Textual Analysis

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UNIT CONTENTS

• Introduction

Slides 4 - 18

• Structure and Form

Slides 19 - 37

• Storyline and Viewpoint Slides 38 - 52

• Theme and Message Slides 53 - 57

• Rhyme and Rhythm

Slides 58 - 72

• Tone, Mood and Emotion

Slides 73 - 79

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• Unit Introduction

Slide 4

• What is Poetry?

Slide 5

• Important British Poets

Slides 6 - 15

• Poetry and Society

Slide 16

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In this unit we will be learning how to analyse poetry. We will explore the different aspects of poetry, including

structure, themes, rhyme and rhythm. We will also look at a series of different poems to show you how the skills you are learning can be put into practice. In the companion unit, ‘Analysing Imagery’, you can find lots of information about how to identify and comment on images, such as similes, metaphors and personification.

Before we start looking at the examples, first we need to learn a little more about poetry itself: what it is, how it has changed over time, and how it relates to the society in

which it is written.

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Poetry has certain characteristics that make it special. Here are a few ideas - you may be able to think of more.

• Poetry uses vivid images and descriptive language to ‘paint’ a picture in the reader’s mind.

• Poetry cuts out all the excess words that you might find in prose, creating its magic with a limited amount of text.

• Poetry is normally designed to be read out loud - when you read it, do try to hear it as well.

• Poetry often makes the reader emphasise certain important words, and it usually has a strong rhythm.

• Poetry may rhyme, but it does not have to.

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In the next series of slides you will find poems, and

extracts from poems, written by some important British poets, from the fourteenth to the nineteenth century.

These give just a brief sample of Britain’s long heritage of great poets. Why not try to decide which modern poets of the twentieth century also deserve a place on this list?

The poets are organised in chronological order, and for each poet you are given the dates that they lived and an extract from their work.

Later on in this unit we will be analysing some of these poems in greater detail.

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As you read the poems, think about the following questions:

• How does the language that the poets use change over time?

• Are there any common themes between the poems, or do these change too?

• Do these poets use imagery? If yes, what types of images do they use?

• Which of these poems do you like most? Why?

• Which of these poems do you like least? Why?

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Name: Geoffrey Chaucer

Dates: ?1343 - 1400

Madam Eglantine (extract)

There was also a nun, a Prioress,

That of her smiling was full simple and coy; Her greatest oath was but by Saint Loy;

And she was clepèd Madam Eglantine. Full well she sang the service divine,

Entunèd in her nose full seemely,

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Dates: ?1552 - 1618

All the World’s a Stage

What is our life? A play of passion, Our mirth the music of division

Our mothers’ wombs the tiring-houses be, Where we are dressed for this short comedy.

Heaven the judicious sharp spectator is, That sits and marks still who doth act amiss. Our graves that hide us from the searching sun

Are like drawn curtains when the play is done. Thus march we, playing, to our latest rest.

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Name: John Donne

Dates: 1572 - 1631

Holy Sonnets (extract)

Thou hast made me, and shall thy work decay? Repair me now, for now mine end doth haste;

I run to death, and death meets me as fast, And all my pleasures are like yesterday.

I dare not move my dim eyes any way; Despair behind, and death before doth cast Such terror, and my feebled flesh doth waste

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Dates: 1608 - 1674

Paradise Lost (extract)

Now came still evening on, and twilight grey Had in her sober livery all things clad; Silence accompanied, for beast and bird, They to their grassy couch, these to their nests

Were slunk, all but the wakeful nightingale; She all night long her amorous descant sung;

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Name: Alexander Pope

Dates: 1688 - 1744

A Little Learning (extract)

A little learning is a dangerous thing; Drink deep, or taste not the Pierian spring: There shallow draughts intoxicate the brain,

And drinking largely sobers us again.

Fired at first sight with what the Muse imparts, In fearless youth we tempt the height of Arts;

While from the bounded level of our mind

Short views we take, nor see the lengths behind, But, more advanced, behold with strange surprise

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Dates: 1757 - 1827

The Tiger (extract)

Tiger! Tiger! burning bright In the forests of the night, What immortal hand or eye

Could frame thy fearful symmetry?

