LL102 Poetry

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LL102 Poetry

• Reading and Literary Analysis of Poetry.
• What is poetry?
• Words
• Lines of word
• Stanzas of lines of words
• Lines of words with a set rhythm / rhyme scheme
• Lines of word with no set rhythm/rhyme scheme
• Lines of words that make original/different use
  of language

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LL102 Poetry

• Poetry
• Traditional Roles
• Entertainment
• Inform/Educate
• Oral forms close to lyrics and song.
• Emphasis on sounds and rhythms.
• Use of figurative language in order to create
  visual images for listeners
• Narrative poems-early forms of storytelling

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LL102 Poetry

• Poetry includes the following
• a creative and imaginative use of language
• structure in the use of sounds in rhyme, rhythm,
  alliteration and assonance.
• Use of images to appeal to the five senses of
  touch, smell, sound, sight, and taste.
• Additional senses of movement, inaction,
  relaxation and tension
• Presents a particular view, description,
  narrative or story, argument or commentary on
  various subjects and issues.
• Verse form based on sounds and images to elevate
  words beyond their ordinary literal meanings

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LL102 Poetry

• Use of figures of speech-metaphorical language to
  create visual and emotional worlds
• Diction or choice of words influences the final
  effect of a poem.
• Particular forms-narrative-story-epic
  poetry/descriptive/argumentative-expository/usuall
  y a combination of these forms is present.
• Tone and text affect the way in which a
  particular subject/object is being written about.
• Context and background to the poems-related to
  reality/history-recurrence of images to reinforce
  particular ideas/views on the human/natural
  worlds
• Subjective nature of our reactions to
  poetry-definition of various benchmarks in making
  value judgements on the worth or otherwise of
  specific poems.

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LL102 Poetry

• Literature, creativity and the development of
  Pacific Poetry
• Spread out geography of the Pacific islands led
  to the growth of localized area specific oral
  traditions and oral literature.
• Polynesian societies were noted for their
  development of oral literature, especially
  poetry. Talent in the oral literary traditions
  was highly valued and story-tellers/poets/comics
  were given high standing and privileges in
  society.
• Idea of mana as a power or force that was also
  attributed as part of the gift of creativity-
  links between art and the divine/god/supernatural
  powers.

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• Polynesian societies in the Pacific are credited
  for having an artistic and literary culture that
  far outweighed their material culture.
• A healthy situation that was reversed through the
  forces of colonialism, Christianity, and commerce
  and the continued influence of Westernization.
• Relationships exist between economic conditions
  and a literary culture. In underdeveloped
  countries like that of the Pacific, priorities of
  basic education, health and employment come
  before that of ideals such as the development of
  a literary culture.
• While literacy was not a problem literature in
  the Pacific did not develop in parallel terms.
  Instead a variety of historical, cultural, social
  and economic factors contributed in a negative
  way on the development of a Pacific literature.

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LL102 Poetry
Oral poetry Long tradition in Pacific, especially
Polynesian societies. Oral poetry was not always
kept apart from other oral literary forms such as
drama and narrative. In Pacific societies like
Tonga, oral performers could move fluidly between
the different forms of narrative, drama and
poetry that in itself was enhanced by music and
dance. In its traditional, non-tourism
commercialised form, the Hawaiian hula and Tongan
faiva were used to enhance the mood and images of
the oral poems. Oral poetry was distinguished in
this form by its performance and the feelings of
immediacy and intimacy with between performer and
audience. Good oral poets were usually judged
on their ability to use words creatively and
sometimes even in a playful way and still say
something substantial or worth listening to. Oral
poetry could still be complex and use allusions
and imagery that aimed to be suggestive rather
than direct in culturally or politically
sensitive matters.
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LL102 Poetry
Written Poetry. Sound and images working
together appeal to us at different ages. As
children we enjoy the easy rhymes and funny
images of nursery rhymes and limericks. DR.
Foster Doctor Foster went to Gloucester In a
shower of rain He stepped in a puddle up to his
middle And never went there again.
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LL102 Poetry
Reading Poetry Poetry was originally an oral
form that was read out aloud to a live audience.
A lot of poetry even now needs to be read out
aloud in order to effect the voice or
combination of images and sounds for maximum
impact. Other poems can be meant to be
reflective pieces that are better suited to a
quiet personal reading. Poetry in the written
form allows for a wider range of interpretations
and analysis.
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• Sudesh Mishras At the Movies experiments with
  voices, that of a stereotyped Indian speaking in
  English, and the street language of
  Fiji-english-Finglish, respectively.
• Oral poetry can be more prescriptive given the
  particular emphasis placed by the poet in the
  performance. Many poets intend their poems to be
  read out aloud.
• Some specialize as performance poets and write
  poetry that suits oral performance to a live
  audience.
• Poems by Pio Manoa and Teweiariki Teaero in this
  collection show some of the influences of oral
  poetry such as direct addressing of an audience.

