Poetry Analysis: Structure and Comparison

• These notes provide a framework for analyzing poetry, focusing on structure, introduction elements, and comparative essay techniques.

Analyzing Poetry

• Introduction (TVTC):
  • T (Topic): Identify the poem's literal and metaphorical subject matter.
  • V (Viewpoint): Determine the poem's speaker and audience.
  • T (Tone): Ascertain the overall tone of the poem.
  • C (Comparison): Relate the poem to others with similar themes or techniques.
• Main Body Paragraphs:
  • AO1: State your argument supported by quotations from both poems.
  • AO2: Analyze poetic methods like structure and rhyme scheme to bolster your argument.
  • AO3: Provide context for why the writer composed the poem, using quotations.

Comparative Essay Structure (TEA)

• T (Techniques): Employ subject-specific vocabulary for expert analysis.
• E (Evidence): Use carefully chosen words and phrases embedded within sentences.
• A (Analysis): Zoom in on the connotation, symbolic meaning, suggestion, and emphasis of words and phrases.

"London" by William Blake

• Structure:

  • The poem uses quatrains with an ABAB rhyme scheme, creating a chanting rhythm.
  • Stanzas 1 and 2 describe the suffering of the people.
  • Stanza 3 focuses on the causes of suffering.
  • Stanza 4 returns to the suffering of the people, creating a cyclical structure.
  • This cyclical structure highlights the inescapable and repetitive nature of suffering in London.

• Tone:

  • The tone is pessimistic, reflecting Blake's disapproval of the upper class and their societal impact.

• Context:

  • Written in 1794 during the Industrial Revolution, a time of social inequality, poverty, and rapid urbanization in England.
  • Blake was critical of the treatment of the poor.
  • The French Revolution (1789) influenced Blake.

• Quotes:

  • "chartered streets" and "chartered thames" suggest everything in London is owned by the rich, leaving no freedom for the poor.
    • The repetition of "chartered" reinforces the idea that even nature is controlled.
    • Juxtaposition: Chartering a river is unnatural, implying nature is trapped.
  • "in every cry of man, in every infants cry of fear" demonstrates how oppression affects all generations.
    • Repetition of "every" stresses the universality of suffering.
    • Auditory imagery creates a vivid and distressing scene.
  • "runs in blood down palace walls" references the French Revolution, implying a potential revolt if the rich continue to oppress the poor.
    • Metaphor: The blood symbolizes deaths caused by the monarchy.
    • Symbolism: The palace represents the government and its responsibility for the suffering.

"Exposure" by Wilfred Owen

• Depicts the weather as an attacking army, using personification to show nature, not the enemy, as the soldiers' killer.

• Emphasizes man's losing battle against nature.

• Uses sibilance and assonance to vividly portray the weather.

• Structure:

  • The poem has 8 stanzas with an ABBA rhyme scheme, creating a rhythmic reflection of the soldiers' existence in the trenches.
  • Enjambment creates a sense of urgency.
  • The cyclical structure ("but nothing happens" at the beginning and end) reflects the futility of war.

• Tone:

  • Monotonous, delivered without emotion.

• Context:

  • Written in 1917 during WWI, based on Owen's experiences as a soldier.
  • Owen aimed to expose the realities of war to a public that glorified it.
  • Written in the trenches in France.
  • Owen was a pacifist and developed PTSD from the war.

• Quotes:

  • "our brains ache in the merciless iced east winds that knife us" illustrates nature as the true enemy, causing intense mental and physical pain.
    • Personification: The wind is described as "merciless" and "kniving."
    • Ellipsis creates a pause, reflecting the slow passage of time.
  • "But nothing happens" reinforces the pointlessness of war.
    • Repetition emphasizes the monotony and futility of war.
    • Irony: Despite suffering, there is no action or heroic battle, only slow death.
  • "Sudden successive flights of bullets streak the silence" creates tension, showing the relentless and terrifying nature of war.
    • Sibilance mimics the sound of bullets flying.
    • Metaphor compares bullets to birds or insects, making them seem unavoidable and deadly.