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Name: Robert Burns

Dates: 1759 - 1796

Auld Lang Syne (extract)

Should auld acquaintance be forgot, And never brought to min’?

Should auld acquaintance be forgot, And auld lang syne?

For auld lang syne, my dear, For auld lang syne,

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Dates: 1830 - 1894

Song (extract)

When I am dead, my dearest, Sing no sad songs for me; Plant thou no roses at my head,

Nor shady cypress tree: Be the green grass above me With showers and dewdrops wet;

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Throughout history, poets have commented on the society in which they live. Just as novelists write in a particular social context, so too do poets. Poetry can be a very

special form of commentary, because part of its magic is that it can be read aloud. Some poets in our modern

society write ‘performance poetry’, specifically designed to be heard.

One of the ways in which poets can comment on their

society is by choosing particular themes, such as religion or politics. We will be looking at the themes that poets choose in greater detail later on in the unit.

When you analyse any piece of poetry, you should take the social context into account.

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The English language, like any language, is subject to constant change. This change is, perhaps, particularly apparent in the poetry that we write, because poetry is such a condensed form of language.

If we read a piece of poetry written a long time ago, it may be difficult for us to understand the language that is used. We might not understand some of the words, because

they are no longer used, or we may see a word that we know, but spelt in a very different way.

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Why, then, do languages change? Here are two reasons. See how many more ideas you can think of.

Because we need to find new words to describe new

ideas and inventions. For instance, the words email

and internet would have been unknown, even fifty

years ago.

Because our own language is influenced by other cultures,

perhaps through the integration of people from

around the world into our country, or by seeing

examples of other cultures in the media.

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• Structure

Slides 20 - 27

• Form

Slide 28

• The Limerick

Slides 29 - 31

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When you look at a poem, whether in class or for an

examination or coursework essay, the first thing to explore is the way that it is structured.

Generally speaking, poems are structured in verses, and

within the verses you may also find a specific line structure. An example of this is the Shakespearean Sonnet, which we will be analysing further on in this section.

When commenting on the structure of a poem, you should ensure that you discuss how the structure affects the impact of the poem, and the way that it works. Let’s look briefly

now at a poetry extract to see how you might do this.

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When you are analysing a poem’s structure, ask yourself the following questions:

• The Verses (or stanzas). How many are there and how long is each one? Are the verses all the same length or are they different?

• The Punctuation. Does each verse end with a full stop or not? How does the punctuation affect the flow of the poem?

• The Rhyme Pattern. Is there a constant rhyme pattern? Does this affect the structure and flow of the poem?

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Structure

Crossing the Bar

Sunset and evening star, And one clear call for me!

And may there be no moaning of the bar, When I put out to sea,

But such a tide as moving seems asleep, Too full for sound and foam,

When that which drew from out the boundless deep Turns again home.

The poem below has been annotated to show how it is structured.

The verses each have 4 lines. Lines 1 & 3 rhyme

in every verse.

Verse two ends with a full stop. Verse one ends

with a comma. Lines 2 & 4 rhyme

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Structure

Crossing the Bar (continued)

Twilight and evening bell, And after that the dark!

And may there by no sadness of farewell, When I embark;

For though from out our bourne of Time and Place The flood may bear me far,

I hope to see my Pilot face to face When I have crost the bar.

Alfred, Lord Tennyson (1809 - 1892)

Exclamation marks are used at the end of the second and tenth lines. Verse three ends with a semi-colon.

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Structure

Once you have annotated the structure of the poem, you need to think about the effects that this structure creates.

The verses each have 4 lines

Lines 1 & 3 rhyme in every verse

This creates a set rhythmic pattern, particularly in conjunction with the rhyme scheme. It also breaks the poem up into four clear sections, or parts of the ‘story’. However, the impact of this break is lessened somewhat by the use of a comma at the end of verse one, and a semi-colon at the end of verse three.

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Structure

Verse one ends with a comma

Lines 2 & 4 rhyme in every verse

Because there is a comma here, the reader moves onto the second verse with only a slight pause. If there had been a full stop, the four lines, with a regular rhyme scheme, would have created a very definite ‘end’ to each verse. As it is, the reader ‘flows’ into the second verse, just as the poet talks about putting out to sea.

