Reference no: EM132320668 , Length: word count : 800

ASSIGNMENT: Poetry Analysis

Instructions

1. Read the following poems.

2. In a formal literary analysis, multi- paragraph essay of approximately 750 words, compare and contrast the poems.

Offspring by Naomi Long Madgett

I tried to tell her:
This way the twig is bent.
Born of my trunk and strengthened by my roots,
You must stretch new grown branches
Closer to the sun
Than I can reach.
I wanted to say:
Extend my self to that far atmosphere
Only my dreams allow.

But the twig broke,
And yesterday I saw her
Walking down an unfamiliar street,
Feet confident,
Face slanted upward toward a threatening sky,
And
She was smiling
And she was
Her very free,
Her very individual,
Unpliable
Own.
On Children by Kahlil Gibran
Your children are not your children.
They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself.
They come through you but not from you,
And though they are with you yet they belong not to you.
You may give them your love but not your thoughts,
For they have their own thoughts.
You may house their bodies but not their souls,
For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow,
which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.
You may strive to be like them,
but seek not to make them like you.
For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.
You are the bows from which your children
as living arrows are sent forth.
The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite,
and He bends you with His might
that His arrows may go swift and far.
Let your bending in the archer's hand be for gladness;
For even as He loves the arrow that flies,
so He loves also the bow that is stable.

ANALYZING POETRY

The Process

1. First reactions. The first time you read through a poem, record any "gut reactions" you have to the poem: any emotional connections you have with what the author is saying, reminders of personal detailed experiences, things you like or dislike, etc. Think in terms of, "How do I feel about this? Why? Why not?" These reactions can help you focus on the type of response the poet is looking for in a reader.

2. Literal meaning. Translate the poem into conversational English. How would you tell the poem's story to a friend? Think in terms of, "What's the most common dictionary definition of this word or phrase?" This can be a difficult step, but remember that all good poetry, even when it seems incredibly inaccessible, is still based on words that carry literal meaning.

3. Connotative meaning. Take several key words or phrases from the poem and consider the kinds of connotations they carry. Think in terms of, "Why this word and not another?" Refer to your first reactions: often connotative meanings, rather than denotative, are what engage our emotions.

Take the word "mother," for example. The dictionary would define mother as "a female parent." OK, but the word "mother" probably creates emotions and feelings in you: it paints a picture in your mind. You may think of love and security or you may think of your own mother. The emotions and feelings that a word creates are called its connotative meaning.

4. Symbolic meaning. Record any allusions you recognize, references to symbols, etc. Think in terms of, "What could this stand for? Why?"

For example, consider the word "light." This may not refer to the literal condition that means the opposite of darkness; often "light" is used to symbolize knowledge, truth, peace, joy, or spirituality.

5. At this point, stop and ask yourself, "What is the author trying to say? What is his goal for this poem? What kind of a reaction is he trying to get out of readers? Why?" Try to identify the author's purpose for writing.

6. Analysis from here on out will probably help you examine how the author accomplishes that affect or meets that goal, rather than what that affect or goal is.

7. Prosody. Analyze the poem in terms of poetic devices. Look for tools of form and format (shape, rhyme, meter, etc.), sound (alliteration, assonance, etc.), imagery (sensory detail, word pictures, etc.) and so forth. Think in terms of, "What kind of language tools is this author using? How do those tools help him accomplish his goal?

8. "Narrative Arc. Read through the poem like a story; all poems have a beginning, a middle, and an end. Try to identify a crisis, or a problem presented by the poem and how the author fixes it. Think in terms of, "Why is the poem set up like this? Is the crisis truly resolved at the end? Why or why not?"