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LL102 Poetry

• A lot of protest poetry, some of which are read
  at protest rallies and marches, appeal to direct
  emotions and require simple, but forceful
  language that has an immediate impact.
• A lot of early poetry from the Pacific protested
  issues of colonialism, exploitation by the
  various forces of Westernization-education,
  popular culture, religion and consumerism.
• Womens rights, environmental issues such as
  logging, nuclear testing, nuclear arms/waste
  transportation into the Pacific, calls for
  greater economic equality among the various
  classes in society, official corruption, use of
  force/coups to effect political change are among
  the more common current issues in protest poetry.
  

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• Sia Figels What they have been asking (so
  far), and Selina Tusitala Marshs Statued
  (stat you?) Traditions. Not only do they move
  on to the new generation of issues to write
  protest poetry about, but they also engage in the
  questioning of our own part in exploiting and
  corrupting our own people.
• These poems, like all others, have to be read
  with some awareness of the context and background
  in which it is written. An understanding of
  history or current events provides us with
  further insights into the poems.

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LL102 Poetry

• I Do Not Love You Except Because I Love You  I
  do not love you except because I love youI go
  from loving to not loving you,From waiting to
  not waiting for youMy heart moves from cold to
  fire.I love you only because it's you the one I
  loveI hate you deeply, and hating youBend to
  you, and the measure of my changing love for
  youIs that I do not see you but love you
  blindly.Maybe January light will consumeMy
  heart with its cruelRay, stealing my key to true
  calm.In this part of the story I am the one
  whoDies, the only one, and I will die of love
  because I love you,Because I love you, Love, in
  fire and blood.

• Parts of a Poem
• speaker
• audience
• subject
• tone
• theme
• diction
• imagery
• figures of speech
• sound
• rhythm  

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LL102 Poetry
If You Forget MeI want you to knowone thing.
You know how this is if I look at the
crystal moon, at the red branch of the slow
autumn at my window, if I touch near the fire
the impalpable ash or the wrinkled body of the
log, everything carries me to you, as if
everything that exists, aromas, light, metals,
were little boats that sail toward those isles
of yours that wait for me. Well, now, if
little by little you stop loving me I shall stop
loving you little by little. If suddenly you
forget me do not look for me, for I shall
already have forgotten you.
If you think it long and mad, the wind of
banners that passes through my life, and you
decide to leave me at the shore of the heart
where I have roots, remember that on that day,
at that hour, I shall lift my arms and my
roots will set off to seek another land. But
if each day, each hour, you feel that you are
destined for me with implacable sweetness, if
each day a flower climbs up to your lips to seek
me, ah my love, ah my own, in me all that fire
is repeated, in me nothing is extinguished or
forgotten, my love feeds on your love, beloved,
and as long as you live it will be in your arms
without leaving mine. Pablo Neruda
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• Poetry Basic Definition
• Poetry is the most compressed form of literature.
• Poetry is composed of carefully chosen words
  expressing great depth of meaning.
• Poetry uses specific devices such as connotation,
  sound, and rhythm to express the appropriate
  combination of meaning and emotion.
•   There are two basic types of poetry 
• traditional - follows standard rules of grammar
  and syntax with a regular rhythm and rhyme
  scheme.
• modern - avoids rhyme and standard grammatical
  organization and seeks new ways of expression.