Again, this creates a stop, or pause, for the reader. However, the regimented pattern is broken up by the use of punctuation as

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Structure

Exclamation marks are used at the end of the second and tenth lines

Verse two ends with a full stop

The full stop creates a break or divide right in the middle of the poem. It is at this point that the poet uses the image “turns again home”, and the full stop seems to echo this.

Exclamation marks can be used to express surprise, or shock, or, as seems to be the case here, a kind of unwillingness to go,

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Structure

Verse three ends with a semi-colon

Verse four ends with a full stop

Again, because there is no full stop here, the reader is pulled into the fourth verse with only a slight pause. The thought that the poet was expressing is continued in the last verse. Again, the image of being pulled out to sea is echoed by the flow between the verses.

The poem ends with a full stop, bringing things to a close.

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Poems come in a variety of specific forms, although not all poets will be working within these forms, or formats. Poems that fall within a particular form could have a defined number of lines, or a specific rhyme pattern. Examples of common forms are:

• The Ballad. • The Limerick. • The Haiku. • The Sonnet.

On the next slides we will look at two of these forms: the limerick and the sonnet. We will be looking at a specific form of sonnet, which is called the Shakespearean Sonnet.

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A limerick is a comic poem with five lines and a specific ‘a / b’ rhyme scheme. Look at the example below to see how the rhyme scheme works.

The Limerick

There was an old lady from Wales Who loved to eat her garden snails

But she felt quite unwell When she crunched on a shell And now she just sticks to the tails.

The first, second and fifth lines rhyme - this is called rhyme ‘a’.

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Limericks also use a specific ‘meter’, or internal rhythm. The meter is created by the amount of syllables, and the stress that is put on certain words. Look at the example below to see how this works.

The Limerick

There was an old lady from Wales

Who loved to eat her garden snails

But she felt quite unwell

When she crunched on a shell

And now she just sticks to the tails.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

1 2 3 4 5 6

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Limericks are a fun and easy form of poem to write. Have a go at creating your own limerick, using the template below.

The Limerick

There was a young man from Dundee

Who ………

But his ……….

And he ……….

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On the next slide you will find a famous Shakespearean Sonnet. This is a form of sonnet named (obviously!) after Shakespeare, who wrote many sonnets in this particular format. When you have seen the analysis of this sonnet, you might like to have a go at writing your own

Shakespearean Sonnet.

The Shakespearean sonnet has the following form:

• 14 lines

• Rhyme scheme: a, b, a, b, c, d, c, d, e, f, e, f, g, g

• Written in iambic pentameter

• Ends with a rhyming couplet

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Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate: Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,

And summer’s lease hath all too short a date: Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,

And often is his gold complexion dimmed; And every fair from fair sometime declines,

By chance, or nature’s changing course untrimmed; But thy eternal summer shall not fade,

Nor lose possession of that fair thou owest,

Nor shall Death brag thou wanderest in his shade, When in eternal lines to time thou growest;

So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see, So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.

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Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?

Thou art more lovely and more temperate:

Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,

And summer’s lease hath all too short a date:

The Shakespearean Sonnet

a

Here is the Shakespearean Sonnet again, this time annotated to show the rhyme scheme.

b

a

b

rhymes with

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Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,

And often is his gold complexion dimmed;

And every fair from fair sometime declines,

By chance, or nature’s changing course untrimmed;

The Shakespearean Sonnet

c

d

c

d

rhymes with

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But thy eternal summer shall not fade,

Nor lose possession of that fair thou owest,

Nor shall Death brag thou wanderest in his shade,

When in eternal lines to time thou growest;

The Shakespearean Sonnet

e

f

e

f

rhymes with

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So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see,

So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.

The Shakespearean Sonnet

g

rhymes with

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• Storyline

Slides 39 - 46

• Viewpoint

Slides 47 - 49

• First Person Viewpoint

Slide 50

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It seems strange to use the word ‘storyline’ in connection

with poetry, but just as a novel or short story will have a plot, so too will the majority of poems.