"Storm on the Island" by Seamus Heaney

• Focuses on a man-made structure battered by a storm, emphasizing the conflict between man and nature.

• The island referred to is one of the Aran Islands, which experience frequent severe weather.

• The speaker adds at the end, "it is a huge nothing that we fear" suggests people fear what they do not understand by nature.

• Contains harsh imagery and a calm tone.

• Has an allegorical meaning related to the Troubles in Northern Ireland.

• Structure:

  • Dramatic monologue with no stanza breaks, creating a feeling of chaos.
  • Unrhymed iambic pentameter gives a natural, conversational flow.
  • Enjambment mirrors the relentlessness of the storm.

• Tone:

  • Uneasy and tense, reflecting humans' inability to fully control nature.
  • Shifts from confidence to fear and helplessness.

• Context:

  • Heaney was a Northern Irish poet who grew up in a farming community and often wrote about humanity's relationship with nature.
  • Published in 1966 during rising tensions in Northern Ireland.
  • "Stormont," the name of the Northern Irish government, suggests the poem may be a metaphor for political conflict.

• Quotes:

  • "We build our houses squat" suggests a collective experience, emphasizing how islanders must adapt together.
    • The pronoun "we" suggests.
    • "Squat" implies resilience and vulnerability.
    • Blunt, monosyllabic language reflects the islanders no-nonsense mindset.
  • "it is a huge nothing that we fear" emphasizes the fear of the unknown and the psychological impact of the storm.
    • Juxtaposition of "huge" and "nothing" highlights the intangible nature of fear.
    • Paradoxical phrase highlights how the storm doesn't cause the true damage ,but rather the uncertainy.
  • "spits like a tame cat turned savage" compares the storm to an unpredictable and dangerous cat.
    • Simile comparing the storm to a cat whose changeability is dangrerous, like the weather is unpredictable.
    • Personification describes the storm as spitting, making it seem violent and hostile.

"Ozymandias" by Percy Bysshe Shelley

• Shelley mocks both the civilization and the pharaoh Ozymandias.

• The poem describes the arrogance of pharaohs, who believed they were gods on earth.

• Shelley's message is that human power and civilizations are temporal; they will not last forever

• Structure:

  • Sonnet form (14 lines) mixing Shakespearean and Petrarchan styles, symbolizing the breakdown of power over time.
  • Irregular rhyme scheme reflects the destruction and decay of Ozymandias' empire.
  • Enjambment mirrors the passing of time and the ruined state of the statue.

• Tone:

  • Mocking and ironic, contrasting the king's arrogance with the fading of his power.

• Context:

  • Shelley was a romantic poet who opposed tyranny and political oppression.
  • Inspired by the Egyptian pharaoh Ramesses II, whose Greek name was Ozymandias.
  • A critique of power, warning that all rulers will be forgotten.
  • Written in 1817 during the reign of King George III, who was seen as tyrannical.

• Quotes:

  • "My name is Ozymandias, king of kings: Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!" highlights the limits of human control.
    • Irony: The boastful claim contrasts with the reality of the ruined statue.
    • Imperative: "look on my works" commands others to desire his achievements.
  • "round the decay of that colossal wreck" implies ultimate ruin regardless the prior greatness.
    • Juxtaposition: "colossal" suggests greatness, while "wreck" suggests decay.
  • "the lone and level sands stretch far away" illustrates the disappearance of Ozymandias' empire and the futility of his ambition.
    • Alliteration: The repeated "l" sound creates a soft, flowing effect.
    • Symbolism: Sand represents time and the erosion of power.

"Remains" by Simon Armitage

• Structure:

  • No rhyme scheme or rhythm, mirroring the unpredictability of war.
  • Lack of structure suggests the soldier's loss of control over his thoughts.
  • Enjambment shows the soldier doesn't get a break mentally, showing a stream of consciouness
  • Use of Caesura, shows how the speakers thoughts are fractured
  • Cyclical structure ("probably armed, possibly not" at the beginning and end)

• Tone:

  • Begins casually, becomes graphic and violent in the middle, and ends reflectively and regretfully.