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Regardless of whether it is traditional or modern
poetry, the subject of a poem can be anything. 
It could be about something as intense as child
birth, or as mundane as waiting at a bus stop. 
Since there are so many poems written about the
important parts of life that affect all humans
(marriage, death, love, and the natural world),
there are names for poems with these subjects. 
Clearly, not all poems fit into these
categories. epithalamium - a poem that
celebrates a wedding elegy - a poem that
remembers the dead pastoral - a poem describing
the joys or sorrows of living close to nature and
away from the city love - a poem filled with
expressions of joy, despair, passion, romance,
spirituality, religion or unrequited love.
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Analyzing Poetry You analyze a poem to arrive at
an intelligent interpretation and understand what
you read. A Rule! A poem should be read
several times in order to "hear" it and feel its
emotions. The more times you read the poem, the
more you can analyze and understand subtle shades
of meaning in a poem. These shades of meaning
are often conveyed through specific poetic
devices, or "parts" of the poem.
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speaker - the created narrative voice of the poem
(i.e. the person the reader is supposed to
imagine is talking). The speaker is NOT
necessarily the poet. The poet often invents a
speaker for the poem in order to give
him/hererself more freedom to compose the
poem. When the poet creates another character to
be the speaker, that character is called the
persona. persona - A character created by the
poet to narrate the poem. By creating a persona,
the poet imagines what it is like to enter
someone else's personality. When the poet uses
one persona to narrate the entire poem, the poem
is called a dramatic monologue. dramatic
monologue - a poem in which the poet uses a
persona, or a narrative voice other than his own,
to tell the entire poem. These tend to sound like
one-sided conversations, like the character is
talking to him/herself.
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audience - the person or people to whom the
speaker is speaking.  Identifying the audience
within a poem helps you to understand the poem
better. There are different people the speaker
can address in the poem The speaker can address
another character in the poem. The speaker can
address a character who is not present or is
dead, which is called apostrophe. The speaker
can address you, the reader. subject - the
general or specific topic of the poem (what the
poem is about).
tone - the poet's attitude toward the subject of
the poem (this may be different from the
speaker's attitude). We can identify the tone
of the poem by noting the author's use of poetic
devices such as diction, rhythm and syntax theme
- The statement the poem/poet makes about its
subject.  (Theme for poetry has a slightly
different meaning than theme for a work of
fiction).
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syntax - the organization of words, phrases and
clauses, i.e. the word order. Finding the right
syntax for a poem is like finding the right light
before you take a photograph. If the order of
the words is "wrong," the emotional,
psychological, and/or spiritual impact of the
words will be lost. imagery - words and phrases
used specifically to help the reader to imagine
each of the senses smell, touch, sight, hearing,
and taste.
diction - the poet's choice of words. The poet
chooses each word carefully so that both its
meaning and sound contribute to the tone and
feeling of the poem. The poet must consider a
word's denotation - its definition according to
the dictionary connotation - the emotions,
thoughts and ideas associated with and evoked by
the word. Some words are neutral, but can have
negative or positive connotations. For example,
the word island is neutral. When it refers to a
vacation on a Pacific island, the word has
positive connotations. When it describes being
shipwrecked on an island, the word has negative
connotations. Also, words associated with smell
can be either positive or negative. For example,
"scent" is positive, while "odor" is negative.
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•  Each of these types of imagery has a specific
  name
• olfactory imagery stimulates the sense of smell.
• tactile imagery stimulates the sense of touch.
• visual imagery stimulates the sense of sight.
• auditory imagery stimulates the sense of hearing.
  
• gustatory imagery stimulates the sense of taste.
• kinesthesia is imagery that recreates a feeling
  of physical action or natural bodily function
  (like a pulse, a heartbeat, or breathing).
• synaesthesia is imagery that involves the use of
  one sense to evoke another (Ex loud color warm
  gesture).

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•  Be Near Me   by Faiz Ahmed Faiz Translated by
  Naomi Lazard
• Be near me now,
• My tormenter, my love, be near me
• At this hour when night comes down,
• When, having drunk from the gash of sunset,
  darkness comes
• With the balm of musk in its hands, its diamond
  lancets,
• When it comes with cries of lamentation,
                                               
• with laughter with songs
• Its blue-gray anklets of pain clinking with every
  step.
• At this hour when hearts, deep in their hiding
  places,
• Have begun to hope once more, when they start
  their vigil
• For hands still enfolded in sleeves
• When wine being poured makes the sound  
•                                             of
  inconsolable children                       
• who, though you try with all your heart,
• cannot be soothed.
• When whatever you want to do cannot be done,
• When nothing is of any use

