![]() The latter is the more important in poetry than the former. Words in poems have denotations, or literal, easy-to-understand dictionary meanings, and connotations, or figurative, less specific and less direct meanings. Try reading the poem out loud to get a sense of the way the sounds of the poem effect its meaning. Pay attention to what the poem is saying do not beĭistracted by the rhyme and rhythm of the poem.Use a dictionary when you find a word about whose meaning The following are some initial helpful tips for reading poetry recommended by Laurence Perrine and explored in more detail in your textbook: Questions to consider in this regard are: What has the poet doen well, and what has he done less well? Has he successfully expressed his theme? Has he written a "good" poem or a "great" poem according to Laurence Perrine's standards? To criticize means to judge the merits and faults of a poem. This guide is to help readers learn what to look for and what questions to ask in decoding a poem. By looking at a poem in terms of its elements, one decodes the poem. Analysis means literally picking a poem apart-looking at elements such as imagery, metaphor, poetic language, rhyme scheme, and so on-in order to see how they all work together to produce the poem's meaning. The combination of elements the poet uses makes up the "code" of the poem. In doing so they use a variety of tools to enrich their purpose, and these tools are the elements of poetry. However, they are trying to communicate with readers. Straightforward, obvious way, and this is especially true of poets. ![]() Creative writers rarely say what they mean in a What follows is a discussion of what the words "critical" and "analysis" mean: What is "analysis"?Īnalysis as decoding. ![]() In critical analysis, one looks both analytically and critically at a short story, a novel, or a poem and makes an argument about what the meaning of the story or poem is. The thesis of a critical paper should include a statement of the poem's theme everything in the body of the paper should apply in some way towards proving the thesis statement. Always begin with a thesis statement, which usually appears at the end of the introductory paragraph. The critical analysis paper will consist of a proof or a demonstration of the thesis statement. A critical analysis includes an introduction, a thesis statement, perhaps a map of the essay, the body of the essay, and a conclusion. Otherwise, a critical analysis paper may be written in the same format that is taught for writing ordinary essays in Comp. Those requirements take precedence over anything written in this handout. Individual instructors may have specific requirements for papers written in their classes. In the analysis of poetry, then, two important questions the reader must ask himself are: What is the poet trying to say? How does he or she try to say it? He uses the elements of poetry to get his point across, and these elements consist of a variety of ways to use words to convey his meanings. When a poet writes, he is trying to communicate with the reader in a powerful way. Poetic language could be said to have muscle because, in a sense, it is powerful. Thus every word and stanza is packed with meanings. The object of writing a poem is usually to make a very complicated statement using as few words as possible as Laurence Perrine says, poetry "may be defined as a kind of language that says more and says it more intensely than does ordinary language" (517). Pleas note that this handout discusses the basics of poetry there is much more to know about it than there is room to discuss here. A further advantage is that it will discuss the same ideas in clearer, simpler language. This supplement will discuss the same information as Structure, Sound and Sense, but it will take up less space. ![]() However, the Writing Lab instructors decided it wouldn't hurt to write up a supplement to Perrine's book. Read through these chapters-use them as reference tools-for further, more detailed discussion of the elements of poetry. It also includes poems in each chapter which represent uses of the poetic elements the chapter discusses. It divides the elements into chapters-one chapter on imagery, one on metaphor and symbolism, et cetera. Perrine's table of contents lists the elements of poetry. What is poetry? How is it analyzed? What are the elements of poetry? Good questions! One good way to get started analyzing poetry is to go straight to the good, old Structure, Sound and Sense by Laurence Perrine, the purple-ish book usually assigned for English classes at MGCCC. Learning Lab Tips on Critical Analysis - Poetry
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