Click here to load reader

Explication of poetry

Embed Size (px)

Citation preview

Explication of Poetry

Ms. YaegerExplication of Poetry

But before we start

A little Poe for your thoughts!

Hahaha!!!You know this is funny!!Will someone please laugh so I dont feel like a supernerd??

Maybe this suits your fancy a bit more

Term RefresherMeter: recurrence of regular beatsFoot: basic unit of meterIambic: unstressed followed by stressedTrochaic: stressed followed by unstressedAnapestic: two unstressed followed by one stressedDactylic: one stressed syllable followed by two stressed

More RefresherMonometer: one beatDimeter: two beatsTrimeter: three beatsTetrameter: four beatsPentameter: five beatsHexameter: six beats

What is Explication?Analysis of a poemDescribes meaningContent Context Describes relationships of words, images, and other parts of poemConnects poems plot and conflicts with its structureConflict may be internal or external

How to PrepareRead poem silently, then read it aloudThis helps to find patternsThink of it as a dramatic situation and intended audienceIdentify and describe the voice or voicesSpeaking to someone or self?Identify and describe conflicts and ideasDescribe language used

DesignIdentify who, what, when, where, why and howWhat is the form?Sonnet?Sestina?Free Verse?RhetoricSyntaxVocabularyVerbose? Clear? Archaic? Diction: why does the author choose one word over another? Do any of the words have multiple or archaic meanings?- for this you will need to learn about the author. Patterns: look for patterns which provide insight into the dramatic situation, the writers state of mind, or the use of details.

PatternsRhetoricalRhymeSoundVisual Rhythm and meter

Does the poem represent a particular form? In terms of rhetoric, how does the speaker make particular statements? Is the rhetoric odd in any way? why were the words chosenThink about these!!

Writing your ExplicationFirst paragraph: discuss large issues (who, what, when, where, why, how), conflicts, dramatic situation of speakerA good way to start, this poem dramatizes the conflict between DOES NOT NEED INTRODUCTION- JUST JUMP IN!Next paragraphs: details of form, rhetoric, syntax, and vocabulary Explain poem line by lineIncorporate elements of rhyme, rhythm, and meterConclusion: sound effects and visual patternsDo not restate or conclude paper

Tips Refer to the speaker of the poem as the speaker or the poet The speaker may not necessarily be the poetAlways write in present tenseThe poem still existsDo not use the verb to be

Verbs to useDramatizesPresentsIllustratesCharacterizesUnderlinesAssertsPositsEnactsConnectsPortrays ContrastsJuxtaposesSuggestsImpliesShowsAddressesEmphasizesStressesAccentuatesEnables

Example: The speakerDo not write: In this poem, Wordsworth says London is beautiful in the morning.However, you can write, In this poem, Wordsworth presents a speaker who.

Example: First ParagraphA students explication of Wordsworths Composed upon a Westminster Bridge This poem dramatizes the conflict between appearance and reality, particularly as this conflict relates to what the speaker seems to say and what he really says. From Westminster Bridge, the speaker looks at London at sunrise, and he explains that all people be struck by a beautiful scene. The speaker notes that the city is silent, and he points to several specific objects, naming them only in general terms; Ships, towers, domes, theatres, and temples. After describing the glittering aspect of these objects, he asserts that these city places are just as beautiful in the morning as country places like valley, rock or hill. Finally, after describing his deep feeling of calmness, the speaker notes how the houses seem asleep and that all that mighty heart is lying still. In this way, the speaker seems to say simply that London looks beautiful in the morning

The Next ParagraphsShould expand the discussion of the conflict by focusing details of form, rhetoric, syntax and vocabulary

Explain poem line by line in terms of details

Incorporate important elements of rhyme, rhythm, and meter

ExampleContinue with a topic sentence which directs the discussion of the first five lines. However, the poem begins with several oddities which suggest the speaker is saying more than what he seems to say initially. For example, the poem is an Italian sonnet and follows the abbaabbacdcdcd rhyme scheme. The fact that the poet chooses to write a sonnet about London in an Italian form suggests that what he says may not be actually praising the city. Also, the rhetoric of the first two lines seems awkward compared to a normal speaking voice: Earth has not anything to show more fair./ Dull would he be of soul and could pass by (1-2). The odd syntax continues when the poet personifies the city: This City now doth, like a garment, wear/ The beauty of the morning (4-5). Here, the city wears the mornings beauty, so it is not the city but the morning that is beautiful.

Let us Explicate!!!

Mirror, by Sylvia PlathWell read together and explicate in groups!