Faiz Ahmed Faiz Born on February 13, 1911, in
Sialkot, India (now Pakistan), Faiz Ahmed Faiz is
especially celebrated for his poems in
traditional Urdu forms and his remarkable ability
to expand the conventional thematic expectations
to include political and social issues....
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What have I to say to you When we shall
meet? YetI lie here thinking of you. The stain
of love Is upon the world. Yellow, yellow,
yellow, It eats into the leaves, Smears with
saffron The horned branches that
lean Heavily Against a smooth purple sky. There
is no light Only a honey-thick stain That drips
from leaf to leaf And limb to limb Spoiling the
colours Of the whole world.
I am alone. The weight of love Has buoyed me
up Till my head Knocks against the sky. See
me! My hair is dripping with nectar Starlings
carry it On their black wings. See, at last My
arms and my hands Are lying idle. How can I
tell If I shall ever love you again As I do now?
A Love Song   by William Carlos Williams Read
by Ron Silliman
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figures of speech - poetic devices in which two
images or objects are compared to make language
interesting and meaningful. The poet uses common
expressions in original and creative ways to
compare objects and makes the poem more
interesting and meaningful.   Examples of
figures of speech simile metaphor personifica
tion anthropomorphism synecdoche metonymy
allusion symbolism verbal irony
overstatement understatement paradox
oxymoron  
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Simile - a comparison that uses the words like
or as, or a verb like seems or appears to draw
two objects or images into a relationship.
Example 1     Your eyes are as blue as the sky.
                         You eat like a bird.
Example 2      You, the Choice of my
Parents By Konai Thaman You
come clad in your fine mats and tapa cloth Your
brown skin bursting with fresh perfumed oil And
your eyes shining like stars in a clear night
Example 3 "Harlem"                           
What happens to a dream deferred?
                           Does it dry
up                      like a raisin in the
sun? Dream Deferred by Langston Hughes
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metaphor metaphor - functions the same way simile
does, except that the comparison is more implied
and the words like or as are omitted. The verb
to be is used.   Example 1    Your cheeks are
red cherries.  Here, the author does not mean
that your cheeks are actually red
cherries.  Instead, the metaphor simply conveys
that your cheeks are the color of cherries
flushes, bright and red. Example 2       My
Guest (Momoe Von Rieche) You flaunt your
pretty Dresses in my face, Your perfume spoils
the Dinner I cook for my husband. My children
look on while You bat your false lashes And smile
your Thirty-year-old seductiveness Your
bottle-beauty catches. You spread your red
fingertips On the table-mat, Here Von Reiche
compares beauty with falseness and being
made-up/using make-up and uses the poem to expand
her metaphor.
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personification - a type of metaphor that gives
living qualities to inanimate objects or abstract
ideas or human qualities (feelings, thoughts) to
animals.  It gives non-living things and animals
the ability to think, feel emotions, or have
human relationships. Example 1    The moon
smiles. Fires rage.                 The wind
vexes the lake and the waves crash angrily.
Invitation Pio Manoa Sometimes As a frog
feels the coming rain so my awkward fingers sense
the end of laughter.
Therefore friend, before the wind shakes and the
sky gathers let us sit a moment by the hums
edge and the fringe of light, the quiet water
under the bullfrogs assertion where the finger
of water points into silence There our words will
find the delicate filaments that anchor brain to
belly of heart, words to tease other words and
word that bears unseen the source which we must
touch to see.
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anthropomorphism - a kind of personification that
gives human attributes to something not human,
such as parts of nature, abstract ideas, or, in
particular, deities. Example 1    Referring to
the Earth as a maternal figure
                                       "Mother
Earth."                        Referring to a
ship as a female                    
                    "She rides the waves
well." synecdoche synecdoche - a form of
metaphor where one part stands for the whole, or
the whole is substituted for one part. In other
words, we speak of something by naming only a
part of it.   Examples    "Robby got wheels
this summer."                                    
        wheels car                             
  "All hands were on deck."                      
                hands sailors                   
         metonymy - a play on words based on
association. With metonymy, an object is referred
to in terms of something closely related to it,
yet not actually a part of it (i.e. not
synecdoche).  In other words, we comment on
something by naming a separate object, but one
that is closely associated with the original
subject. Examples    The Boss controls the
purse strings.                                   
                                    purse money