• Context:

  • Based on a soldier who served in Iraq and suffered from PTSD.
  • "Remains" refers to both physical and psychological remnants.
  • Critiques modern warfare and the expectation for soldiers to move on.

• Quotes:

  • "we get sent out" shows the soldiers taking shared responsibility
  • "probably armed, possibly not" expresses uncertainty and haunts the soldier, contributing to his PTSD. The soldier was uncertain of the mans threat at the beginning.
    • Juxtaposition: "possibly" and "probably" reflects the soldier's doubt.
  • "The drinks and the drugs won't flush him out" illustrates the soldier's reliance on substances to alleviate trauma, but the memory persists.
    • Metaphor: The dead man is described as if he is hiding in the soldier's mind.
  • "his bloody life in my bloody hands" indicates acceptance of responsibility.
    • Repetition of "bloody" both literally and figuratively reflects anger and guilt.
    • Metaphor: The hands are stained by guilt, not actual blood.

"My Last Duchess" by Robert Browning

• Structure:

  • Dramatic monologue presenting only the Duke's perspective, reinforcing his need for dominance by erasing the Duchess' voice.
  • Iambic pentameter gives a controlled rhythmic flow.
  • Rhyming couplets (AABB) mirror the Duke's obsession with control.
  • Enjambment makes the Duke's speech feel rushed and uncontrolled.

• Context:

  • Based on Duke Alfonso II, whose young wife died under mysterious circumstances (suspected murder).
  • The Duke represents absolute male control common in Renaissance Italy, where women were treated as property.
  • Likes art as he can posses and control art in an artistic fashion.

• Quotes:

  • "That’s my last Duchess painted on the wall, / Looking as if she were alive" reinforces the Duke's possessive nature.
    • Repetition of the possessive pronoun "My" treating his wife as an object rather then a person, which also reflects the patriarchal power of the time.
  • "I gave commands; / Then all smiles stopped together" hides the brutality of the Duke's actions.
    • Euphemism: "I gave commands" is an indirect phrasing.
    • Irony: The Dutchess being killed was for being too happy, highlighting the Dukes paranoia.
  • "Neptune taming a sea-horse" symbolizes the Duke's dominance over his former wife. The Duke sees control and power as admiration and it should be admired.
    • Symbolism: The Duke compares himself to the Roman god of the sea, reinforcing his self-image.

"The Prelude" by William Wordsworth

• Uses a journey through nature to show the allegorical development of the narrator.

• Man must respect nature.

• Structure:

  • Enjambment mimics the boy's breathless excitement and later panic, as well as the unstoppable force of nature.
  • No stanzas reflect the rushing thoughts of the speaker.
  • Volta marks a shift from confidence to fear.

• Tone:

  • Begins with confidence and control, shifts to fear, and ends with being haunted.

• Context:

  • Wordsworth grew up in the Lake District, shaping his view of nature as beautiful and terrifying.
  • Believed nature humbles and educates humans.
  • The boy's initial confidence represents human arrogance, but the mountain humbles him.

• Quotes:

  • "I dipped my oars into the silent lake" demonstrates initial confidence and control over nature.
    • "I" shows the personal experience.
    • Sibilance creates a hushed tone of nature through power will reveal itself son.
  • "a huge peak, black and huge" adds connotations of fear and mystery symbolizing the loss of innocence.
    • Repetition of "huge" emphasizes oppressive presence which expresses the lack of power of human dominance.
    • Volta signals turning point shift in tone through the use of the mountain peak.
  • "there hung a darkness, call it solitude" shows a symbol of guilt. - Caesura creates hesitation, as if he is unsure about defining his emotions and how nature can change to be scary. - Personification reinforced lasting psychological affect.