When you first read a poem, whether in class or in an examination, you are looking for meaning. What is this

poem about, you ask yourself? Some poems are not ‘about’ anything - they simply evoke a mood, or an emotion, or a

vivid atmosphere. But even these poems can be said to have a ‘story’, because the poet is saying something to the reader.

When you are analysing a poem, you should avoid saying it is definitely about ‘X’ or ‘Y’. Try instead to interpret its

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Often, the ‘story’ in a poem will work on more than one level. There could be the literal level, at which the plot or action of the poem is apparent, but there could also be one or more deeper levels of meaning. When you see a poem for the first time, take the following steps:

• On your first reading, simply gain a feeling for atmosphere or emotion. Do not try to ‘make sense’ of it.

• On your second reading, look to see if there is something happening in the poem. What is the poet or character

doing?

• On your third reading, start to look deeper. Does the poet create a metaphor? Is the poem really about something else?

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On the next slides you will find the poem “Crossing the Bar”. We have already looked closely at this poem’s structure.

Now we are going to explore what it is about. Consider the questions below as you read the poem.

• What sort of atmosphere does the poet create in his ‘story’? How does he seem to be feeling?

• What is the poem literally about? What is the ‘surface story’?

• What deeper meanings might there be? Could the whole poem be an extended metaphor? If so, what does the

metaphor mean? What is the poet trying to say?

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Crossing the Bar

Sunset and evening star, And one clear call for me!

And may there be no moaning of the bar, When I put out to sea,

But such a tide as moving seems asleep, Too full for sound and foam,

When that which drew from out the boundless deep Turns again home.

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Crossing the Bar (continued)

Twilight and evening bell, And after that the dark!

And may there by no sadness of farewell, When I embark;

For though from out our bourne of Time and Place The flood may bear me far,

I hope to see my Pilot face to face When I have crost the bar.

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Storyline

• What sort of atmosphere does the poet create in his ‘story’? How does he seem to be feeling?

Question

The atmosphere in this poem seems to be one of

peacefulness and calm acceptance. The poet asks that there is “no moaning of the bar” and “no sadness of

farewell”. The words that are used in the poem are soft, with much repetition of the letters ‘s’ and ‘f’, which creates a

gentle feeling. The poet seems to be feeling positive, almost hopeful about the journey that he will be making.

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• What is the poem literally about? What is the ‘surface story’?

Question

On the surface, the poem seems to be about a journey by boat. Someone, probably the poet, is preparing to set off on a journey of some sort.

It is evening, as the poet talks of the “sunset and evening star”, and the “twilight and evening bell”.

At the end of the poem he talks of meeting “my Pilot”. On the surface, he is making a journey to meet someone.

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Storyline

• What deeper meanings might there be? Could the whole poem be an extended metaphor? If so, what does the

metaphor mean? What is the poet trying to say?

Question

The poem would indeed seem to be an extended metaphor. The poet seems to be talking about his journey towards

death. He is going to “put out to sea” on his final voyage.

The use of images of evening and coming darkness form a part of this metaphor, as they suggest the end of the day, and the end of a life. The “Pilot” that the poet talks of could be his God, whom he hopes to see “face to face”.

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The word ‘viewpoint’ describes the point of view from which a poem is written. Just as in a novel, a writer might use a first or third person narrative, so with poetry it is important to identify what viewpoint the poet is using.

Sometimes, poets will use a real or invented character, to tell their story, while other poems might be written from the poet’s own perspective. Some poems use a mixture of viewpoints, shifting between them in a way not possible in a novel.

Poems that simply describe a place or an emotion might not use either the first or third person narrator. When the poet writes as though he or she is a ‘godlike’ voice, looking at the world from ‘on high’, rather than through a person, this is

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Here is a brief description of the three main types of viewpoint:

• First Person Viewpoint. This viewpoint is easily identifiable, because the writer talks directly to the reader. Look out for the words “I”, “my”, “me”, and so on.

• Third Person Viewpoint. In the third person viewpoint, the poet is slightly more distant, talking through a character. Look for the words “he”, “she”, “him”, “her”, and so on.

• Omniscient Viewpoint. With this viewpoint, the poet is even further away from the reader, and from his or her subject. The poem written using this viewpoint might provide a

description, without any sense of character.

