form and structure supported by judicious use of subject terminology.
Three things you must talk about:
- Form
- Structure
- Language
- Beginning and Ending and infer the poet’s purpose from the change in perspective through impact.
- Subject terminology e.g. blank verse, full stop, end-stopped
eHow do you answer Question 1 on Unseen Poetry?
Spend 30 Mins. 4 Paragraphs. One big idea then 3 WHAT HOW WHY Paragraphs.
A01 is the Quality of your point and quote while A02 is the effect of language, structure or form.
Think about the sound of words.
Look for subtleties & inconsistencies so if the poem is about a dad helping his son who got stung by bees why is the poet using language like Sargent, soldier, army & military
Take one quote from the beginning for P1.
One from the middle for P2.
One from the End P3.
Then you can talk about why certain quotes are placed where they are and why.
Then see how they link and form one big idea.
Use a Prtrezel Paragraph to plan:
- *P**oint - It is presented as violent
- *R**eference - “Love is a saw that amputates the heart”
- *T**echnique - Metaphor
- *E**ffect Explanation - Change you forever and it is not easy
- *Z**oom in - noun “saw”
- *Effect E**xplanation - Sharp, painful
- *L**ink - Therefore…
Iambic
E.g. In the Poem love is presented as being extremely violent, with the ability to destroy lives. This is evident in the quote, “ Love is a saw that amputates the heart” The use of the metaphor makes it clear that love can alter a person forever. However, this alteration is not good, as you are being amputated; you are losing a part of you forever. Furthermore, the when we zoom into the noun, “saw” it clears that love is painful! A saw, like love, is sharp and dangerous. Therefore, the writer is making it clear that love should be handled with care. As a result, In the poem love and violence go i hand in hand.
What is the criteria for Question 2 Unseen Poetry
Level 4
7–8 marks
AO2:
Exploratory comparison of writers’ use of language, structure and form with subject terminology used judiciously
Convincing comparison of effects of writers’ methods to create meanings
How would You answer Question 2?
Think of Language, Form and Structure.
2 What How Why paragraphs.
Language
What is Plosive alliteration?
What is a plosive consonant and what is its effect?
A plosive consonant is an abrupt sound made by closing the mouth then releasing a burst of breath. The plosive consonants in English are B, P, T and D. Their effect, especially when used repeatedly is to create a verbal reflection of events, items or emotions which have a harsh feel. For example anger, a car crash or a gun. They are more effective when used in poetry due to the increased intensity of focussed language, but can also be significant when used in prose.
Language
What are Fricatives?
Every sound has onomatopoeic connotations associated with it: ‘k’ is a harsh, sharp sound compared to ‘s’, which is soft & gentle (though also potentially hissing in context) by comparison.
There are other uses for alliteration, like you mentioned: the repetition of a particular starting letter emphasises that letter & consequently those words. People generally like patterns and symmetry, and a reader will often subconsciously recall recent previous words starting with that same letter, highlighting them as being on the same topic; in effect, it’s like they’re re-reading the words each time they come across the repeated starting letter, hence the emphasis of whatever you’re saying in that sentence. Or something like that, anyway.
Fricative, in phonetics, a consonant sound, such as English f or v, produced by bringing the mouth into position to block the passage of the airstream, but not making complete closure, so that air moving through the mouth generates audible friction.
Secondly, what is plosive alliteration? Plosive alliteration is a literary device consisting of the repetition of a plosive consonant at the beginning of several adjacent words.
Language
What are is Sibilance
Definition of Sibilance
Sibilance is a literary device where strongly stressed consonants are created deliberately by producing air from vocal tracts through the use of lips and tongue. Such consonants produce hissing sounds. However, in poetry, it is used as a stylistic device, and sibilants are used more than twice in quick succession. Most of the times, the “s” sound is the sibilant.
Alliteration is produced by the repetition of first consonant sounds in the words, generally the first one or two letters, such as in “A big bully beats a baby boy.” However, sibilance is also a specific type of alliteration that uses the soft consonants. In sibilance, hissing sounds are created. These soft consonants are s, with sh, ch, and th, including three others such as z, x, f and soft c. For instance, “Sing a Song of Sixpence” is the title of a famous nursery rhyme, which can be considered as a good example of sibilance.
