Poetry Analysis with Not Waving But Drowning By

Poetry Analysis with “Not Waving But Drowning” By Stevie Smith (An all-time favorite)

Not Waving But Drowning: Read Suggestions • When first encountering a poem, there is a wonderful thing to do: READ IT! • I suggest reading it aloud, or if you are in a quiet place listening to it in your mind. • Enjoy the rhythm of the poem, and get a general sense of it. The Poem 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.

Not Waving But Drowning: Re-read Directions • Our goal is to create a traditional outline that breaks down the poem into important pieces that create meaning. • We will finish by evaluating and assigning meaning to the poem. • The first step in our analysis is to figure out what the poem is actually about. The Poem 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.

Step 1: What’s it all about? The Traditional Outline Not Waving But Drowning I. What’s going on? a) Dead man moans; they were wrong about him b) Other people think about how silly he was; accident c) Dead man insists that it was no accident he’d The Poem: Not Waving But Drowning 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

Step 2: Poetic Devices The Poem 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 Outline Cont. II. Poetic Devices a) repetition 1. lay moaning 2. too cold 3. and not waving but drowning 4. no no no b) rhyme 1. dead/said 2. moan-ING/drown. ING

Step 3: Figurative Language Outline Cont. III. Figurative Language a) personification 1. dead person talking b) metaphors 1. too far out all my life 2. heart gave way 3. drowning 4. larking The Poem 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

Step 4: Mood/Tone The Poem 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 Outline Cont. IV. Mood a) LONELY/sad/depressed 1. nobody heard him 2. moaning/cold imagery 3. disagree with others, no no no/all my life V. Tone b) sympathetic

The Outline in Full “Not Waving But Drowning” I. What’s going on? a) Dead man moans; they were wrong about him b) Other people think about how silly he was; accident c) Dead man insists that it was no accident he’d always been lonely, dying, drowning II. Poetic Devices a) repetition 1. lay moaning 2. too cold 3. and not waving but drowning 4. no no no b) rhyme 1. dead/said 2. moan-ING/drown-ING III. Figurative Language a) personification 1. dead person talking b) metaphors 1. too far out all my life 2. heart gave way 3. drowning 4. larking IV. Mood a) LONELY/sad/depressed 1. nobody heard him 2. moaning/cold imagery 3. disagree with others, no no no/all my life V. Tone b) sympathetic 1. gives dead man a voice 2. makes it clear/beautiful

The Final Analysis and Evaluation The Poem’s Meaning: Theme The Poem’s Value: My Take • What do you think the main • Did you find this poem theme of the poem is? effective? Which part was Why? your favorite? Why? • I think the main theme of • I find this poem incredibly “Not Waving But Drowning” effective. I think the poet is: Be honest. The dead has chosen a topic man always pretended to be everyone can relate to and happy, and so no one knew put it in beautiful, simple the real him. He may have language. My favorite part is seemed happy, but he was the central metaphor. So lonely - “too cold always. ” I often when we’re sad, we think Stevie Smith wants us try to make it look like we’re to learn from his mistake. If waving instead of drowning. we’re drowning, tell That really resonates with someone. Don’t hide it! me.

Your Jobs Directions Poem Options and Hints • Step 1: Choose one of the Poem Options: poem options. “Song” p. 520, “Sleeping” p. 570, “Gold” p. 571, “Workforce” p. 876 • Step 2: Create your own outline, top down chart, Hints: Other poetic devices web, etc. that covers the include: line breaks, rhythm, same steps as our “Not onomatopoeia, etc. Waving” outline. Use your previous poetry notes. • Step 3: Create a final analysis and evaluation Bonus: Find other poems in for the poem you chose.