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Let’s look now at examples of each of the three types of viewpoint to help you understand the different effects that they create. Remember, when you are discussing any part of a poem, it is important to say why the poet uses this

technique, and the impact it has on the reader.

As we have already seen, the three different viewpoints

identified offer varying degrees of distance from the subject and from the reader.

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First Person Viewpoint

The Old Stoic (extract)

Riches I hold in light esteem, And Love I laugh to scorn;

And lust of Fame was but a dream That vanished with the morn

-And if I pray, the only prayer That moves my lips for me

Is - ‘Leave the heart that now I bear, And give me liberty.’

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Third Person Viewpoint

The Blessed Damozel (extract)

The blessed damozel leaned out From the gold bar of Heaven;

Her eyes were deeper than the depth Of waters stilled at even;

She had three lilies in her hand, And the stars in her hair were seven.

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Omniscient Viewpoint

God’s Grandeur (extract)

The world is charged with the grandeur of God. It will flame out, like shining from shook foil; It gathers to a greatness, like the ooze of oil

Crushed. Why do men then now not reck his rod? Generations have trod, have trod, have trod;

And all is seared with trade; bleared, smeared with toil; And wears man’s smudge and shares man’s smell: the soil

Is bare now, nor can foot feel, being shod.

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• Theme

Slides 54 - 56

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Poets use a huge range of themes or subjects in their

work. When you are studying a piece of poetry, you may find that the theme is immediately apparent, or that you need to look deeply into the poem to decide exactly what its theme is.

Often, poets will deal with more than one theme in a piece of work. For instance, a poet might deal with the themes of childhood, memories and the natural world, all within one piece of poetry.

Remember, when you are analysing poetry, you must comment on the effects or images that are created, as well as simply identifying the themes.

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The images below symbolise three of the most common themes. Identify the themes that they represent.

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Now look at the poetry extract below and identify which theme or themes the poet is dealing with.

Theme

The Prince of Love (extract)

How sweet I roamed from field to field, And tasted all the summer’s pride,

‘Till I the prince of love beheld, Who in the sunny beams did glide!

He showed me lilies for my hair, And blushing roses for my brow; He led me through his gardens fair, Where all his golden pleasures grow.

William Blake (1757 - 1827)

The themes used are ...

Love

and ...

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In addition to using a particular theme or themes, poets will often give the reader a message through their work. They could comment on something specific, such as a particular brand of politics or a war that is taking place. They might give a more general message, for instance about their religious beliefs or their feelings about love and beauty.

One example of poetry with a strong message is that written during the First World War. Well known poets, such as

Wilfred Owen and Siegfried Sassoon used their poetry to comment on the futility of the war, and to tell the people at home exactly what was going on.

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• Rhyme

Slides 59 - 60

• End Rhyme

Slide 61

• Internal Rhyme

Slide 62

• Half Rhyme

Slide 63

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As we have already noted, poetry does not have to rhyme. However, when you are analysing a poem, you should

always comment on the effects that rhyme (or the lack of it) creates.

The use of rhyme within a poem will affect its rhythm.

Rhymes change the way we read poetry, because when we come to a word that rhymes, we tend to pause slightly,

putting an extra emphasis on that word.

As we have already seen, poets may use a particular rhyme scheme, such as that in the Shakespearean Sonnet. When you are identifying and analysing a rhyme scheme, you

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The English language has many words that rhyme,

including homonyms, which are words that sound the same but have a different spelling and meaning, e.g. son and sun.

There are various different types of rhyme that you should learn to identify:

• End Rhyme: words that rhyme at the end of a line.

• Internal Rhyme: words that rhyme within a line.

• Half Rhyme: words that ‘almost’ rhyme, either within or at the end of a line.

On the following slide you will find examples of each of

these types of rhymes, to show you how they work, and the effects that they can create.

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End Rhyme

The sky was grey, the snow pure white The flakes fell heavy through the night.