Example #4: Prelude 3 (By T. S. Eliot)
> “THE WINTER evening settles down
With smell of steaks in passageways.
Six o’clock.
The burnt-out ends of smoky days.
And now a gusty shower wraps
The grimy scraps
Of withered leaves about your feet…The showers beat
On broken blinds and chimney-pots,
And at the corner of the street
A lonely cab-horse steams and stamps.
And then the lighting of the lamps.”In this excerpt, the repetition of the “s” sound (sibilance) is used throughout the poem. It emphasizes the atmosphere of dirty lives. In addition, the continuous use of the “s” sound gives an example of onomatopoeia, as the “scraping” sounds of leaves.Function of SibilanceAn atmosphere can be created through sibilance, which helps in drawing the attention of readers, painting a more colorful picture of the idea or the event. With the help of sibilance, descriptive scenes can be explained more carefully by laying stress on the specific letters. In fact, the sense of repeated sounds, and then the making up of different literary devices through sibilance creates further musical effect for the readers.
Language
What is Assonance?
Definition of Assonance
Assonance is a literary device in which the repetition of similar vowel sounds takes place in two or more words in proximity to each other within a line of poetry or prose. Assonance most often refers to the repetition of internal vowel sounds in words that do not end the same. For example, “he fell asleep under the cherry tree” is a phrase that features assonance with the repetition of the long “e” vowel, despite the fact that the words containing this vowel do not end in perfect rhymes. This allows writers the means of emphasizing important words in a phrase or line, as well as creating a sense of rhythm, enhancing mood, and offering a lyrical effect of words and sounds.
Difference Between Assonance and Alliteration
Assonance and alliteration are often confused with each other when it comes to literary devices. They are similar in the sense that they rely on the repetition of a sound in words that are either adjacent or in close proximity to each other. However, assonance refers to the repetition of vowel sounds. Alliteration is the repetition of the same letter or sound at the beginning of words.
An example of alliteration would be the title of a poem by Shel Silverstein: Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout Would Not Take the Garbage Out. The first four words of this title repeat the sound of the consonant “s,” even though the word Cynthia begins with a different consonant. Like assonance, alliteration is the repetition of sound for literary effect. However, assonance is strictly limited to repeated vowel sounds.
Both assonance and alliteration can influence the rhythm of poetry and prose. In addition, the repetition of sound for both assonance and alliteration must take place in words that are near each other within a phrase or line. Otherwise, the effect is likely to go unnoticed by the reader. When used properly as literary devices, they can enhance the meaning of literature as well as the enjoyment and artful use of words and their sounds.
Writing Assonance
Overall, as a literary device, assonance functions as a means of creating rhythm through stressing syllables with repetitious vowel sounds. In addition, assonance can regulate the pacing of a poem or line of text. For example, long vowel sounds tend to slow the pace of reading, whereas short vowel sounds tend to quicken a reader’s pace. This control of pacing is an effective device utilized by writers to create or indicate the tone and mood of a literary work.
Like any literary device, writers should avoid the overuse of assonance. Too many instances of assonance in any form of literature can be distracting and ineffective for the reader. Therefore, it’s best to make subtle and sparing use of assonance.
Here are some ways that writers benefit from incorporating assonance into their work:
Use of Rhythm
Assonance allows writers to create a sense of rhythm in their work. This is especially effective when it comes to poetry. In writing, rhythm is based on patterns of syllables and sounds that are stressed and unstressed. With the repetition of vowel sounds, writers can control which syllables are stressed in a line of poetry or prose, thereby creating rhythms that are quick, slow, or a combination. This talent for assonance allows for variety in the pacing of words which enhances the experience for the reader.
Enhance Mood
In many art forms, sound is a crucial technique in setting the tone and enhancing mood. Assonance is an example of this technique in writing. With vowel sounds, in particular, a writer can create a somber, lighthearted, playful, or even chilling mood in a poem or work of prose, just through repetition.
