POETRY AN INTRODUCTION POETRY Introduction What is poetry

POETRY AN INTRODUCTION

POETRY Introduction: What is poetry?

What Is Poetry? O A short story condensed O “from concentrate” – just add the water of your imagination O compressed, distilled, dense, nutritive value O “Condensed by contraction of volume, with proportional increase of strength. ” O without superfluity, excess 3

What Is Poetry? O Subjective O Emotional O Lyrical O (expresses thoughts, feelings of a single speaker) O Narrative O Descriptive O Argumentative O Philosophical O (waxes philosophic, embodies a philosophy) O Metaphoric O Dramatic O Didactic O (teaches, preaches, imparts knowledge) 4

What Is Poetry? O Good poetry: O unique O poetic elements (properly handled) O consistent O controlled O form = function 5

What Is Poetry? O Bad poetry: O mixed metaphors O poor similes and metaphors O (“my wife is a shirt” or “a poem is a bra”) O poor diction-word choice O wrong word O inappropriate word O poor word choice O wrong sound of a word 6

What Is Poetry? O Bad poetry: O form does not equal function O (style does not fit the content or message) O inappropriate diction O unsuitable style O inapt form for the occasion O inconsistent tone O lack of control O over language, emotion, vision 7

What Is Poetry? O Bad poetry: O all emotion, no skill O ad misericordiam O sentimentality O “bathos”: O bad pathos O when overly sentimental works move readers to laughter instead of tears 8

What Is Poetry? O Bad poetry: O creates unintended reaction O unwittingly comic O unintentionally antagonizing O does not say what intended it to say/mean O unconscious of double meanings O too contrived O (trying too hard, overly ingenious) 9

What Is Poetry? O Bad poetry: O trite, banal, hackneyed O lacks originality O clichés, pat expressions, trite maxims, platitudes O stale phrasing and imagery O too derivative O too much impersonation, imitation O ripping off the Greats O too aphoristic, preachy, didactic O smacks of moral or intellectual superiority 1 0

What Is Poetry? O Bad poetry: O only of private value O so personal only the poet gets it O the extreme opposite of banality O self-indulgent, self-aggrandizing O forced rhyme scheme O come up with a word to make a rhyme O rather than using a word that arises from the thought/feeling) O too mechanical O metronome rhythm O robotic, “by t’ book” 1 1

POETRY Introduction: Reading Poetry

How to Read Poetry Notice PUNCTUATION: O question marks, exclamation marks, period O is a line (or more) a question or a statement O adjust your inflection accordingly Read to a COMMA or SEMICOLON or PERIOD: O don't stop necessarily at the end of each line O enjambment 1 3

How to Read Poetry Watch for “ROAD SIGNS”: O watch for changes in logic or time conjunctions such as “but” or “yet” O recognize transitions such as “then” or “meanwhile” or O notice “afterwards” Read with a DICTIONARY at hand: O look up O key words O words you do not recognize O to note Connotation vs. Denotation O look up various definitions, to note how different meanings = different interpretations for the work 1 4

How to Read Poetry Sparingly and Cautiously use PERSONAL experiences or personal tastes, attitudes, beliefs: O while your own views may, occasionally, shed light on the work O more often than not, they can lead to misinterpretations and prejudices O a “grain of salt” 1 5

How to Read Poetry Realize that the SPEAKER and the POET are not necessarily one and the same: O because poetry is by nature quite subjective and emotional, O we readers have a tendency to confuse the views expressed in the poem with the views held by the writer O Disclaimer: “Please understand that the opinions, views, and comments that appear in the poem will not necessarily reflect the views held by the poet…. ” 1 6

How to Read Poetry Notice the POETIC ELEMENTS employed: O diction, symbolism, imagery, metaphors, O similes, conceit, meter, rhythm, rhyme, O stanza, persona, alliteration, assonance … Note the RHYME SCHEME and RHYTHM: O at the end of each line, note the rhyme with a letter (a, b, c, …) O read the poem aloud, noticing and enunciating each piece of punctuation, to discover its rhythm 1 7