"War Photographer" by Carol Ann Duffy

• Depicts a war photographer who experiences PTSD due to witnessing horrific violence and the numbing effect of reducing these events to mere images in newspapers.

• Highlights the conflict between his experiences and his home life.

• Structure tries to show order coming from chaos.

• Structure:

  • Four regular stanzas with equal line length contrasting war to a calm, and in order state
  • Enjambment creates ongoing thought and reflection, highlighting internal conflict.

• Tone:

  • Reflective, mournful, and critical to show the photographer is processing with what emotional weight developed the inner conflict

• Context:

  • Written in 1985, reflecting on the Falklands and Vietnam wars, and the ongoing issues of war and media representation.
  • Duffy speaks on how war commodifies the realities to the people it does effect such as war victims and soldiers effect on and how the pain and horrors can come back to people.
  • Duffy critiques the war and experiences

• Quotes:

  • "In his darkroom he is finally alone" suggests solitude and a place for processing.
    • Contrast: darkroom vs alone.
    • Symbolism: The darkroom symbolizes an attempt to process and make sense of suffering, with the contrast between darkness and chaos is shown to resemble how the horrors of war can effect you.
  • "All flesh is grass" conveys the temporary and vulnerable nature of life.
    • Metaphor: comparsion through human life and being vulnerable through the metaphor in the biible which shows people in the same light as each other and that can either bring good or more pain.
  • "a hundred agonies in black and white" refers to the suffering captured in the photos.
    • A hundred agonies shows through the people is great pain they are experiencing and through this pain the humanity is left out
    • Alliteration of a sound in a hundered agonies creates rythme

"The Emigree" by Carol Rumens

• Context:

  • "Emigree" refers to a female emigrant, forced to leave her homeland often due to war.
  • Published in 1993 during global political upheaval and refugee crises.
  • Rumens was influenced by 20th-century refugee crises.

• Structure:

  • Free verse reflects the lack of control over displacement.
  • Stanza length increases towards the end, suggesting growing emotional attachment.
  • Enjambment mirrors the fluidity of memory and instability of exile.
  • The longest final stanza emphasizes the refusal to let go of an idealized country.

• Tone:

  • Nostalgic, melancholic, and defiant.

• Quotes:

  • "There once was a country..." mimics a fairytale opening, reinforcing a mythical homeland memory.
    • Past tense suggests the country has changed through war and death.
  • Branded by an impression of sunlight" shows an ingrained and inescapable homeland and its influence
    • Branded" is a metaphor that suggests a permenant, painful mark with connotations of suffering yet also an inability to forget.
    • Impression of sunlight" light imagery shows symbolisim of hope, warmth and happiness.
    • Juxstoposition highlights the exile
  • "It may be at war, it may be sick with tyrants..." shows what war can do to a country through its dictatorship.
    • suggesting a loss of innocece from the country as they were once a symbol.
    • Repetition of it maybe creates uncertainty the country may or may have not completely changed.

Other Poems and Their Contexts

• "Charge of the Light Brigade" by Alfred, Lord Tennyson:
  • Written in 1854 during the Crimean War, focusing on a British cavalry charge at the Battle of Balaclava.
  • Glorifies bravery and duty.
• "Bayonet Charge" by Ted Hughes:
  • Written in 1957 but focuses on WWI trench warfare.
  • Highlights the terror and confusion of battle rather than glorifying it.
• "Poppies" by Jane Weir:
  • Written in 2009, portraying the impact of war on families.
  • A poppy represents a fallen soldier.
• "Tissue" by Imtiaz Dharker: Explores fragility, power, and the transience of human life - Pakistani British poet
• Kamikaze by Beatrice Garland: shows the long-term impact on soliders - Highlights the propoganda, culture and honour in war - Written in what the lasting effects are on the families - Based on a historical event
• Checking Out Me History by John Agard: challenges eurocentric views, and show history in a different point of view
  • Critises what is being taught due to race
  • Carribean and african show heroes
  • Dialect British dominance