Poetry Analysis & Satire PDF

Exploring Voice Who is speaking in the poem? First person / third person The “I” in the poem is called “persona”. “I” does not necessarily refer to the poet; it is a voice that speaks in the poem.  Persona Tone Diction Point of view or perspective...

Exploring Voice Who is speaking in the poem? First person / third person The “I” in the poem is called “persona”. “I” does not necessarily refer to the poet; it is a voice that speaks in the poem.  Persona Tone Diction Point of view or perspective Attitude and emotion  Tone Conveys emotion (anger, sadness, etc) Creates an “emotional atmosphere” Expresses the poet’s attitude and mood (angry, disillusioned, etc) Music is often used in films to emphasize tone and atmosphere.  Attitude Instructive or didactic (teaches the reader a lesson about life) Experimental Personal, emotional, objective  Point of view (POV) The perspective through which the reader experiences the narrative/poem Personal voice Influenced by individual factors—race, religion, education, gender, etc. Influenced by social, cultural, political factors The reader’s point of view.  Diction Choice of words Good writers choose their words carefully. So, when reading the poem, highlight the words that “strike” you as interesting, important, or unusual in some way, maybe because of its connotative meaning, or its ambiguity, etc. It is also through diction that we hear the writer’s voice, tone, attitude and POV.  Piano by D. H. Lawrence Softly, in the dusk, a woman is singing to me; Taking me back down the vista of years, till I see A child sitting under the piano, in the boom of the tingling strings And pressing the small, poised feet of a mother who smiles as she sings. In spite of myself, the insidious mastery of song Betrays me back, till the heart of me weeps to belong To the old Sunday evenings at home, with winter outside And hymns in the cosy parlour, the tinkling piano our guide. So now it is vain for the singer to burst into clamour With the great black piano appassionato. The glamour Of childish days is upon me, my manhood is cast Down in the flood of remembrance, I weep like a child for the past. Not Waving But Drowning By Stevie Smith (1902-1971) Nobody heard him, the dead man, But still he lay moaning: I was much further out than you thought And not waving but drowning. Poor chap, he always loved larking And now he’s dead It must have been too cold for him his heart gave way, They said. Oh, no no no, it was too cold always (Still the dead one lay moaning) I was much too far out all my life And not waving but drowning.  Compare & contrast Infant Joy by William Blake “I have no name: I am but two days old.” What shall I call thee? “I happy am, Joy is my name.” Sweet joy befall thee! Pretty joy! Sweet joy, but two days old. Sweet Joy I call thee: Thou dost smile, I sing the while; Sweet joy befall thee!  Compare & contrast Infant Sorrow by William Blake My mother groan’d! my father wept. Into the dangerous world I leapt: Helpless, naked, piping loud: Like a fiend hid in a cloud. Struggling in my father's hands, Striving against my swaddling bands. Bound and weary, I thought best To sulk upon my mother's breast.  Satire “First, make them laugh, then make them think” Its aim is to criticise society and its follies, to draw attention on social problems and issues Satire often involves the use of irony and sarcasm Parody, spoof, burlesque  Satire Can be used as a powerful ‘weapon’ to mock, ridicule, and attack individuals, institutions and organisations Its purpose is to expose problems and contradictions, and not necessary to solve them Political satire, social satire  We Real Cool By Gwendolyn Brooks (1917-) The Pool Players. Seven at the Golden Shovel. We real cool. We Left school. We Lurk late. We Strike straight. We Sing sin. We Thin gin. We Jazz June. We Die soon.  Daniel at Breakfast By Phyllis McGinley (1905-1978) his paper propped against the electric toaster (nicely adjusted to his morning use), Daniel at breakfast studies world disaster and sips his orange juice. the words dismay him. headlines shrilly chatter of famine, storm, death, pestilence, decay. Daniel is gloomy, reaching for the butter. he shudders at the way war stalks the planet still, and men know hunger, go shelterless, betrayed, may perish soon. the coffee's weak again. in sudden anger Daniel throws down his spoon and broods a moment on the kitchen faucet the plumber mended, but has mended ill; recalls tomorrow means a dental visit, laments the grocery bill. then having shifted from his human shoulder the universal woe, he drains his cup rebukes the weather (surely turning colder), crumples his napkin up and, kissing his wife abruptly at the door, stamps fiercely off to catch the 8:04  Practise reading Ultimately, the only way to read poetry well is to practice, practice and practice. Reading is an acquired skill; you have to learn it. Once you begin noticing the beauty and power of the written word and its representations, once you’re able to draw out its implicit meanings, you’re well on your way to becoming a proficient reader.