The last week of AP Literature has been dedicated to the exploration of poetry. It is no secret that many of us detest this form of literature, perhaps because many of us do not know how to attack a poem, and therefore are left for dead from the get-go. So, in class, we have looked at how to find a way in, to have a way of getting to the core of what the poem really means. So in my blog post I will explore these methods and how I attempt to make them successful.
The first thing we learned to do after reading a poem is try to answer four essential questions, which were presented in Perrine’s “Sound and Sense”. The questions are: Who is the speaker? What is the occasion? What is the Central Purpose of the Poem? How does the author portray that purpose? These questions provide the reader with a few main topics to get to the main point of a poem. So let’s take a closer look.
The first question, “Who is the Speaker?” gives us a few important things, among them perspective in the poem, the tone, the mood, and the diction. Understanding the perspective in the poem is very important in gaining an understanding of the poem. Understanding the speaker’s background, personality, and beliefs allow the reader to make inferences about the character’s actions. Next, by understanding the occasion of the poem, a reader can gain further understanding of why the speaker says what he says or does what he does in a poem (or she, I just used he for convenience). For example, in the poem “The History Teacher” the occasion is that a teacher is trying to shield his students from the harsh realities of history. If one didn’t understand this, the poem would be a complete blur and would not be enjoyable to read whatsoever. Finally, the last two questions are related but are very important. The third question, “What is the central purpose?” is vital in understanding a poem. This question can often have several answers, which in my opinion is one of poetry’s redeeming qualities. It is up to the reader to decide what the purpose is, and answering the fourth question can often help find that answer. By looking at how the author conveys his or her purpose through the usage of literary techniques, a reader can see symbols, motifs, and finally, discover the poems central purpose, and with that can conquer any poem they are faced with.
Understanding poetry is a difficult task, but by answering the four essential questions it can be made much less difficult.
About Me
- erdecker
- Enchanted April at Roc Rep Jan 2016 (Sound Design). Donnybrook's Dilemma Murder Mystery Jan 10 (Donnybrook actor). Valentine's Murder Mystery at Plummer House Feb 13 (actor). Ole and Lena in Love at Rochester Sons of Norway March 19 (Director).
4 comments:
Definitely true that poetry’s a drag- haha. That you chose to pick apart a few of the main questions of poetry as your topic is even more of a marvel. Lol. Anywho, “The History Teacher” poem’s strange twists on references to actual moments in history made it an excellent example to show how poetry can be tough to understand without analysis. I know that I’ve found myself completely confused by certain poems just for taking the words literally, so I definitely agree that the “four questions” make reading poetry easier. One example I might add, “When in Rome”, actually told of no setting for the poem anywhere inside of itself (whereas we at least know that the prior poem takes place in a school, right off the bat), so the idea that the reader is the one responsible for understanding the poem’s purpose (and, in this case, its occasion) is supported. Though I see how it’s made the reader’s responsibility to understand the central purpose of a poem, it’s kind of strange that it has to be that way. I mean, it makes one wonder why we need to use these techniques in the first place. As a poet, would you have taken the time to write a poem if you knew that students had to pick it apart step-by-step just to understand it? Haha. Ya know?
I cannot agree more about the fact that poetry is not fun! although, I did learn a lot more about it during this unit- and that it is physically possible to enjoy poetry. Using the four questions helped me understand more of what I was reading, because never before when reading poetry have I asked myself, "who is the speaker?" But now I will, if I ever find myself reading poetry outside of class!
One of the main reasons that i detest poetry so much is that other people seem to understand it so easily. It'd good to know that I'm not entirely alone-haha. I've alway found that reading from the bottom line up helps out, but that could just be me. If that doesn't work, try finding the stressed syllables; these are usually key words that have the answers in them. The four essential questions have been a really big help with understanding poetry, and I'm assuming that they are something I will turn back to in the future.
I feel like the black sheep- I adore poetry. It's probably the English teacher genes.
I've not had much trouble with poetry before and enjoy the use of language within it. However, the questions that Sound & Sense have to offer are great tools to help analyze poems in an organized and strategic way.
(Christian Cassman)
Post a Comment