WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN A POEM…2

WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN A POEM…

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MOOD AND EMOTION:

When you analyse the mood and emotion of a poem, you should think both about the feelings of the poet, and the mood or emotions that the poem creates in you. There are various ways that a poet can create a strong sense of mood or emotion. They could use:

• Vivid imagery, for instance metaphor, personification or alliteration.

• Adverbs and adjectives that give the reader a sense of how they are feeling.

• A subject or theme that automatically evokes strong feeling, e.g. war or love

IMAGERY:

Imagery is the painting of pictures in the reader’s mind through the use of language. Because poetry is such a condensed form of language, poets tend to make greater use of imagery than novelists. Images take a variety of forms. They can:

• Use a comparison between one thing and another, to develop the picture that is created. This type of image includes similes and metaphors.

• Create sound pictures, by using words that make a sound like the thing that is being described, or that add rhythm to the poem. Examples of this type of imagery include alliteration and onomatopoeia.

When you are analysing imagery, it is very important to avoid simply ‘listing’ the images that the poet uses. For each image you discuss, you should consider:

• What type of image is being used.

• Why this particular image is being used.

• What the effect of this image is on the reader.

• How the image contributes to the poem as a whole.

When you analyse imagery, you should suggest a possible interpretation, rather than stating your ideas as definite.

BASIC IMAGERY=

Simile: A comparison between two things, using the words “like” or “as … as a …”.

Metaphor: A comparison between two things, where one is said to be the other.

Alliteration: The use of repeated consonant sounds at the beginnings of words. Used to create a ‘sound picture’.

MORE ADVANCED TECHNIQUES=

Extended Metaphor: A metaphor is extended to run throughout a poem or piece of prose.

Onomatopoeia: A word that sounds like the thing it describes, for example “ow!” or “crash!”

Assonance: The use of repeated vowel sounds to create a ‘sound picture’.

Personification: Giving human attributes to an inanimate thing.