This is a rhyming couplet, a pair of lines that rhyme. white

night

The sky was grey, the snow pure white As winter took a hold

The flakes fell heavy through the night Outside the world was cold.

white

night hold

cold

This poem uses the a/b rhyme scheme: lines one and three rhyme (a), lines two and four rhyme (b).

rhymes with

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Internal Rhyme

The sky was grey today, the snow pure white As the night fell and light bled from the world.

grey today rhymes with

night light

rhymes with

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Half Rhyme

The sky was grey, now snow flew pure white

now snow

‘almost’ rhymes with and with

Notice the effect of half rhyme here. Again, it changes the rhythm of the line. Each of the half rhymes is a

monosyllable, and this adds even further to slowing down the reader as he or she says these words.

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Rhythm

Poetry is about sound as well as about creating images.

Even if you are not reading a poem out loud, you should still be able to ‘hear it’ in your head, and this will help you

understand its rhythm.

Rhythm is a very important aspect of poetry. As well as

changing the way that you say a poem, it can also link to the images that the poet describes. For instance, if a poet were describing a clock ticking, he or she might use short,

alliterative words to help echo the sound of the clock.

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As well as the poet’s use of rhyme, there are various other aspects of a poem that will help to create rhythm:

• The length of the words used. A series of monosyllables will create a very different effect from longer words.

• The length of the lines. When we are reading a poem, we tend to stop or pause at the end of a line.

• The use of punctuation. Full stops, commas, semi colons and other forms of punctuation will all have an impact on a poem’s rhythm.

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Rhythm

Now we are going to look at an example, to see exactly how rhythm is created. The poem that we are going to look at is called “No Worst, there is None”. You can see the poem in full on the next slide.

The writer of this poem, Gerard Manley Hopkins (1844 -

1889) wrote with a style that was ahead of his time. As you will see from studying this example of his work, he makes particular use of the rhythm inherent in the English

language. He was very much concerned with the sound of words and, although he does use rhyme, there are many other aspects of the work that help to create its rhythm.

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No worst, there is none. Pitched past pitch of grief, More pangs will, schooled at forepangs, wilder wring.

Comforter, where, where is your comforting? Mary, mother of us, where is your relief?

My cries heave, herds-long; huddle in a main, a chiefwoe, worldsorrow; on an ageold anvil wince and sing

-Then lull, then leave off. Fury had shrieked ‘No ling-ering! Let me be fell : force I must be brief’.

Of the mind, mind has mountains; cliffs of fall

Frightful, sheer, no-man-fathomed. Hold them cheap May who ne’er hung there. Nor does long our small

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‘No Worst, there is None’

First, let’s think about how the length of the words affects the rhythm. Here are the first four lines of the poem again. Find all the words that have more than one syllable.

Rhythm

• What effect is created by the use of monosyllables in the first line?

• How does the rhythm change in lines 3 and 4?

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The monosyllables make the tone sound almost angry, as though the words are being spat out by the speaker.

Alternatively, it might be that the speaker is worn out, with all the emotion and normal rhythm of speech lost from his

voice. The reader is forced to read the line with an even emphasis on each word, and this effect is enhanced by the alliteration of the letter ‘p’ in the words “pitched past pitch”.

Answer

• What effect is created by the use of monosyllables in the first line?

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Rhythm

The rhythm changes abruptly in the third and fourth lines. The word “comforter”, with its three syllables, slows the

reader right down. It is a much softer word that those used previously, and it is mirrored at the end of the line by the word “comforting”.

In the fourth line, the rhythm changes again. This time, the word “Mary” with two syllables, gives a swing to the line, repeated in the words “mother” and “relief”.

Answer

• How does the rhythm change in lines 3 and 4?

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Next, let’s look at some of the punctuation in these first four lines, and the ways that it affects the rhythm of the piece.

The full stop in the middle of the first line creates a break and causes the reader to stop abruptly on a ‘down’ beat.

The commas in the second line break the line into three.

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Finally, let’s consider how the use of alliteration and

assonance adds to the rhythm. Here are lines five to eight from the poem. Find some examples of these techniques.

Rhythm

Alliteration of the letter ‘h’

Alliteration of the letter ‘w’

Alliteration of the letter ‘l’

Assonance of the letter ‘e’

Assonance of the letter ‘o’

• Choose one of these examples of alliteration or

assonance, and discuss or write about the effects it creates.

