POETIC ANALYSISSYNTAX, RHYME, RHYTHM, DICTION, FIGURATIVE
LANGUAGE
SYNTAX
•SYNTAX IS THE ORDERING OF WORDS INTO PATTERNS AND PHRASES
•THESE TERMS ARE HELPFUL WHEN DISCUSSING POETIC SYNTAX:1.CAESURA
2.ENJAMBMENT
3.END-STOPPED
CAESURA
•A PAUSE, USUALLY NEAR THE MIDDLE OF A LINE OF VERSE, USUALLY INDICATED BY THE SENSE OF THE LINE, AND OFTEN GREATER THAN THE NORMAL PAUSE.
• EXAMPLE: “TO ERR IS HUMAN, TO FORGIVE DIVINE”
ENJAMBMENT•THE CONTINUATION OF THE SENSE AND GRAMMATICAL
CONSTRUCTION FROM ONE LINE OF POETRY TO THE NEXT
A thing of beauty is a joy forever: Its loveliness increases; it will neverPass into nothingness but still will keep A bower quiet for us, and asleepFull of sweet dreams, and health, and quiet breathing
END-STOPPED
•A LINE WITH A PAUSE AT THE ENDEXAMPLE:
TRUE EASE IN WRITING COMES FROM ART, NOT CHANCE, AS THOSE MOVE EASIEST WHO HAVE LEARN’D TO DANCE.
RHYME
• CLOSE SIMILARITY OR IDENTITY OF SOUND BETWEEN ACCENTED SYLLABLES OCCUPYING CORRESPONDING POSITIONS IN TWO OR MORE LINES OF VERSE
RHYME SCHEME
•THE WAY RHYMES ARE ARRANGED IN A POEM
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RHYMING PATTERNS
• POETS CAN CHOOSE FROM A VARIETY OF DIFFERENT RHYMING PATTERNS.
• (SEE NEXT FOUR SLIDES FOR EXAMPLES.)
•AABB – LINES 1 & 2 RHYME AND LINES 3 & 4 RHYME
•ABAB – LINES 1 & 3 RHYME AND LINES 2 & 4 RHYME
•ABBA – LINES 1 & 4 RHYME AND LINES 2 & 3 RHYME
•ABCB – LINES 2 & 4 RHYME AND LINES 1 & 3 DO NOT RHYME
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AABB RHYMING PATTERN
SNOW MAKES WHITENESS WHERE IT FALLS.
THE BUSHES LOOK LIKE POPCORN BALLS.
AND PLACES WHERE I ALWAYS PLAY,
LOOK LIKE SOMEWHERE ELSE TODAY.
BY MARIE LOUISE ALLEN
First Snow
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ABAB RHYMING PATTERNI LOVE NOODLES. GIVE ME OODLES.
MAKE A MOUND UP TO THE SUN.
NOODLES ARE MY FAVORITE FOODLES.
I EAT NOODLES BY THE TON.
BY LUCIA AND JAMES L. HYMES, JR.
Oodles of Noodles
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ABBA RHYMING PATTERNLET ME FETCH STICKS,
LET ME FETCH STONES,
THROW ME YOUR BONES,
TEACH ME YOUR TRICKS.
BY ELEANOR FARJEON
From “Bliss”
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ABCB RHYMING PATTERN
THE ALLIGATOR CHASED HIS TAIL
WHICH HIT HIM IN THE SNOUT;
HE NIBBLED, GOBBLED, SWALLOWED IT,
AND TURNED RIGHT INSIDE-OUT.
BY MARY MACDONALD
The Alligator
DEVICES OF SOUND• POETRY IS MEANT TO BE READ AND
HEARD
• THERE ARE MANY DEVICES THAT POETS USE TO ADD QUALITIES THAT CAN BE HEARD IN POETRY
• RHYTHM
• REPETITION
• ALLITERATION
• CONSONANCE
• ASSONANCE
ALLITERATION
• THE REPETITION OF IDENTICAL OR SIMILAR CONSONANT SOUNDS, NORMALLY AT THE BEGINNINGS OF WORDS
•GNUS NEVER KNEW PNEUMONIA
CONSONANCE• THE REPETITION OF SIMILAR
CONSONANT SOUNDS IN A GROUP OF WORDS
• ADD AND READ
• BILL AND BALL
• BURN AND BORN
ASSONANCE• THE REPETITION OF IDENTICAL OR
SIMILAR VOWEL SOUNDS• A LAND LAID WASTE WITH ALL ITS
YOUNG MEN SLAIN
RHYTHM
•THE RECURRENCE OF STRESSED AND UNSTRESSED SYLLABLES
• THE PRESENCE OF RHYTHMIC PATTERNS LENDS BOTH PLEASURE AND HEIGHTENED EMOTIONAL RESPONSE TO THE LISTENER OR READER
“TO BE OR NOT TO BE”
DICTION
•THE WAY THE AUTHOR USES WORDS IN A LITERARY WORK
• FORMAL: THE LEVEL OF USAGE COMMON IN SERIOUS BOOKS AND FORMAL DISCOURSE
• INFORMAL: THE LEVEL OF USAGE FOUND IN THE RELAXED BUT POLITE CONVERSATION OF PEOPLE
• COLLOQUIAL: THE EVERYDAY USAGE OF A GROUP, POSSIBLY INCLUDING TERMS AND CONSTRUCTIONS ACCEPTED IN THAT GROUP BUT NOT UNIVERSALLY ACCEPTABLE)
• SLANG: A GROUP OF NEWLY COINED WORDS WHICH ARE NOT ACCEPTABLE FOR FORMAL USAGE AS YET
FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE
•WRITING THAT USED WORDS TO MEAN SOMETHING OTHER THAN THEIR LITERAL MEANING
• TYPES WE WILL BE DISCUSSING:
• SIMILE
• METAPHOR
• HYPERBOLE
• PERSONIFICATION
• APOSTROPHE
SIMILE
COMPARES TWO THINGS USING “LIKE” OR “AS”
•EXAMPLES:
•MY LOVE IS LIKE A FEVER
•THE WINTER WIND IS LIKE A HOWLING WOLF
METAPHOR
•A DIRECT COMPARISON OF ONE THING TO ANOTHER UNLIKE THING
•EXAMPLES:
•MY LOVE IS A FEVER
• THE WIND IS A HOWLING WOLF
HYPERBOLE• A DELIBERATE, FREQUENTLY
OUTRAGEOUS AND EXTRAVAGANT, EXAGGERATION
"I'll love you, dear, I'll love you till China and Africa meet,And the river jumps over the mountainAnd the salmon sing in the street,I'll love you till the oceanIs folded and hung up to dryAnd the seven stars go squawkingLike geese about the sky."
PERSONIFICATION• A KIND OF METAPHOR THAT GIVES
INANIMATE OBJECTS OR IDEAS HUMANLIKE QUALITIES
I’D LOVE TO TAKE A POEM TO LUNCH
BUT I WAS GOING TO SAY WHEN TRUTH BROKE INWITH ALL HER MATTER-OF-FACT ABOUT THE ICE-STORM
APOSTROPHE• SOMEONE (USUALLY NOT PRESENT),
SOMETHING, OR SOME ABSTRACT IDEA IS DIRECTLY ADDRESSED AS THOUGH THEY WERE PRESENT OR COULD HEAR
PAPA ABOVE! REGARD A MOUSE. -EMILY DICKINSON
MILTON! THOU SHOULDST BE LIVING IN THIS HOUR; ENGLAND HATH NEED OF THEE . . .. -WILLIAM WORDSWORTH
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