Lyrical Effect
In addition to creating rhythm in a work of poetry or prose, assonance also creates a lyrical effect for the reader. Vowel repetition can enhance the meaning of words in literature as well as their musicality. Though assonance is more similar to internal than end rhyme, the quality of repeated sound can mimic the quality of a repeated note or chord in a phrase of music. This lyrical effect has great value for the reader of a line of poetry or prose. As a literary device, assonance can demonstrate the harmony and musical quality of word choice and language.
Example 1: Look, Stranger (W.H. Auden)
> Here at the small field’s ending pauseWhere the chalk wall falls to the foam and it’s tall ledgesOppose the pluck
Auden utilizes assonance as a literary device in this poem to create a sense of rhythm and lyrical effect. The words “chalk,” “wall,” and “falls,” are not only repetitive in their vowel sounds but there are no words in between to separate them. This has a rhythmic effect for the reader that echoes the visual image that the words conjure forth. The awkward repetition of the vowel sound in these words creates a sense of crumbling in the way that a chalk wall would fall.
Yet in addition to a rhythmic effect, the assonance in this part of Auden’s poem is also lyrical. The uninterrupted repetition of the vowel in the second line mirrors a lyrical descent or even decrescendo of words and sounds. As a literary device, assonance creates poetic imagery and lyricism in Auden’s work.
Language
What is Dialect?
Dialect Definition
A dialect is the language used by the people of a specific area, class, district, or any other group of people. The term dialect involves the spelling, sounds, grammar and pronunciation used by a particular group of people and it distinguishes them from other people around them.
Example #5: Gipsy (By D. H. Lawrence)
> “I, the man with the red scarf,
Will give thee what I have, this last week’s earnings.
Take them and buy thee a silver ring
And wed me, to ease my yearnings.For the rest when thou art wedded
I’ll wet my brow for thee
With sweat, I’ll enter a house for thy sake,
Thou shalt shut doors on me.”
You can also find great examples of dialect usage in two of George Eliot’s novels, Silas Mariner and Middlemarch. Another method of using dialect is to knowingly misspell a word to build an artistic aura around a character, which is termed “metaplasmus.”
Function of Dialect
The narrative voice in literature usually aspires to speak in concert with the reality it illustrates. African American authors often criticize this condition, while discussing the significance of speaking in so-called “standard” American English in comparison with African American English. Toni Cade Bambara has made a remarkable contribution to this aspect by choosing the language of her culture and community.
She used her language as a very productive critical tool, and her dialect illustration in The Lesson functioned as an examination of how the people who listen to it ultimately hear the disparaged speech. By reviving the language, which had long been marginalized, she contributes towards the effort to salvage the cultural identity of African Americans. This integration of non-standard linguistic features into the literature in “the lesson” works as an insightful response to marginalization. It also proves the strength and power of language in portraying the diverse realities of people from different places.
Language
What is Tone in Poetry?
Definition of Tone
Tone is a literary device that reflects the writer’s attitude toward the subject matter or audience of a literary work. By conveying this attitude through tone, the writer creates a particular relationship with the reader that, in turn, influences the intention and meaning of the written words. However, though the writer’s tone may reflect their personal attitude or opinion, this literary device may also strictly apply to convey the attitudes and feelings of a certain character or narrator. Therefore, it’s essential for readers to look closely at the literary choices made by the writer so as not to unfairly assign a tone to them and to interpret tone judiciously.
Writers use several techniques to convey tone, including word choice, figurative language, punctuation, and even sentence structure. This helps to establish a narrative voice so that the reader not only understands the words as they are presented in a work but also their meanings, as intended by the writer, character, or narrator. A defined tone allows readers to connect with the writer and/or their narrators and characters.
For example, in his short story “The Tell-Tale Heart,” Edgar Allan Poe utilizes tone as a literary device to convey the way the narrator feels about the old man and his eye.
Example 2: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
> We are travelers on a cosmic journey, stardust, swirling and dancing in the eddies and whirlpools of infinity. Life is eternal. We have stopped for a moment to encounter each other, to meet, to love, to share. This is a precious moment. It is a little parenthesis in eternity.
