Literature

Helpful Links to major British poets we will cover this quarter:
William Blake - [|www.blakearchive.org] William Wordsworth - [|www.poets.org/wword] Alfred Lord Tennyson - [|www.tennysonpoetry.home.att.net] Robert and Elizabeth Barrett Browning - [|www.cswnet.com/~erin/browning.htm] Christina Rosetti - [|www.poets.org/cross] John Donne - [|www.poemhunter.com/john-donne/] John Keats - [|www.john-keats.com] Lord Byron - [|www.online-literature.com/byron] Percy Bysshe Shelley - [|www.neuroticpoets.com/shelley/] Alexander Pope - [|www.alexanderpope.com]

Assignment:
I. Author profile for each poet II. Analysis of at least TWO poems from each poet III. Literary criticism of ONE of these poems IV. Essay - Choose two poets to compare and contrast. Make sure you cite literary techniques used.

**How to Explicate a Poem (notes)**
A good poem is like a puzzle--the most fascinating part is studying the individual pieces carefully and then putting them back together to see how beautifully the whole thing fits together. A poem can have a number of different "pieces" that you need to look at closely in order to complete the poetic "puzzle." This sheet explains one way to attempt an explication of a poem, by examining each "piece" of the poem separately. (An "explication" is simply an explanation of how all the elements in a poem work together to achieve the total meaning and effect.)


 * I. Examine the situation in the poem:**

Does the poem tell a story? Is it a narrative poem? If so, what events occur? Does the poem express an emotion or describe a mood? Poetic voice: Who is the speaker? Is the poet speaking to the reader directly or is the poem told through a fictional "persona"? To whom is he speaking? Can you trust the speaker? Tone: What is the speaker's attitude toward the subject of the poem? What sort of tone of voice seems to be appropriate for reading the poem out loud? What words, images, or ideas give you a clue to the tone?


 * II. Examine the structure of the poem:**

Form: Look at the number of lines, their length, their arrangement on the page. How does the form relate to the content? Is it a traditional form (e.g. sonnet, limerick) or "free form"? Why do you think the poem chose that form for his poem? Movement: How does the poem develop? Are the images and ideas developed chronologically, by cause and effect, by free association? Does the poem circle back to where it started, or is the movement from one attitude to a different attitude (e.g. from despair to hope)? Syntax: How many sentences are in the poem? Are the sentences simple or complicated? Are the verbs in front of the nouns instead of in the usual "noun, verb" order? Why? Punctuation: What kind of punctuation is in the poem? Does the punctuation always coincide with the end of a poetic line? If so, this is called an end-stopped line. If there is nopunctuation at the end of a line and the thought continues into the next line, this is called enjambement. Is there any punctuation in the middle of a line? Why do you think the poet would want you to pause halfway through the line? Title: What does the title mean? How does it relate to the poem itself?


 * III. Examine the language of the poem:**

Diction or Word Choice: Is the language colloquial, formal, simple, unusual? Do you know what all the words mean? If not, look them up. What moods or attitudes are associated with words that stand out for you? Allusions: Are there any allusions (references) to something outside the poem, such as events or people from history, mythology, or religion? Imagery: Is there language that appeals to the five senses? Do you hear or see something created by the author’s words?

Figurative Language: Look for metaphors, similes, analogies, personification, etc. How do these images add to the meaning of the poem or intensify the effect of the poem?


 * IV. Examine the musical devices in the poem:**

Rhyme scheme: Does the rhyme occur in a regular pattern, or irregularly? Is the effect formal, satisfying, musical, funny, disconcerting? Rhythm or meter: In most languages, there is a pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a word or words in a sentence. In poetry, the variation of stressed and unstressed syllables and words has a rhythmic effect. What is the tonal effect of the rhythm here? Other "sound effects": alliteration, assonance, consonance repetition. What tonal effect do they have here?

Has the poem created a change in mood for you--or a change in attitude? How have the technical elements helped the poet create this effect?


 * The Essay for Poetry Analysis**

Write a thorough, thoughtful analysis of the poem _by ___. Although you should use the following outline as an organizational pattern for your analysis, your paper should not sound as though you are simply answering the questions. Your analysis should flow smoothly, using transitions and other mature writing techniques. Grammar and spelling will count, so do not neglect these elements.

1. INTRODUCTION--What is the most memorable idea, image, or literary device that you recall about the poem? Would a direct quotation from the poem be an effective attention getter? State the title and author of the poem. State your thesis -- be sure to preview the ideas you will include in each paragraph.

2. BODY--What is the poem about? As you develop your ideas, consider the following: Ø Who could be the speaker? Ø Who could be the audience? Ø What clues to meaning/message are given in the title? Ø Did the poem grow directly from the author's experience? Ø Is the poem a direct reflection of the historical, social, or political events of the poem's era? Ø What is the tone of the poem? Are there any shifts? What is the structure of the poem? How does it establish its meaning? As you develop your ideas, consider the following: Ø What sensory imagery is used in this poem? Ø What figurative language is used in this poem? Ø Is it rhymed, blank, or free verse? Ø What is the sentence structure and punctuation in the poem? Ø How are the lines of the poem laid out? (Use the literary terms as often as you can.)

3. CONCLUSION--Summarize ideas discussed by connecting the structure to the message. Indicate your own response to/evaluation of the poem and how the author's techniques shaped that response/evaluation.