How to Read Poetry READ, PARAPHRASE, and then SUMMARIZE: O read the poem through the first time O then begin to put it into your own words, to simplify its meaning (paraphrase) O then summarize the entirety in a brief statement relating to its meaning, message, “theme” (summarize) EXPLICATE and ANALYZE: O explain each line of the poem; interpret line by line (explicate) O analyze the piece focusing on a single literary/poetic element (analyze) 1 8

POETRY Introduction: Writing about Poetry

Writing About Poetry I. LITERAL LEVEL O Paraphrase: (parts) O put lines into your own words O simplify the language and syntax O Summarize: (whole) O the gist/thrust of the entire work O succinct, short 2 0

Writing About Poetry II. ANALYTICAL LEVEL O Explication: O “close reading” O line-by-line analysis O tone, persona, imagery, symbolism, meter, … O how the poetic elements work together to form a unified whole & reveal hidden meanings O Edgar Allan Poe’s “unity of effect” O * arrive at a conclusion about the work 2 1

Writing About Poetry II. ANALYTICAL LEVEL O Analysis: O focus on a single poetic element O note its relationship to the whole, especially in terms of meaning 2 2

Writing About Poetry III. HOW to QUOTE POETRY O Slash marks: word space slash space word O Line numbers: end quote” space (line #). O no “line” or “#, ” just the numeral O End punctuation: include ? or !, otherwise omit O Ellipses: word space word O Quoting multiple lines: block quote style O indent all, no “ ” O period at the end space (line #s) O Brackets: when you change a letter or a word 2 3

POETRY Introduction: Poems

LANGSTON HUGHES 25

LANGSTON HUGHES O 1902 -67 O Born in Joplin, Missouri O Mexico, NYC, Paris O Fiction, Drama, Essays, Biographies, O Newspaper column O In the Chicago Defender O Jesse B. Simple (fictional Everyman) O Poetry O “Poet Laureate of the Negro Race” 2 6

LANGSTON HUGHES O “Harlem” (1951) O re-titled in 1959 as “Dream Deferred” O Which do you prefer? O 11 lines O 1 st and last – O questions O 1 -line stanzas O Middle stanzas = 4 questions (possibilities) O 2 lines, 1 line, 2 lines O similes O last = not a question O Last line = italicized 2 7

LANGSTON HUGHES O “Harlem” (1951) O Thesis Question: O “What happens to a dream deferred? ” O Answers: O dries up (raisin in sun) O festers (sore) O stinks (rotten meat) O crusts over (sweet syrup) O sags (heavy load) O explodes (bomb) 2 8

LANGSTON HUGHES O “Harlem” (1951) O Diction O Dream = O hopes, aspirations, wishes, talents O delusion O Fester = O to rot, puss, ulcerate O (ugly, repulsive images) O Heavy load & sag = O Burden O Slaves carrying bales of cotton, supplies O Raisin, sore, black meat, syrup, bomb = O Black in color O Syrup = O Not so disgusting O Why? 2 9

LANGSTON HUGHES O “Harlem” (1951) O Title O Harlem Renaissance (1920 s) O “New Negro Movement” O post-Civil War, move North O Harlem, Manhattan, New York O @ 3 miles, @ 175, 000 blacks O WEB Du. Bois, Langston Hughes O Countee Cullen, Zora Neale Hurston, O Jazz Age, Roaring ’ 20 s O Great Depression, Harlem Riots 3 0

LANGSTON HUGHES O “Harlem” (1951) O Title O Harlem, 1950 s O Racial inequality O Riots: 1935, 1943, 1964 (Watts 1965, Detroit 1967) O How did people react? O Rot O Anger, frustration festers O “Uncle Toms” O Anger, frustration explodes 3 1

LANGSTON HUGHES O “Harlem” (1951) O Questions O Why are the 1 st and last lines separated? O Why is the last line italicized? O Why is the last line w/o simile? O Why is the “heavy load” not a question? O What is the answer to thesis question? O Why are “load” and “explode” the only rhymes? O Why the break from disgusting images with syrup? 3 2

APHRA BEHN 33

APHRA BEHN O “Ay-fra Bean” O (1640 -89) O 1 st English woman to earn a living through writing (1 st professional woman writer) O Married London merchant of Dutch descent O Served as a spy in the Dutch Wars, 166567 (after his death) O Novels O Oroonoko (royal slave, one of 1 st English works to question slavery) O Plays, Poetry 3 4

