Poetry Analysis

1
Poetry Analysis

• Understanding the poem

2
LINEATION AND STANZAS

•       Line length in formal verse. Do the lines
  appear to be about the same length, or are there
  patterns of short and long lines organized in
  stanzas? (In formal verse written in English,
  line length is usually counted in units called
  metrical feet. For instance, lines containing
  five metrical feet are called pentameter lines.
  Most sonnets contain 14 pentameter lines.)
•       Line length in a free verse poem. Do you
  see patterns or modulation in line length? Do
  lines get gradually longer or gradually shorter?
  Does line length somehow correspond to the
  content? 

3
LINEATION AND STANZAS

• Line breaks. Why do the lines break where
  they do? Be aware of how line breaks can
  contribute to such artistic effects as rhythm,
  energy, suspense, and ambiguity.
• End-stopped and Enjambed lines. Count the number
  of enjambed lines (lines without punctuation at
  the end). Does the poem have more end-stopped
  lines or more enjambed lines?  This is related to
  the poets decisions about line breaks. The
  liberal use of enjambment creates a more open,
  flowing feeling.
• Stanzas. Do the stanzas contain a set number
  of lines? Do they follow a pattern of longer and
  shorter lines? Do they have any particular shape?
  In a free verse poem, what function do the stanza
  breaks (blank lines between the stanzas) serve?

4
Conventions of Meaning Diction, Figurative
Language, and Speech Acts 

•       Diction. Poetry can be written in high,
  middle, and low diction. High diction is the most
  elevated language. Low diction is the most
  colloquial or common language.
•       Words and word families. Consider the
  etymologies and connotations of words carefully.
  Look for words related to each other by
  etymology, sound, or appearance. Look up word
  etymologies in the Oxford English Dictionary.
•       Figurative language. Consider the use of
  figures of speech such as metaphor, simile,
  oxymoron, synecdoche, metonymy, hyperbole,
  allegory, etc.
•       Speech acts. A poem can be analyzed as a
  sequence of speech acts. Speech acts are
  particular forms of address such as apology,
  exhortation, apostrophe, lament, etc.

5
Sound, Rhythm, and Repetition

•       Words sound weight. Do you see sound
  patterns such as alliteration, assonance, or
  consonance? Be aware that all syllables are not
  equal in weight some take longer to say than
  others. Patterns in either sound or weight are
  significant aspects of technique.
•       End rhyme and internal rhyme. End rhyme,
  which is more common in formal verse than in free
  verse, occurs when rhyming words appear at the
  ends of lines. Look for patterns of end rhyme
  such patterns are called the rhyme scheme.
  Internal rhyme occurs when rhyming words appear
  anywhere other than the ends of lines.
•       Slant rhyme (or near rhyme). Notice the
  use of inexact rhymes. Such slant rhymes or
  near rhymes do not stand out as much as exact
  rhymes

6
Rhythm

• Meter (formal verse). The rhythm of formal verse
  is more-or-less regular, and its pattern is
  called meter. Do some research on the Internet
  for tips on how to determine the meter and
  analyze the rhythm of formal verse.
•       Rhythm (free verse). The rhythm of a free
  verse poem is irregular, and for this reason it
  is not possible to determine metrical feet
  nevertheless, you can still mark the stresses or
  hear more-or-less subtle rhythms. How does rhythm
  serve the feeling and sense of the poem?

7
.and Repetition

•       Punctuation. Is punctuation missing where
  you expect it, or present in ways you dont
  expect?  Does the poet use line breaks to suggest
  punctuation? Does punctuation tend to occur at
  the ends of lines or in the middle of lines?
  (This is related to the practice of enjambment.
  See above.)
•       Repetition of words, phrases and lines.
  Repetition can serve to enforcemore or less
  subtly, depending on how obvious it isideas and
  emotions. It is also an aspect of rhythm.
  Repetition of words and phrases at the beginnings
  of lines is called anaphora, and a poem composed
  of a number of lines that all begin the same way
  participates in a tradition the goes back to
  ancient oratory, the Bible and the liturgy.
•       Repetition of Syntactical Structures. Look
  at the sentences in the poem. Are they short,
  long, or some combination? Do you see patterns in
  sentence structure? Does the poet use a number of
  rhetorical questions or antithetical statements,
  for instance?

8
Visual Effects

•  
•       Graphic Format. Look at the poem on the
  page. Notice its general shape, as well as the
  shapes of the stanzas. Does the poet manipulate
  the graphic or visual aspect of the poem with
  unexpected capitalization, variations in font or
  font-size, spacing, etc.?
•       Capitalization. Is capitalization missing
  where you expect it (as in e.e. cummings poems),
  or present where you wouldnt expect it? Be aware
  of the ways in which unexpected capitalization
  can shift the function of a word or make it
  ambiguous.

9
Assignment

• Read your poem and complete the TPCASTT
• Use Facts on File or Gale to access at least one
  literary criticism of the title and one biography
  of the author. Cite your source in your power
  point
• Power point rubric will be uploaded by Wednesday
  on the web site.

10
Where to Find?

• Facts on File and Gale
• Name is northwesths
• Password is Texans
• Login to blue lit book is
• http//my.hrw.com