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• Tone

Slides 74 - 77

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The tone of a poem is one of the first things that you will

notice it about it as you read. The word ‘tone’ describes the overall sort of atmosphere and feeling that the poem seems to have.

A good way to understand exactly what tone means, is to think of a poem like a song. Ask yourself: if this poem was set to music, what sort of music would it have? For instance, a poem about losing a lover would probably have a sad,

emotional music, because this would fit its tone. On the other hand, a poem about a beautiful spring day might have a more energetic, positive tone.

Look at the short extracts on the following slides and choose the tone or tones that you think best describes them.

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Holy Sonnets (extract)

Despair behind, and death before doth cast Such terror, and my feebled flesh doth waste

By sin in it, which it towards hell doth weigh.

Is the tone of the poem ...

Happy? Sad? Fearful?

Excited? Resigned?

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Tone

Excited? Resigned?

Calm?

The Tiger (extract)

Tiger! Tiger! burning bright In the forests of the night, What immortal hand or eye

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Excited? Resigned?

Calm?

Song (extract)

When I am dead, my dearest, Sing no sad songs for me; Plant thou no roses at my head,

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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.

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Look at the extracts below, and decide what mood or emotion the poet is creating.

Daffodils (extract)

I wandered lonely as a cloud

That floats on high o’er vales and hills, When all at once I saw a crowd,

A host, of golden daffodils; Beside the lake, beneath the trees, Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

William Wordsworth (1770 - 1850)

A Red, Red Rose (extract)

My love is like a red, red rose That’s newly sprung in June:

My love is like the melody That’s sweetly played in tune.

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Using your Senses

Hear Smell

See Touch /

Feel

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Kubla Khan (extract)

In Xanadu did Kubla Khan A stately pleasure-dome decree: Where Alph, the sacred river, ran Through caverns measureless to man

Down to a sunless sea.

So twice five miles of fertile ground With walls and towers were girdled round: And there were gardens bright with sinuous rills Where blossomed many an incense-bearing tree;

And here were forests ancient as the hills, Enfolding sunny spots of greenery.

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On the next slides you will find a detailed analysis of the poem “Wind” by Ted Hughes. The analysis is structured under the following headings, discussed in detail in this unit:

• Structure and Form

• Storyline and Viewpoint • Theme and Message • Rhyme and Rhythm

• Tone, Mood and Emotion • Using your Senses

In addition, we will consider Ted Hughes’ use of imagery, as explored in the unit “Analysing Imagery”. First, read the

whole poem through several times, to get a ‘feel’ for it.

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The woods crashing through darkness, the booming hills, Winds stampeding the fields under the window

Floundering black astride and blinding wet

Till day rose; then under an orange sky

The hills had new places, and wind wielded Blade-light, luminous black and emerald, Flexing like the lens of a mad eye.

At noon I scaled along the house-side as far as The coal-house door. Once I looked

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The wind flung a magpie away and a

black-Back gull bent like an iron bar slowly. The house

Rang like some fine green goblet in the note That any second would shatter it. Now deep In chairs, in front of the great fire, we grip

Our hearts and cannot entertain book, thought

Or each other. We watch the fire blazing,

And feel the roots of the house move, but sit on, Seeing the windows tremble to come in,

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At first glance, the structure of the poem seems quite simple: it has six verses, each with four lines. However, on closer inspection you will notice how the punctuation often ‘runs over’, connecting some of the verses with the ones that follow them.

Using punctuation in this way can have a variety of different effects, and these effects will become more apparent the more times you read the poem. When considering the

impact of punctuation on structure, think carefully about any possible links to the poem’s meaning. Look too at where and why the poet does not ‘run over’ with the punctuation.

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This house has been far out at sea all night,

Floundering black astride

Structure and Form

; then under an orange sky The hills had new places,

and blinding wet

Till day rose

Notice the effect here: by ‘running over’ the punctuation from verse one to verse two, the poet moves us from the stormy night into the beginning of a new day. The reader seems to experience the night leading into the new dawn with the

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Clearly, the overall ‘story’ of the poem is about a storm, and about the narrator’s responses to it. However, notice too how the storyline and viewpoint change from verse to verse.