APHRA BEHN O “Song: Love Armed” (1676) O Characters: O Love = Cupid, the god of love O Persona = man O Addressee = woman O Poetic conventions: O Unrequited love of the man O toward a disdainful woman O Unrequited love is painful O Yet pleasurable 3 5

APHRA BEHN O “Song: Love Armed” (1676) O Structure: O 2 4 -line stanzas O Rhyme scheme = ABAB O Refrain O “from me” O “from thee” O (variations on) 3 6

APHRA BEHN O “Song: Love Armed” (1676) O Structure: O What’s “Taken” (to arm Love)? O From man (persona): O desire from his eyes O sighs & tears O languishments & fears O From woman: O fire from her eyes O pride & cruelty O killing dart 3 7

APHRA BEHN O “Song: Love Armed” (1676) O Themes: O Love & war connection O Battle of the sexes O All’s fair in love & war O Cupid w/bow & arrow O Why do we enjoy suffering? Listening to others suffer? O The Blues O Sad songs, break-up songs O Why do we name hurricanes? O To impose form onto suffering = To master or control suffering, the unknown, uncontrollable 3 8

APHRA BEHN O “Song: Love Armed” (1676) O Questions: O What is its theme concerning “love” or relationships? O Is this a man’s poem – to be enjoyed more by male readers than female readers? O Is it sexist in its portrayal of women? O The persona = man, written by a woman – Does that make a difference? 3 9

POETRY Narrative Poetry

BACKGROUND O Transition from Prose to Poetry O Historically, move from “stories” in poetry to stories in prose O verse narratives O stories in poetic form O “narrative” = O beginning, middle, end O basic Plot O Action, Characterization, Setting, Dialogue O Symbolism, Irony, Juxtaposition 4 1

BACKGROUND O Historically O Oral Tradition O illiterate masses O poetic structure makes it easy to remember & pass along O stories about heroes & history O epic poetry (Homer) O sagas (scops) 4 2

BACKGROUND O Historically O Literacy – O Wm. Caxton’s printing press (1440) O Gutenberg’s bible (1450) O More literacy O = less oral tradition O = change in literature 4 3

POPULAR BALLADS 44

POPULAR BALLADS O authors = O anonymous, undated O persona = O detached, objective, impersonal, characterless O 3 rd person POV O themes O death, fate O perils of sea This ain’t no love song, baby! (not that type of “ballad”) 4 5

POPULAR BALLADS O use of repetition O of sounds O alliteration (Anglo-Saxon hold-over) O consonance (consonant) O assonance (vowel) O of words, phrases O musical rhythm O meant to be sung 4 6

POPULAR BALLADS O omissions O ellipses O not so descriptive (omitting key details) O NO SHIPWRECK O told in flashes, quick glimpses O photo slide show O little description O photo show O omitted details, scenes (ellipses) O some dialogue 4 7

POPULAR BALLADS O 4 -line stanzas O ABAB rhyme scheme (typically unrhymed) O 1 st, 3 rd lines = 4 accents O 2 nd, 3 rd lines = 3 accents The king sits in Dumferling toune, Drinking the blude-reid wine: O quhar will I get guid sailor To sail this schip of mine? 4 8

POPULAR BALLADS O Belong to the Oral Tradition O not written down O until 18 th century O multiple versions O Enlightenment (frowned upon) O undignified O lacks decorum O Romantics (resurgence) O poetry of the people, masses O Old ballads = written down O New ballads = composed (“literary ballads”) 4 9

“Sir Patrick Spence” 50

“SIR PATRICK SPENCE” O Written BACKGROUND O @ 15 th century O Published O in 1765 O Thomas Percy’s Reliques of Ancient English Poetry O (famous collection of folk ballads) 5 1

“SIR PATRICK SPENCE” BACKGROUND possible (though never verified) historical allusion 1281 marriage: of Margaret, daughter of Alexander III of Scotland to King Eric of Norway in 1281 on the return voyage, many of her noble escorts were drowned 1290 succession: the death of Margaret's daughter, "the Maid of Norway, " while she was being brought back to Scotland in 1290 to succeed her grandfather, who died in 1286. 5 2