                                   He will
follow the cross.                                
               the cross Christianity
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allusion - a reference made to another literary
work, historical event, work of art, or a famous
person's quote that adds more depth to the
poet's/author's meaning. In fact, all poems
retelling old stories are allusive. Familial
Mohit Prasad In the Pacific we celebrated family
when attila and boadicea and machiavelli were
little savages. Smallness of space made every
moment A monument to family.                      
             These three, attila (the Hun),
boadicea (Queen of Iceni Celtics revolting
against Romans) and machiavelli (here used for a
civil servant political schemer), often quoted in
history for their roles as savages/schemers.
The allusion is extended by lower case for
their spelling and idea of little savages from
past powers who were barbaric but were now part
of what was considered civilised against the new
savages from the Pacific.
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symbolism - when an author uses an object or idea
to suggest more than its literal meaning. A
person, place, or event stands for something
other than it is, usually something broader or
deeper than it is. The author intentionally uses
symbolism in his/her writing. The author selects
specific objects, places or things to function as
symbols in his/her work in order to expand and
deepen the meaning of the piece. The author
trusts that the reader will be skilled enough to
notice the symbolism. The Grand Pacific Hotel
Sudesh Mishra A palatial building with broad
verandahs and luxurious lounges, coffeeRooms,
etc., where cooling drinks or the refreshing cup
of afternoon tea, Are served in truly oriental
style by white-turbaned waiters. Herald
Handbook, 1921 Clumps of Vesi trees bob in the
bilge-water The offal-green drapery of the
sea Drapes the nothing of a louvred borizon. The
ocean is my sponsor. I forgive it Everything
those years spent nursing ratoons Under suns and
planters gong. Now its easy. I will answer to
many sobriquets. Coolie is the most familiar.
Tonight They play whist over their gins. And I
wait. As always I wait, devouring such nouns As
cricket and veranda. The trades blow Through
wicker chairs. I tire of the turban, The looped
cerements of my non-presence. Some day I will
name myself in their script. Sybolism of
OceanSponsor migration- indenture suns and
planters gongsSystem of labour/tasking, cricket
and verandahsports/architecture of coloniser,
wicker chairs-colonial furniture,
turbanindian/waiter
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overstatement (hyperbole)- An exaggeration
giving something more or less of a quality than
it really has. This term is usually used as a put
down, or to discredit what someone is saying.
 Example    After so many years, he can still
feel the sting of his teachers tamarind switch.
He cannot literally feel the switch, but the
hyperbole conveys that his teacher's punishment
was a deeply damaging experience. 
understatement (litotes, meiosis) - saying
something with an overly light tone the
speaker's words convey less emotion than he
actually feels.   Example    "I'm really glad
that you have come to visit," said the cannibal
to Reverend Thomas. Rev Thomas is not only a
welcome visitor but the next meal.
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paradox - a statement that appears to be absurd,
untrue, or contradictory, but may actually be
true.  Example    From "Death, Be Not Proud,
Though Some Have Called Thee"                    
  "One short sleep past, we wake
eternally,                     And death shall
be no more death, thou shalt die."
                      (John Donne) It seems
impossible that man could live beyond death, and
that death itself could die.  However, if one
believes in the Christian doctine, it is
possible.  The Christian faith teaches that
after the body dies, the soul wakes again and
lives for eternity.  Therefore, if the passage is
examined from a Christian perspective, the
"impossible" statement becomes true.  oxymoron
- a form of paradox where two contradictory terms
are combined in one phrase.  Examples   cold
fire                       honest
thief                      darkly
lit                      fearful joy
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LL102 Poetry
Poems are usually divided in terms of the
following Narrative Tells a story based on a
problem, a turning point, the climax and
denouement or resolving of conflict. This is not
a very common form in modern poetry. Pacific
poets have in the past written such poems basing
it on their traditional oral forms. The narrative
poem can be used to provide a strong sense of
movement, turn of actions and sometimes
characterization. Descriptive Describes a
scene, object, event or person. The poet uses
words in a definite way to present clear visual
images. Many new and young poets try this form.
It is difficult to sustain interest in
descriptions based on words alone, and most
successful poems of this type are short. This
is not a very common form but is a common element
in many of other types of poetry. For example,
providing the description of the scenery in
narrative poems, especially in epics and ballads.

