Analysing a Poem You Have Never Seen Before Under Exam Conditions Needn

7/25/2019 Analysing a Poem You Have Never Seen Before Under Exam Conditions Needn

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Analysing a poem you have never seen before under exam conditions neednt be a

frightening prospect. You can improve through practice and by following these steps:

First of all, read the poem. It seems obvious, but youd be surprised how many

students dive straight in and begin writing having only read the title or first few lines.

a!e the time to read the poem through two or even three times. "eally try and hear

it in your head, getting a feel for the sounds and rhythms and noticing any strange

rhymes or interesting words.

Your analysis should then wor! through the following:

#ho is the speakerin the poem$ he voice in the poem isnt necessarily the poet

himself % poets often spea!er through personas, real or imagined, personal or

impersonal % though of course it can be. Is it in the first or third &or second' person$

Is there anything that reveals or implies anything about the spea!er$ #ho are they

spea!ing to$

#hat is the poems setting$ #here does the poem ta!e place$ A poem can be set

anywhere, in the past, present or future. (ow does this setting)location influence the

atmosphere of the poem$

#hat is the formof the poem$ *oems can be written in various forms &see below for

summary of the most common' which dictate their length, their layout on the page,

the line length, whether they rhyme or not and how they rhyme &the rhyme scheme',

their meter &the rhythmic structure of the line.' +ome forms are associated with

certain themes or genres % sonnet form, for example, is commonly used for love

poetry ballad form for narrative &story' poems. *oets ma!e deliberate decisions

about which form to choose, and form always interacts with content, whether to

reinforce it or to wor! against it % a sonnet about the end of a relationship might have

a particular poignancy, for example.

he best way to wor! out and begin tal!ing about the form &and also a good way to

calm exam nerves' is to start counting. -ount the number of stanas, the number of

lines, the number of syllables in the lines if they are regular or there is a pattern. /ar!

the rhymes and the stresses &see below for summary of common stress patterns'.

his should help show up any patterns, and crucially, where the poem deviates from

or tries to brea! away from the pattern. hin!ing about rhymefor example % are all

the rhymes full)perfect rhymes$ &i.e. night)light, s!y)high' or are there some

variations$

Subject matter% what is the poem about$ If you arent sure, try to describe exactly

what is happening in the poem. Its absolutely fine to express a difficulty in

understanding as the poet has probably made it intentionally complex, reflecting

something about what theyre trying to say.

0oo! at the imageryused in the poem. *oets often use figurative and metaphorical

language that ta!e words beyond their literal meanings, and attempt to do so in novelways. *erhaps choose a couple of the most interesting images in the poem and


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comment on them. #hy are they interesting$ #hat is the poet doing$ #hat does the

choice of a particular word do to our understanding, or how does an image create an

atmosphere in the poem$

Finally, what does the poem mean$ You can write an excellent essay covering all of

the previous points and ignoring this one, but if you can its a good idea to end with a

summary of what the poem means what the poet was trying to say, and, perhaps,

whether you thin! they were successful in saying it.

Common poetic forms and literary terms

Alexandrine: A 12 syllable poetic line

Alliteration: the repetition of consonants at the beginning of words e.g. 3the lay

languid line. #hen consonant sounds are repeated within words it is called

consonancee.g. 3some mammals are clammy

Assonance: the internal rhyming of vowel sounds e.g. 3on a proud round cloud in

white high night &ee cummings'

Ballad:A poetic form mostly written in four line stanas &4uatrains' of alternating

lines of iambic tetrameter &four pairs of unstressed5stressed syllables' and iambic

trimeter &three pairs'. 6sually, only the second and fourth lines are rhymed &abcb',

although there is considerable variation in the form.

7xamples of ballads: he 8allad of /oll /agee, #8 Yeats, 8allad of the 8readman,

by -harles -ausley

Blank verse: A type of poetry with a regular meter &generally iambic pentameter' but

no rhyme.

Clich: a saying, expression or idea that has been overused to the point of losing its

original meaning a stereotype.

Dramatic irony: a rhetorical device where the author causes a character to behave

in a way that is contrary to the truth, or that the audience is aware is wrong.

ree verse or vers libre: A form of poetry without any regular patterns, rhymes ormeters. Its form is its irregularity.

!eroic couplet:-ommonly used for narrative poetry, heroic couplets are rhymed

iambic pentameter pairs of lines.

!yperbole: exaggeration

"etaphor: an analogy between two words or ideas where one stands for the other

e.g. 3his smile was the sun % not to be confused with the simile.

#ersonification% ascribing human characteristics to inanimate ob9ects or forms
http://library.crisischronicles.com/2009/12/18/the-ballad-of-moll-magee-by-wb-yeats.aspxhttp://www.poemhunter.com/best-poems/charles-causley/ballad-of-the-breadman/http://www.poemhunter.com/best-poems/charles-causley/ballad-of-the-breadman/http://www.poemhunter.com/best-poems/charles-causley/ballad-of-the-breadman/http://www.poemhunter.com/best-poems/charles-causley/ballad-of-the-breadman/http://library.crisischronicles.com/2009/12/18/the-ballad-of-moll-magee-by-wb-yeats.aspx


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Simile% a !ind of metaphor which uses the words asor like% e.g. 3he fights li!e a

lion

Sonnet: A poetic form. Fourteen lines long. -an be rhymed in a number of ways, but

the most common are Shakespeareanand #etrarchan. +ha!espearean sonnets

are rhymed in three groups of four lines rhymed alternately, followed by a couplet %

i.e. abab cdcd efef gg. he closing rhyming couplet often sums up the sonnet.

*etrarchan sonnets are divided into a group of eight lines, called the octaveand a

group of six lines called the sestet. he octave is usually rhymed abba abba, and the

sestet cde cde. 6sually there is a 3turn or 3volta 5 a change of direction or mood

between the octave and the sestet. raditionally, the octave put forward a proposition

and the sestet offered a solution.

7xamples of sonnets: +onnet 1 by +ha!espeare, +hall I compare thee to a

summer;s day$,$eda and the S%an& by 'B (eats, )n !is Blindness& by "ilton

*er+a rima: A rhyming verse stana form consisting of an interloc!ing three line

rhyme scheme % aba bcb cdc ded etc 5Ac4uainted #ith he


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0ines are named for the kindof feet &whether they are iambic or dactylic etc' and

then for the numberof feet. If there are three it is trimeter, four is tetrameter, five is

pentameter, six is hexameter etc.

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Analysing a Poem You Have Never Seen Before Under Exam Conditions Needn