“SIR PATRICK SPENCE” O Dumferling: O Dumferline, a town in Fife, on the Firth of Forth O an early residence of the Scottish kings O “sits”: O reigns, rules AND is stationary O seated BUT will make others move O “blood red”: O mighty power, power over life & death, foreshadowing 5 3

“SIR PATRICK SPENCE” O “wine”: O party (Eros in “Love Armed”) O suggests the ease with which he wields such power O suggests that the question (sailing mission) = not well- thought, casual O that the one who takes this mission will die O “The Lottery” O win BUT lose by winning O typically an honor to be chosen by the king O BUT this is an impossible, dangerous “suicide mission” 5 4

“SIR PATRICK SPENCE” O “good” sailor: O skillful sailor O brave O decent human O loyal, obedient to king 5 5

“SIR PATRICK SPENCE” O Elder Knight: O elder = respected O (“respect your elders”) O favored, respected by king, yields political power O (sits at king’s right knee) O line 14: O suggests Elder Knight = enemy of Sir Patrick Spence (“ill deid”) 5 6

“SIR PATRICK SPENCE” O alliteration & stanza #3: O repetition of sound O “s” O sounds like snake, waves crashing on beach O foreshadows SPS’ death O Long Letter to SPS: O written, signed, sealed by king O = royal decree O MUST be obeyed O SPS must sail the royal ship 5 7

“SIR PATRICK SPENCE” O Sir Patrick Spence: O 1 st meeting = reading king’s letter, walking on the beach O at leisure O his 1 st reaction, 1 st line = laugh O modest: laughs at praise O humor: thinks the mission is a practical joke O his 2 nd reaction = cry O realizes this mission will be his death O but he cannot refuse the king’s command O feels set up/betrayed by someone O “O who is this who has done this deed / This ill deed done to me” O (repetition = for emphasis in Oral Tradition - foreshadowing) 5 8

“SIR PATRICK SPENCE” O “done deed” to “deed done”: O repetition O certainty of death O Mirror World: O Court vs. Ordinary, appearance vs. reality O true friends O court politics, stab in the back, set up for death O Blinded by tears: O tears = water = waves, storm, …his death O blind seers of old – see the future, his future is death 5 9

“SIR PATRICK SPENCE” O merry men: O good men on leave O at leisure, as SPS was on the beach O at leisure – yet dutiful to SPS O from merriment to death (Contrast) O bad signs: O bad moon rising – omens, harbinger O new moon with the old moon in its arms O dangerous weather = bad sailing, danger, death 6 0

“SIR PATRICK SPENCE” O repetition: O “I fear, I fear” O stresses the danger O stresses the switch from “merry” to “fear” 6 1

“SIR PATRICK SPENCE” O nobles: O Nobles don’t want to ruin their expensive shoes O IRONY O b/c SPS knows they will drown anyway O CONTRAST O Nobles’ nobility O (b/c of family inheritance) O SPS’ nobility O (brave, loyal, follows orders on suicide mission) 6 2

“SIR PATRICK SPENCE” O Shipwreck = play: O play = game (“like flies to wanton boys, they kill us for sport”) O humans = at the mercy of fate, the fates, the gods O play = drama, to be watched by nobles O IRONY: O their hats swim while they drown O their hats are symbols of their wealth BUT all the money won’t save them from death O perhaps drowned by the weight of their opulent attire 6 3

“SIR PATRICK SPENCE” O Hands: O CAUSE-EFFECT – O King signs letter w/hand, sending them to their deaths O Women hold fans in their hands, awaiting in vain the men to return 6 4

“SIR PATRICK SPENCE” O Fans: O used to control the weather (when it’s too hot) O BUT O cannot control the weather at sea O CONTRAST: O women = hot O men = drenched O women stand for their men’s return (tension) O king sits to send them to their death (ease) 6 5

“SIR PATRICK SPENCE” O Gold Combs: O symbols of opulence, richness O misplaced focus b/c worldliness/materialism = meaningless to Death O their hair will turn gray as the combs stay gold – O IRONY O Danse Macabre O Their own dear lords: O not “theirs” any more – belong to Death, the Sea O they wait to see them again (alive) BUT don’t O reader sees them again (dead) 6 6