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LL102 Poetry
Expository Combines emotions and ideas, usually
a combination of the two to present views and
opinions of particular feelings. Emotions or
feelings expressed are used in an extended form
to leave a lasting impression on readers. A lot
of love poems rely on exposition to present the
strong emotions being felt or conveyed. A lot of
new poetry from the Pacific found in this
collection rely on this method to convey
emotional subjects or in order to comment on
particular issues through an engagement of ideas.
Argumentative Used argument to prove or
disprove a proposition usually made at the
beginning of the poem. Reason and logic are used
in the argument. This combined with the structure
provides a clear resolution or leaves various
options on the subject of the argument.
Most poems are a combination of these
forms. Much of poetry coming from the Pacific
uses a combination of these forms with one or two
dominating the poem.

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LL102 Poetry

• Literary Analysis of Poetry
• Read the poem aloud and take mental notes of the
  various sounds and images that are being
  emphasized.
• Usually your first reading will evoke different
  emotions based on the various sounds and images
  and their combination with the choice of words.
• Take stock of the various ideas, images, sounds
  and the overall effect being created.
• Analysis of the choice words by the poet and
  linking them with the images/emotions being
  evoked will provide a clearer picture of what is
  being written about and how.

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LL102 Poetry
Rhythm in Poetry Language in poetry in a
measured form relies on greater reliance on
rhythm. Rhythm is the pattern that is made by a
combination of stressed/unstressed,
accented/unaccented syllables. We can easily hear
the rhythm of nursery rhymes like Doctor Foster
went to Gloucester or Hickory, Dickory, Dock.
We use - to denote stressed or u for
unstressed syllables. This system relies on
individual or subjective decision on which
syllables should be stressed or unstressed as
only the poet knows exactly what is stressed or
unstressed in their poems. An inter-play of
regular and irregular rhythms is often judged as
the sign of a good use of rhythm.
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LL102 Poetry

• The second obvious element in sound pattern is
  rhyme.
• It is the most obvious sound pattern being based
  on a repetition of identity and difference of
  sounds.
• Repetition of vowel sounds (be.me/bay/may) or a
  vowel sound plus a terminal consonantal sound or
  sounds (bear/hair or breaths/deaths) are known as
  exact or true rhymes.
• When the sounds are similar but not identical for
  example, love/move, boat/bait, they are called
  slant rhymes.

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LL102 Poetry

• Rhyme scheme refers to the end sounds (not words
  or their spelling) of lines in a poem.
• Rhyme schemes are transcribed using small case
  letters, with each letter being used once to
  denote a particular sound.
• Sounds in poetry are another important area and
  can be linked to the use of figures of speech
  such as
• alliterations ( repetition of vowel
  sounds-court/country,city/silent)
• assonance ( repetition of noun sounds-based on
  pronunciation-a in mate and e in feet, a in bar
  and o in note )
• and onomatopoeia ( use of words that approximate
  the sound being described-woosh/splash/bang).

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LL102 Poetry

• Diction or Choice and Arrangement of words in
  Poetry.
• The choice and arrangement of words plays an
  important role in the final form and
  effectiveness of the poem. Word choice and their
  being concrete and specific or abstract and
  general are important factors in critical
  analysis. Concrete and specific words usually
  invoke images or are seen as image-bearing words.
  We refer to the choices made in terms of the
  imagery of the poet. Imagery evokes or brings
  about various sensory feelings due to the choice
  of the word and the images that are associated
  with it.

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LL102 Poetry

• Many poets from the Pacific have to deal with
  using words in a second language when their own
  language term for that object brings up a
  different range of associations. Compare the word
  Orange in English and the associations it
  brings up-color, fruit, texture, smell, taste,
  shape, uses, iconic, symbolic-flag-jerseys. The
  equivalent local language terms for the same word
  may require a number of words, for example the
  color/the fruit. You can by association extend
  the images to sound for the word Orange.
• Kinds of images are usually related to the five
  senses of sight, smell, taste, touch and sound.
  Wild Horses by Sudesh Mishra has a wide range
  of images and appeals to the sense in this
  collection. The sensation of tension/relaxation/mo
  vement is sometimes added to the five senses in
  describing imagery in poetry. In poetry the
  different images evoked by the words become
  important in their critical analysis.

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LL102 Poetry

• The interplay and arrangement of the images form
  an important part in how the poem presents ideas,
  issues, objects and the final impact this has on
  the reader. As a reader it is important to stay
  within the context of the images being associated
  rather than relying on a free association of
  images that can lead to misinterpretations of the
  poem. It is important to distinguish between the
  images evoked for the poem and the wider range of
  images that it can evoke in individuals.
• Imagery provides the means for readers to
  recreate the experience that the poet aims for
  the poems. Imagery with its combination of
  sensory and non-sensory language(intellectual/abst
  ract) provides insights into the human/natural
  (sometimes supernatural worlds that helps explain
  the complexities of their interactions. Imagery
  provides the literary device to come close to the
  tone and mood of the poem that the poet set out
  to invoke.