In this passage from The Alchemist, Coelho utilizes descriptive and figurative language to establish a tone of wonder and awe at the metaphysical relationships in the universe. By asserting to the reader that “we” are metaphorical travelers that are all part of the infinite cosmos, Coelho is able to convey the connection humans have to all that has existed and all that will exist. This allows the reader to feel connections with the writer’s words, their meanings, and the universe itself through the literary work. In addition, the inclusion of the image that human interaction is a momentary and temporary encounter “to meet, to love, to share” implies that people’s lives are brief and precious against the scope of the universe and a parenthetical interruption of a larger narrative. This calls for the reader to reflect on how they choose to impact, even briefly, the people and world around them.
Writers often find it challenging to express universal meaning in a literary work with denotative and connotative wording. In this passage, Coelho utilizes tone as a literary device to convey a universality to human existence as it relates to time and space. This is appealing to the reader in the sense that it conveys belonging and connection to all things while also acknowledging the existence and importance of the individual at momentary points along the continuum.
Structure
What is Caesura?
Definition of Caesura
One such pause is known as “caesura,” which is a rhythmical pause in a poetic line or a sentence. It often occurs in the middle of a line, or sometimes at the beginning and the end. At times, it occurs with punctuation; at other times it does not. Poets indicate such a pause with a parallel symbol thus: ||. Caesura can be medial (occurring in the middle of line), initial (occurring at the beginning of poetic line), or terminal (occurring at the end of a poetic line).
Example #7: Ozymandias (By Percy Bysshe Shelley)
> Who said—”Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert … || Near them, || on the sand …
My name is Ozymandias, || King of Kings; ||
Look on my Works, || ye Mighty, || and despair!
Nothing beside remains. || Round the decay …
The poet has broken up all the lines rhythmically by using punctuation. The use of multiple caesuras serves to make lines more interesting. In the third and fourth lines, they emphasize the pride of Ozymandias’ works, while the fourth line has used initial and medial caesuras.
Function of Caesura
A caesural break creates various effects, depending upon the way it is used. Sometimes it breaks the monotonous rhythm of a line and forces readers to focus on the meaning of the phrase preceding the caesura. In some other cases, it might create a dramatic or ominous effect. Normally, it happens in the middle of a sentence, or phrase in poetry. It also adds an emotional and theatrical touch to a line, and helps convey depth of the sentiments.
Structure
What is Enjambment?
Definition of Enjambment
Enjambment is a literary device in which a line of poetry carries its idea or thought over to the next line without a grammatical pause. With enjambment, the end of a poetic phrase extends past the end of the poetic line. This means that the thought or idea “steps over” the end of a line in a poem and into the beginning of the next line. The absence of punctuation allows for enjambment, and requires the reader to read through a poem’s line break without pausing in order to understand the conclusion of the thought or idea.
Enjambment is often used by poets as a means of minimizing the difference between the sound of verse and the sound of prose, creating a poem that flows freely and emphasizes unexpected beats and words for the reader. For example, T.S. Eliot utilizes enjambment as a literary device in his poem “The Waste Land”:
> April is the cruelest month, breeding
Lilacs out of the dead land, mixing
Memory and desire, stirring
Dull roots with spring rain.
With Eliot’s use of enjambment, the action words are deliberately placed at the end of each line. Therefore, the reader must take a slight pause at the enjambed poetic line, even though the thought continues. This emphasises the verbs in the poem and underscores the upheaval and reproduction experienced by nature in April.
In terms of poetry, lineation reflects the way lines are divided and where they end relative to a clause or thought. Line breaks at the end of a phrase or complete thought in a poem are generally part of its structure and an expectation of the reader. However, poets often use enjambment as a literary device to offset this expectation, as the technique of enjambment surprises readers by ending a poetic thought at a different point than the end of the poetic line. This allows the poet more freedom with creating verses, how they sound, and the way they feel for the reader.
Here are some effects of enjambment in poetry:
- fosters fluidity by continuing a though across the end of the poetic line. This can create an element or quality of prose in a poem.
- creates complexity through allowing a more narrative-like sense within a poem, as thoughts are not confined to single poetic lines.