“SIR PATRICK SPENCE” O Mirror World: O ironic twist of social class – IRONY O the lords sit at SPS’ feet O he knew they were going to die O had no illusions O they had vanity, materialism O Will he go to heaven before them? 6 7

“SIR PATRICK SPENCE” O Aberdour: O “half over to Aberdour” O half-way from Norway to Aberdour O two villages of Aberdour on the east coast of Scotland – O one in Aberdeenshire O the other in Fife, on the north shore of the Firth of Forth. O Either may be meant. 6 8

“SIR PATRICK SPENCE” THEMES O anti-materialism O anti-worldliness O power: O abuse of power (knight) O reckless or indifferent wielding of power (king) O anti-monarchy? O Fate, Death: O cannot escape, control (like seas) O must obey (like king’s command) O SPS accepts his fate & gets his crew to, too O nobles are ignorant of their fate 6 9

“SIR PATRICK SPENCE” THEMES O duty: O to king O to men/sailors O to wives O Why do men serve those they serve? O in court – for political favor, power O on ship – allegiance, respect, honor O criticism of court life: O pettiness O spitefulness O luxury O materialism 7 0

“SIR PATRICK SPENCE” O “Sir Patrick Spens” video O “The Ballad of Gilligan’s Island” 7 1

JOHN KEATS 72

JOHN KEATS O (1795 -1821) O father = London stable keeper O apprenticed to be apothecary & surgeon O gave it up to be poet O books of poetry in 1817, 1818, 1820 O dead at 25 O tuberculosis 7 3

“La Belle Dame sans Merci” O 1819 O Latin O “The Beautiful Woman without Mercy” O “Literary Ballad” O 12 4 -line stanzas O repetitions O supernatural O knights, kings, princes O dialogue 7 4

“La Belle Dame sans Merci” O title: O “The lovely lady without pity” O medieval ballad by Alain Chartier O title = quoted in “The Eve of St. Agnes” O but Keats borrows only the title, not the subject matter O story: mortal destroyed by his love for a supernatural femme fatale O format = folk ballad dialogue form O 1 st 3 stanzas = addressed to the Knight O 4 -12 = Knight’s reply 7 5

“La Belle Dame sans Merci” O setting = late fall O no birds, withered grass plant O harvest is done O squirrels’ holes are fully stocked O Speaker comes upon a knight O refrain: “O arms” what can ail thee, knight-at- 7 6

“La Belle Dame sans Merci” O Knight = O pale, haggard, O woe-begone, fever, sweats O described as flowers: lily & rose 7 7

“La Belle Dame sans Merci” O Knight’s story: O met a beautiful lady in the meads O meadow, fields O “a fairy’s child” – (? ) O really – (language, home) O OR O her beauty 7 8

“La Belle Dame sans Merci” O Knight’s story: O made her O garland for head O bracelets, girdle/belt O rode with her on my horse O she sang “a fairy’s song” O she fed him roots, honey, manna O she spoke in a strange language O he didn’t understand O BUT assumed she was saying she loved him 7 9

“La Belle Dame sans Merci” O Knight’s story: O she took him to “her elfin grot” O she cried O Why does she cry? O What was she trying to say in her language? O he calmed her with kisses O truly calmed or masked, faking it? O what she really needed? 8 0

“La Belle Dame sans Merci” O Knight’s story: O she lulled him asleep dreamed O nightmare O warned by previous kings, princes, & warriors that “La belle dame sans merci / Hath thee in thrall!” O previous victims = O pale as death, life sucked out of them O high social status (literary genre) O trying to warn him (title) 8 1

“La Belle Dame sans Merci” O Knight’s story: O he awoke in this same spot O and that’s why he’s there, pale & alone O “sojourn” BUT “loitering” O movement BUT stationary O moved emotionally, creatively, spiritually 8 2

“La Belle Dame sans Merci” O La Belle Dame: O WHO is she? O fairy, elf, supernatural being O woman, beautiful O creativity, muse 8 3

“La Belle Dame sans Merci” O La Belle Dame: O THEMES based on who she is? O 2 different worlds, culture O love between 2 worlds = doomed, never work O communication breakdowns O women = different creatures, unknowable to men O assumptions of men, women need to be taken care of, “comforted” O “men are from Mars, women are from Venus” O unrequited love (“Love Armed”) O Dame = Beauty – can only be glimpsed 8 4