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LL102 Poetry
Figures and Symbols in Poetry It is also
important to recognize in the choice and
arrangement of words the use of figures of
speech and how they are sometimes used to form a
symbol. Simile and Metaphor are the two major
types of figures of speech. Both occur mainly in
their use of making comparisons and occur mainly
in personification/animation and metonymy. A
simile compares two things that are and remain
distinct from each other. Evening scoops, raises
the wind like flour/ Hurricane by Sudesh
Mishra. Here the poet compares wind and
flour where each is a distinct entity and
remains so even as the comparison is made.
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LL102 Poetry

• Simile
• In a simile, the two things compared are linked
  grammatically by the conjunction as or like or
  sometimes than.
• Usually the poet suggests rather than states the
  aspects of the two things being compared. In the
  lines the suggestion is that of the texture and
  movement of wind and flour
• Similes work through their power of suggestion
  leading to a total communication of the
  experience at hand.
• Most modern poetry uses simple or undeveloped
  similes. Epic poems in the past used the extended
  form of the simile, sometimes also known as the
  Homeric simile. This was often used as a
  convention to extend the narrative in the poem
  using a sequence of related comparisons.

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LL102 Poetry

• The metaphor is an implied and not an expressed
  comparison. The objects and aspects of comparison
  become fused together and no longer remain
  distinct from each other. In the simile the basic
  statement is X is like Y In metaphors X is
  Y. As such the metaphor is logically impossible
  while the simile is logically possible.
• The offal-green drapery of the sea - The Grand
  Pacific Hotel-Sudesh Mishra. In this metaphor
  the sea takes on color by putting
  cloth-drapery-that is green like offal. The sea
  cannot logically become this but the fusion of
  images presents a strong suggestion of the
  color/form/texture/smell of the sea.
• Similes and metaphors that have become too common
  like weeping willows or missed by a mile are
  treated as clichés or dead figures of speech.

45
LL102 Poetry

• Denotation, Connotation and Allusion
• Poetry aims to use words, lines, stanzas and
  poems in language that is creative and
  imaginative. As such there is great use of the
  meanings and association that are suggested by
  words.
• A meaning of a word that is close to the
  dictionary definition or accepted standard are
  its denotations.
• Meaning is strictly prescribed and
  interpretations are limited.
• Official language in science and law for example
  are strictly denoted or works on denotations to
  restrict interpretations and avoid ambiguity.

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LL102 Poetry

• Poetry on the other hand seeks to use associated
  meanings or connotations in order to open up a
  wider range of interpretations.
• The following lines from Recall" by Pio Manoa
  exemplifies a range of connotation using fairly
  simple words and lines
• Do I dare push
• Like ploughshare steel
• And feel again
• This earth in me.?
• Questions on identity, belonging, past practices
  and a sense of being centred are raised by the
  use of images of farm implements and the earth.
  Earth in poetry can refer to place, soil,
  pastoral themes, mother, place of origin among
  other things.

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LL102 Poetry

• Denotation and connotation take on a special form
  when references are made to other works of
  literature.
• This idea of reference or inter-textuality is
  also referred to as allusion.
• Allusions can be made directly/overtly or through
  hidden/covert means. Given the large body of
  poetry that exists we can argue there is nothing
  such as a non-allusive poem.
• The poems in this collection make allusions to
  each other sometimes by design and at other times
  by being under the same regional literature.
• Allusions assume wide reading and general
  knowledge of other literary terms or texts.
• Allusions are also made to great figures in
  history, from the bible, or other religious
  texts.

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LL102 Poetry
Some Guidelines on Analysing Poetry .Factual or
Denotational Values. Summarize the poem in a
few sentences and make distinctions between
familiar and unfamiliar aspects of the poem.
Single out words and images that are
immediately accessible to you. Underline
aspects of the poem that remain unclear. Can
you use the familiar aspects to set a context
that makes the rest of the poem easier to
understand.
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LL102 Poetry

• Psychological Values
• Sensory-appeal senses in image making and
  visualization of the poem. Appeal of words and
  images in their terms of their clarity/vividness
  or lack of appeal due to their obscure nature.
  Images and effect on your emotions-set
  emotional/sad/happy/angry mood.
• ii. Emotional-list your emotions and any changes
  as you go through the poem. Is there a set
  pattern or variety and intensity or both in the
  emotions. How does the emotional tracing enable
  you make interpretations on the feelings of the
  poet or persona and their particular
  viewpoints/feelings.

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LL102 Poetry

• Psychological Values
• Empathetic-feeling of identification with the
  ideas, values, images and emotions expressed in
  the poem. Lack of identification and reasons for
  this.
• Analytical-important values in the poem and role
  of poet in making this clear/emphasizing or
  prioritizing particular values. Or does the poet
  leave the reader with images and situation and
  allow them to make their own judgment on values.

