2. What the poem does:
What does poem do?
Expresses the poet‟s feelings
Creates feelings in the reader.
Makes the familiar unfamiliar , and thereby draws our
attention to the ideas and feelings the poet wishes to
share.
3. Effects of poem
What is the purpose of poetry?
To persuade
To make us look differently at familiar things and ideas
To shock
To amuse
To entertain
To experiment
To make us understand
Most of all, a poem seeks to express and create an
EMOTION. Our task is to find out HOW.
4. Poetic techniques
How does a poem work?
We need to discover what the “engine parts” of the poem
are.
We usually refer to these engine parts as “poetic
techniques”.
Then we need to find out how these techniques make the
poem “work”.
In other words, or task is to show how technique makes
meaning.
Like an engine, a poem has components that make it
work.
5. Poetic techniques
Can be roughly grouped this way:
Language (diction, syntax, repetitions and patterns,
titles, figurative language)
Sound effects
Contexts and traditions.
6. Language (diction, syntax, repetitions and patterns,
titles, figurative language)
Sound effects
Contexts and traditions.
7. Imagery
Types of Imagery
Symbol: reference to two, often commonly
associated things
Simile: two things compared, using the phrase „as …
as‟ or the word „like‟.
Metaphor: comparison of two dissimilar things
8. Sound effects
Sound effects are created by:
RHYTHM
Rhythm is created by: repetition, stressed and
unstressed syllables, punctuation. The purpose of
rhythm is to provide unity and coherence; to fulfill or
defeat expectations; and to create a mood or feeling.
It is in its use of rhythm that poetry most resembles
music
9. RHYME
Two or more words that sound alike, usually, (but
not always) at the end of a line. The function of
rhyme is to create unity, to join ideas or concepts
together.
10. Repetition of WORD-SOUNDS
A poet can put the sounds of words to good effect,
especially if their sound imitates the thing they are
describing.
11. PUNCTUATION
Punctuation (commas, full stops, exclamation marks,
semi-colons, etc) can often affect the pace of a line of
poetry. Absence of punctuation can create a smooth,
flowing effect. An abundance of punctuation can
have the opposite effect.
12. Contexts and traditions
What historical events have a bearing on the poem?
Context
Who wrote this poem?
What historical events have a bearing on the poem?
Who is reading this poem?
13. Traditions
What form does the poem take? Poems can take the
form of, for example, a sonnet, or a lyric, or a
dramatic monologue. Does the form of the poem
affect our understanding of it? (Note: we expect
certain forms of poetry to do specific things)