“La Belle Dame sans Merci” O La Belle Dame: O THEMES based on who she is? O She = Muse, Knight = Poet O men cannot live in World of Imagination O once in World of Imagination, men can no longer live in the Ordinary World O Poet = caught between 2 worlds 8 5

“La Belle Dame sans Merci” THEMES O Love: O dangers of love O danger signs at the start of relationships O unrequited love (“Love Armed”) O embarrassment, frustration O losing oneself in love, loss of control O despair – emotionally crippled O shock of sudden end O after this love is gone – now what? O can’t go back once been there O supernatural? 8 6

“La Belle Dame sans Merci” O Despair: THEMES O in life, in love O lost all hope O Nature: O seasons in Nature O Nature in Death (winter, his imagery) O She = child of Nature – “wild” O food = of Nature O home = of Nature O Civilization vs. Natural World (Romanticism) 8 7

“La Belle Dame sans Merci” O Knight: O WHY is he there? O lost, bewildered O can’t leave – for some reason O can’t go back to his old lifestyle O there looking for her again O wants to go back O there warning others against her O what others did in his dream he’s doing in reality O The Poet-Prophet? O Is that the role of the Poet? 8 8

“La Belle Dame sans Merci” O SUPERNATURAL: O “Eve of St. Agnes” O “La Belle Dame” O STC’s “Christabel” O Other related works: O “To Autumn” O Keats celebrates the season O season of completion, summation, peace…death O (remember, Keats is dying, brother = dead) 8 9

“La Belle Dame sans Merci” O Other related works: O “Lamia” O female snake transforms into woman O man & woman live in blissful love until scholar intervenes & dispels the spell O suspension of conscious state (reasoning, thinking) = magic O ruined by reason, logic O = “unweaving of the rainbow” O “Ode to a Nightingale” O enthralled out of the ordinary life by beauty, nature O suspension of conscious state - reasoning, thinking O “On Melancholy” O melancholy, despair O only the Poet can appreciate sadness (of all things are ephemeral) O “Ode on a Grecian Urn” O a scene of beauty is captured forever O eternal moment = better than “reality” 9 0

“La Belle Dame sans Merci” O KEATS & DREAMS: O fine line between reality & dream O ** dreams = related to poetic vision ** O “Eve of St. Agnes” O “La Belle Dame sans Merci” O “Ode to Psyche” O “Ode to a Nightingale” 9 1

“La Belle Dame sans Merci” O Like Popular Ballads O narrative O repetitions O musical quality – rhythm O noble men (victims) O supernatural O plain language O dialogue O no background O slide show images 9 2

“La Belle Dame sans Merci” O Unlike Popular Ballads O Literary O allusions, imagery, craftsmanship O multiple meanings, themes, interpretations O rhyme scheme (ABCB) O lines 1 -3 = 8 syllables/beats O last line = only 4/5 syllables/beats 9 3

“La Belle Dame sans Merci” O FEMINIST reading O Femme fatale, succubus = Sexist? O powerful, beautiful women = supernatural, succubae to weak, threatened men O Knight doesn’t know what she says BUT assumes it’s that she loves him O Knight doesn’t know why she’s crying BUT assumes he needs to comfort her, that she needs him to comfort her, with kisses O She = powerful O pretends to be weak & sucks him in to traditional male-female role O has ruined men of power before 9 4

“La Belle Dame sans Merci” O BIOGRAPHICAL reading O What if she is NOT O fairy, supernatural, proto-Feminist? O What if she = TUBERCULOSIS? O effects of TB = effects of Dame O victims = pale, dying, haggard O Keats = physician O Keats’ brother died of it O Keats himself would soon thereafter 9 5

“La Belle Dame sans Merci” O OTHER readings O Cults & Ideologies O Drug addiction O Vampires O Religious rapture O English history of fairies O Beauty – realm of Ideals vs. of Shadows 9 6

“La Belle Dame sans Merci” O O JW Waterhouse’s painting <http: //www. jwwaterhouse. com/paintings/images/waterhouse_la_belle_dame_sans_m erci. jpg > 9 7

THE END 98