- creates tension and drama by moving the reader forward in the poem to reach the resolution of the thought in the next line or subsequent poetic lines.
- enhances the pacing and momentum of a poem by eliminating punctuated pauses at each line break so that the reader continues to the next line more rapidly to reach the conclusion of the poet’s thought.
Example 1: Harlem (Langston Hughes)
> What happens to a dream deferred?Does it dry up
like a raisin in the sun?
Or fester like a sore—
And then run?
Does it stink like rotten meat?
Or crust and sugar over—
like a syrupy sweet?Maybe it just sags
like a heavy load.Or does it explode?
In his poem, Hughes effectively utilizes enjambment as a literary device in the second line to create tension and move the reader forward in search for the answer to the poet’s question: “What happens to a dream deferred?” By ending the line with “dry up” and no form of punctuation, the reader has the experience of the poetic line itself “drying up” and carrying over to the next line to both finish and enhance the meaning of the poet’s thought.
Hughes utilizes enjambment once again in line nine. The poet ends the line with “sags” and no punctuation, so the reader is moved toward the next line for the completed thought. However, the wording of this enjambment also has a symbolic effect in that the poetic line itself “sags” with an unfinished resolution. Therefore, Hughes’ two uses of enjambment not only create tension for the reader through continuation into the next poetic lines, but they mirror and echo the meanings of the words themselves that are part of the enjambments.
Structure
What is Listing?
Definition of Rhyme
Rhyme is a literary device, featured particularly in poetry, in which identical or similar concluding syllables in different words are repeated. Rhyme most often occurs at the ends of poetic lines. In addition, rhyme is principally a function of sound rather than spelling. For example, words rhyme that end with the same vowel sound but have different spellings: day, prey, weigh, bouquet. This is true for words with the same consonant ending as well: vain, rein, lane. Rhyme is therefore predominantly independent of the way words look or are spelled. Writers use rhymes as a way to create sound patterns in order to emphasize certain words and their relationships with others in an artistic manner.
Writing Rhymes
In writing, rhyme is most closely associated with poetry. This literary art form is considered quite difficult to master, and although not every poem features rhyming words or patterns, rhyme is an important literary device for poets. To develop rhyme as a writing skill, there are helpful strategies to use:
- Utilize rhyme scheme: Rhyme scheme is the ordered pattern of rhymes at the ends of lines of a poem. This order can be helpful for writers to understand rhyme and its effect. Some simple rhyme schemes to rely on for beginning writers are ABAB or ABCB. These letters indicate where the rhymes take place at the end of the lines. In ABAB, the first and third lines rhyme at the end, as do the second and fourth lines. In ABCB, just the second and fourth lines rhyme at the end.
- Explore different poetic forms: Another strategy for writers to develop a rhyming technique is to explore different forms of poetry with specific types of rhyme and rhyme schemes. These might include sonnets, limericks, and even ballads.
- Explore different types and forms of rhyme: Writers can explore different types and forms of rhyme instead of being limited to end rhymes in poetry.
Example 2: “Hope” is the thing with feathers by Emily Dickinson
> “Hope” is the Thing with Feathers –That perches in the soul –And sings the tune without the words –And never stops – at all –And sweetest – in the Gale – is heard –And sore must be the storm –That could abash the little BirdThat kept so many warm –I’ve heard it in the chillest land –And on the strangest Sea –Yet – never – in Extremity,It asked a crumb – of me.
In this poem, Dickinson adopts the rhyme scheme of ABCB in the first stanza, ABAB in the second stanza, and ABBB in the final stanza. The rhymes of the end lines are not perfect in the poem. However, Dickinson’s use of rhyme as a literary device enhances the meaning of the poem as a whole.
For example, when the poet rhymes “heard” and “Bird,” the sound of the words echoes the symbol of hope as a bird that perpetually sings in the soul. In addition, the rhymes “Sea” and “me” create an image of vastness, both within and without the poet. This imagery creates a sense of fragility for hope as a little bird, and for the poet as well in attempting to explain hope through poetry.
What is the key Terminology you have to know?
