Understanding Narrative Poetry

What is Narrative Poetry? Narrative Poems are poems that tell stories. There is a beginning, which introduces the background to the story, a middle, which tells the action of the event, and an end, which concludes and summarizes the story.

What are the origins of Narrative Poetry? Narratives are the oldest form of poetry. Long before there was paper to write on or ink to write with, long before the invention of the printing press, people often shared stories as a form of entertainment. These stories were also often used to relate historical events. In the same way that we spread news through newspapers today, oral stories were used to spread news of historical events long ago. In order to help recall details of the events, people began to use rhyme and rhythm to give their stories a musical quality that would allow the story to be remembered and recalled much more easily. Think about how much easier it is to remember the words to a song than it is to recall all of the words of a short story. That is exactly how narrative poems were originally created.

In what ways are narrative poems similar to short stories? Narrative poems have many similarities to short stories. For example, short stories have characters, a setting, a conflict, and a clear beginning, middle and end. Narrative poems have all of these elements as well. Sometimes there may only be one character, or there may be many characters. At times, the setting may be implied rather than obvious, and the conflict may be an internal conflict rather than external.

How can we analyze narrative poems? In order to analyze a narrative poem, first read through it with the following questions in mind: Who are the characters in the poem? What are the characters doing, or what is happening? Why are these events happening? How are the characters affected by the action or events? What can be learned from the poem?

Where can we find narrative poetry in our daily lives? Although narrative poetry is one of the oldest forms of literature, this does not mean it is no longer prevalent in today’s world. In fact, any time you turn on a

radio, you can hear narrative poetry on nearly any radio station. The best place to see or hear narrative poetry today would be in songs. Songs are simply poems set to music, and the songs that tell stories are narrative poems set to music.

Read to Understand

The poem “Man upon the Cross” was written by conrado V. Pedrocha. As you read ”The Man upon The Cross” as an example of a narrative, think about who the characters are. What does the setting of this poem look like? Why might Conrado V. Pedrocha consider this a story worth writing a poem about?

Man Upon the Cross

1 Upon the cross against the hills of the night

2 They nailed the man, and while 3 they speared his breast they made him drink the bile.

4 He bore the pains alone, alone 5 But in the hallowed darkness saw 6 Sweet Mary’s face upturned in grief below.

7 Tears filmed her eyes, but love 8 chastened the tragic beauty of her face 9 which neither death nor sorrow could erase.

10 He saw and feebly in the silence strove 11 to speak a few remembered words: 12 but now the whispers left his lips 13 like tender birds.

14 His arms were cold and death 15 was in his eyes; the streams 16 of blood were dry upon the whiteness of his limbs.

17 His breath was like a wounded bird 18 wanting to stay, to stay, bereft

19 now Mary rose and treasuring 20 his sorrow, left.Group #_______________ Date_______________________Members__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Respond, Recall, Analyze, and Interpret

Use the poem, “Man upon the Cross,” to answer the following questions.

1. What is the setting for this poem?

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 2. Describe the speaker. What kind of character might he/she be?

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 3. In line 3,what does the “ bile” symbolizes for?

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 4. In the last stanza, what do you think the mother felt towards the death of his son?

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 5. Can you think of similar story or situation as in the poem?

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Apply Through Writing

Think about a sad, funny, interesting or exciting event that has taken place in your life or in the world around you. Consider three or four main points about the event that a reader would need to know in order to make sense of your ideas. Now, write a narrative poem with or without lines that rhyme, using each of the main points as a central idea for each stanza.

Research Application Use a website on the Internet such as Lyrics.com to make a list of your 10 favorite songs. Determine whether the lyrics to the songs form narrative poems. If so, tell what the story of the song is about. Use the following chart to record your answers. Song Title Narrative Poem?

(Yes or No) This Song Tells a Story About…

One important character in every poem is the speaker – the person, real or imaginary, through whose mind and heart we experience reality as we read the poem. This may or may not be the poet. To be safe, assume it is not.

Point of view First person – speaking of personal experiences, thoughts, and insights…saying “I” Third person – telling of things pertaining to others…saying “him, her, them”

o Omniscient – able to see everything including what is in the hearts and minds of others.

o Limited – insights into only a single characters thoughts and feelings.o Objective – only able to describe objective reality, without any insights into

character thoughts or feelings. Second person – occasionally the speaker will use “you”

Barter by Sara Teasdale (1920)

1 Life has loveliness to sell,

2 All beautiful and splendid things,

3 Blue Waves whitened on a cliff,

4 Soaring fire that sways and sings,

5 And children’s faces looking up,

6 Holding wonder like a cup.

7 Life has loveliness to sell,

8 Music like a curve of gold,

9 Scent of pine trees in the rain,

10 Eyes that love you, arms that hold,

11 And for your spirit’s delight,

What is the point of view of this poem?

How do you know? What line has the clue?

12 Holy thoughts that star the night.

13 Spend all you have for loveliness,

14 Buy it and never count the cost;

15 For one white singing hour of peace

16 Count many a year of strife well lost,

17 And for a breath of ecstasy

18 Give all you have been, or could be.

Ways that Characters are revealed:

Words the character says and that other’s say about him Description of the character’s appearance Actions taken by the character Interactions with others Choices the character makes Growth or Development that the character undergoes

Ozymandias by Percy Bysshe Shelley (1818)

1 I met a traveler from an antique land2 Who said: Two vast and trunkless legs of stone3 Stand in the desert. Near them, on the sand, 4 Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown, 5 And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command, 6 Tell that its sculptor well those passions read 7 Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things, 8 The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed;9 And on the pedestal these words appear:10 “My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:11 Look on my words, ye Mighty, and despair!”12 Nothing beside remains. Round the decay13 Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare14 The lone and level sands stretch far away

Identify four characters

By inserting a quotation from a character who is not the speaker, the poet can, in effect temporarily change the point of view of a poem. How does Shelley use this technique to play with the point of view in this poem?

Retell the information that is conveyed in Ozymandias in prose and in chronological (time) order from first event to last.

What is Narration?The act of telling a story, or narrative.

The voice that tells the story is called the narrator.

What is Point of View?

1. First person – example: Your grandmother telling you a story about her youth. First person pronouns like I, me, us, our. She is the character in her own story.

2. Third person – example: Your grandmother is telling you a fairy tale. Third person pronouns like she, he, his, them. She is telling the story from outside the action.

How to tell what the point of view is?

1. Is the narrator a character in the story?a. If they take part in the action – 1st personb. If they are outside – 3rd person

Types of narrators

1. Omniscient – “all knowing” tells about other thoughts and feelings2. Limited – knows only what’s in the mind of one major or minor

character3. Objective – does not discuss the thoughts or feelings of the

characters but reports only what they DO.