One of the ways in which Ted Hughes emphasises the

unfolding story is by using indicators of time. Each of the first three verses pinpoints the time exactly in the very first line: “all night”; “Till day rose”; “At noon”. Time is clearly an

important theme here, and this is emphasised by the repetition of “any second” in the fourth and fifth verses.

Using the charts on the next two slides, summarise what

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Storyline Viewpoint

Verse One

Verse Two

Verse Three

Storyline and Viewpoint

A storm rages Omniscient

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Storyline Viewpoint

Verse Four

Verse Five

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In this poem, the themes seem to be closely linked to the imagery that Ted Hughes uses. Complete the activity below to develop your understanding of these themes.

Theme and Message

For each of the themes listed below, find an image from the poem that links closely with that idea. What message might Ted Hughes be offering the reader through the use of these themes and images?

• Time;

• The weather; • The landscape;

• Man’s relationship with the natural world.

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Although there is no obvious use of rhyme in this poem, Hughes does make great use of the sound and rhythmic

possibilities of the English language. As with the structure, the rhythm within the poem seems closely linked to its meanings.

For instance, in the following line, the monosyllabic nature of the words makes the reader slow right down as he or she reads it. This links closely to the image that is being described: the slow bending of the strong gull is emphasised by the slow, strong language used:

“a black-/Back gull bent like an iron bar slowly.”

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Answer the questions below to develop your understanding of Hughes’ use of tone, mood and emotion.

Tone, Mood and Emotion

• How does the narrator feel about the storm? Look closely at each verse to find your answer, analysing the range of

emotions that he experiences.

• There is a sense of fear at certain points in the poem. Where would you say that the fear is at its strongest? What does the narrator do that emphasises this feeling?

• What is the overall tone and mood of the poem? Does the tone change as the poem progresses?

• How does the imagery used contribute to the poem’s mood?

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Hughes uses a variety of sensations to strengthen the effect of his poem. For each of the three images below, find one quotation

that you feel connects strongly to that sense.

Hear

See

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On the next slides, we are going to analyse the imagery that Ted Hughes uses in detail, looking at each verse in turn. As you look at the analysis, think about the effects that each

type of imagery creates, and the meanings it implies.

As we have already noted, the imagery in the poem links closely to its themes and structure. Through the strength of the ‘word pictures’ that Hughes creates, he gives a sense that the weather is alive, that the storm has a personality of its own.

The contrast between the weather and the people sheltering indoors makes a clear point about the relationship between humans and nature: these people seem minute in

comparison to the huge force of the natural world.

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This house has been far out at sea all night,

Floundering black astride and blinding wet

Metaphor: the house is described as though it is a boat

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Till day rose; then under an orange sky

The hills had new places, and wind wielded Blade-light, luminous black and emerald, Flexing like the lens of a mad eye.

Use of Imagery

Personification: the day ‘rose’, as though it were

getting up out of bed Alliteration: this echoes _{the sound of the wind}

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At noon I scaled along the house-side as far as The coal-house door. Once I looked

up--Through the brunt wind that dented the balls of my eyes The tent of the hills drummed and strained its guyrope,

Metaphor: the house is ‘scaled’, as though it were a dangerous mountain

Personification: this image again continues the

personification of the wind, as though it has the strength to hurt the narrator

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The fields quivering, the skyline a grimace, At any second to bang and vanish with a flap: The wind flung a magpie away and a

black-Back gull bent like an iron bar slowly. The house

Use of Imagery

Personification: the fields

‘quiver’, the skyline is a ‘grimace’ - notice the sense of fear here

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Rang like some fine green goblet in the note That any second would shatter it. Now deep In chairs, in front of the great fire, we grip

Our hearts and cannot entertain book, thought

Simile: the human made goblet can hardly withstand the force of nature

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Or each other. We watch the fire blazing,

And feel the roots of the house move, but sit on, Seeing the windows tremble to come in,

Hearing the stones cry out under the horizons.

Use of Imagery

Metaphor: these people cling to natural things - the fire, the ‘roots’ of the house in an attempt to face nature