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LL102 Poetry
3. Technical ValuesStructure i. Narrative-does
the structure of the poem concern itself
primarily with telling a story. Are there clear
elements of exposition, development, turning
point, climax, development and denouement or are
they used in varied way in the poem? ii.
Descriptive-Discuss the pattern and relationship
between images in a poem that basically used word
to describe or create a picture of an object,
place, person or other such combinations. iii.
Expository-Discuss if the poem mainly
concentrates on an exposition of feelings and
emotions in some sort of pattern or order. Your
analysis should contain order and possible
reasons for the ordering of emotions and feelings
in order to leave a particular impression on the
reader. Discuss the effectiveness of the poem in
creating such experiences. iv. Argumentative-
state the thesis or statement made at the
beginning and subsequent use of reason, logic and
arguments to persuade the reader to a particular
viewpoint. Comment on the force of the arguments
and their validity in the larger context of the
poem and associated values. v. Combined. List
and order the structures in terms of their
dominance and effectiveness. Relationship
between the inner structure as given above and
their form in the use of rhythm and rhyme scheme.
Discuss if the two aspects compliment each other
or are in conflict.
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LL102 Poetry

• B. Style1. Meter
• i.Meter or rhythm of the poem by an analysis of
  stressed and unstressed syllables. Determining
  patterns and deciding if there is a fixed pattern
  leading to fixed verse.
• ii.Irregular meter or free verse and the uses of
  different patterns to give some indication of
  sound patterns.
• .Sound-Pattern
• Analyse sound patterns by the following method
• i. Links between repeated words
• ii. Links of final consonants in the rhyme words
• iii. Links between vowels in rhyme words
• iv. Significant use of alliteration including
  those in the rhyme words
• v. Significant use of assonance including those
  in the rhyme words
• Discussion of sound pattern should cover the
  following.
• Purpose and effect of patterns
• Suitability or lack of suitability of rhyme
  scheme to the overall structure of the poem
• Contribution or otherwise of alliteration and
  assonance to effectiveness of the poem

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LL102 Poetry

• 3. Diction
• Identity and list image making words according to
  their functions in the poem
• Sight-color/size/shape/position/movement/inaction/
  
• Sound or absence of sound
• Touch
• Kinesthetic sensation-tension/relaxation
• Smell
• Taste
• Heat/Cold
• Discussions on diction should include
  relationship between image-bearing and abstract
  terms/dominant type of imagery/quality of
  imagery-cliched or original. General
  emphasis-does the poem engage in creating a
  sensory presentation or engage in intellectual
  discourse or a combination of both.

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LL102 Poetry

• .Metaphors and Similes
• Identify and underline each in the poems
• Discussion on simile and metaphor should cover
  the following
• Detailed analysis of elements used in the
  comparison
• Sources/context of the elements of comparison
• Special types of simile or metaphor
  (personification / animation / metonymy)
• Quality-original and innovative use of images for
  comparison
• Amount of figurative language and effectiveness
  in the poem.
• Symbolic Values
• Major symbols-persons, objects, actions and terms
• Pattern of symbols and recurrent images or sets
  such as light/dark/heat/cold/seasons/
• Emphasis of various themes by the symbols
• Evaluation of the success or otherwise in the use
  of symbols

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LL102 Poetry

• Ideational Values
• Major themes or experiences that the symbols
  express.
• Decide if the poet has left these clear and
  explicit or has it been left in an undecided
  state.
• Relevance of the entire poem to the themes /
  experience-determine weak lines or stanzas in
  their use of structure or form.
• Attitude of the poet to the major themes.
• Does the poet make a clear stand on the themes or
  are they left unclear.
• Means by which the attitude of the poet is made
  clear.
• What are some of the dominant and underlying
  tones of the poem?
• How does this contribute to the overall impact?
• Ethical and philosophical values
• Overall value of the poem
• Conclusions.

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Kissing Rain

• Duality of Place/Belonging or Exile/Departure
• Envoi2 Kissing Rain-The Legend
• Kissing Salt
• Sensuality of Fruit/Food with that of Love/Woman.
  Bringing in of the ordinary into an extraordinary
  emotion that of passion/love.
• Mangoes-Salt and Sea
• Eating Mangoes - A Fetish
• Making Love with Water, Turmeric and Salt
• Intertextuality and References/Allusions to other
  poets/poems-style, form, and subject.
• Silver Herrings and Twin Peaks
• Nerudas Light
• Kissing Rain (2006) is the third collection
  after Eyes of the Mask (1998) and Eating Mangoes
  (2000)