intro lectpt 3
DESCRIPTION
Third part of the intro lecture series LANE 447TRANSCRIPT
Introductory Lecture
Pt. 3Elements of a Poem
Course Title: Poetry Course Code & NO.: LANE 447Course Credit Hrs.: 3 weekly Level: 7th Level Students
Instructor: Dr. Noora Al-MalkiCredits of images and online content are to their original owners.
This Presentation
• is divided into three sections (Pt. 1, Pt. 2, and Pt. 3), each dealing with a distinct topic.
• sums up the main points to be discussed in the course’s introductory lecture.
• introduces main concepts related to the meaning of poetry, poetry types and forms, elements of a poem…etc.
• encourages students to read further about English poetry in the listed references and websites.
Dr. Noora Al-Malki 2012 [email protected] 2
Elements of a Poem
3Dr. Noora Al-Malki 2012 [email protected]
1-Title2-Age + Poet’s biography3-Structure- form4-Speaker (persona- Voice)5-Subject (surface meaning, topic)6-Theme (deep meaning)7-Point of view 8-Diction & Figurative language
http://isc.temple.edu/pericles/Poetry.htm
Elements of a Poem
4Dr. Noora Al-Malki 2012 [email protected]
When you read a poem for the first time, make sure that you consider the title. Just look at it. Try to record your initial impression of it.
-Do you think it alludes to something?-Can you guess the content of the poem depending on this initial encounter with its title?-Do you think that the title is straightforward? Complex? Symbolic? Ambiguous?
title
5Dr. Noora Al-Malki 2012 [email protected]
6Dr. Noora Al-Malki 2012 [email protected]
Elements of a Poem
7Dr. Noora Al-Malki 2012 [email protected]
Then, you have to reflect on the age during which the poet wrote his poetry. Why? Simply because men of letters—including poets– are always influenced by the historical, social, cultural--and definitely personal--conditions they live.
Age- Biography
9Dr. Noora Al-Malki 2012 [email protected]
Elements of a Poem
10Dr. Noora Al-Malki 2012 [email protected]
Why does a certain poet choose a certain form for one of his poems?
e.g. A sonnet can be identified by use of form: 14 lines of iambic pentameter; split by a volta (change in rhyme scheme) into octave/sestet. This form shapes the 'argument‘ as well: the volta or turn in rhyme scheme between octave and sestet is often accompanied by a turn in content (often signalled by 'turning words' such as 'yet' or 'but').
Structure - Form
11Dr. Noora Al-Malki 2012 [email protected]
Fixed Form: Sonnet
The Shakespearean sonnet consists of:
1-Three four-line stanzas (called quatrains), 2- And a final couplet.
The rhyme scheme abab cdcd efef gg
Elements of a Poem
12Dr. Noora Al-Malki 2012 [email protected]
oAs a reader of poetry, you should not automatically think that a poem directly reflects the personal experiences or ideas of the poet.
oIn a poem, you would be reading about the SPEAKER’S (persona) experiences who is not necessarily the poet.
oThe use of an identified persona creates some sort of ambiguity and enables poets to give expression to things they would prefer not to have attributed to their own person.
Speaker
Elements of a Poem
13Dr. Noora Al-Malki 2012 [email protected]
oIt is the story being told by the speaker, or the situation being delineated. It is the metaphoric representation (or mask) which the poet uses to present (disguise) his main idea (theme).
Subject
Elements of a Poem
14Dr. Noora Al-Malki 2012 [email protected]
The controlling idea of a poem is the idea continuously developed throughout the poem by sets of key words that identify the poet's subject and his attitude or feeling about it. It may also be suggested by the title of a poem or by segment of the poem. It is rarely stated explicitly by the poet, but it can be stated by the reader and it can be stated in different ways.
Theme
Elements of a Poem
15Dr. Noora Al-Malki 2012 [email protected]
1st person gives immediacy and intimacy, �sympathy is more intense. Drawback to 1st person use is that the poet can only write what he/she personally knows or sees.2nd person - Rarely used but possible. It tends to make the reader (you) average either by idealizing or typicalizing the focus of the verse. Second person use in poetry almost seems instructional.3rd person - The narrator of poem may be either omniscient, reporting the thoughts of several characters or limited third person limited to a single limited character and that character's awareness.It is possible to show multiple points of view and have all stay within the third person in a single poem
Point of View
http://www.sktc.net/~beaton/pov_in_poetry.html
Elements of a Poem
16Dr. Noora Al-Malki 2012 [email protected]
Diction & Figurative language Poetic diction is the term used to refer to
the linguistic style, the vocabulary, and the metaphors used in the writing of poetry. A figure of speech is a rhetorical device that achieves a special effect by using words in distinctive ways. - metaphor - a comparison between two seemingly unlike things. - simile - a comparison between two seemingly unlike things using like or as. - personification - giving human characteristics to inanimate objects. - allusion - a reference to a famous person, event, or other literary work. - apostrophe - a speech given to an inanimate object, an idea, or someone who is dead. - hyperbole - a deliberate exaggeration. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poetic_diction
Extra material to check out
17Dr. Noora Al-Malki 2012 [email protected]
http://bcs.bedfordstmartins.com/virtualit/poetry/elements.html
http://davehood59.wordpress.com/2010/01/08/elements-of-poetry/
http://grammar.about.com/od/rhetoricstyle/a/20figures.htm