ENG4U Poetry Unit
Poetry Unit
Poetry T
P
TITLE
Before you even think about reading the poetry or trying to analyze it, speculate
on what you think the poem might be about based upon the title. Oftentimes,
authors conceal meaning in the title and give clues in the title. Jot down what
you think this poem will be about.
PARAPHRASE
Before you begin thinking about meaning or trying to analyze the poem, do not
overlook the literal meaning of the poem. One of the biggest problems that
students often make in poetry analysis is jumping to conclusions before
understanding what is taking place in the poem. When you paraphrase a poem,
write in your own words exactly what happens in the poem. Look at the number
of sentences in the poem–your paraphrase should have exactly the same
number. This technique is especially helpful for poems written in the 17th and
19th centuries. Sometimes your teacher may allow you to summarize what
happens in the poem. Make sure that you understand the difference between a
paraphrase and a summary.
C CONNOTATION
A
TP-CASTT Poetry Analysis
ATTITUDE
S
SHIFTS
T
TITLE
T
THEME
Although this term usually refers solely to the emotional overtones of word
choice, for this approach the term refers to any and all poetic devices, focusing
on how such devices contribute to the meaning, the effect, or both of a poem.
You may consider imagery, figures of speech (simile, metaphor, personification,
symbolism, etc.), diction, point of view, and sound devices (alliteration,
onomatopoeia, rhythm, and rhyme). It is not necessary that you identify all the
poetic devices within the poem. The ones you do identify should be seen as a
way of supporting the conclusions you are going to draw about the poem.
Having examined the poem’s devices and clues closely, you are now ready to
explore the multiple attitudes that may be present in the poem. Examination of
diction, images, and details suggests the speaker’s attitude and contributes to
understanding. You may refer to the list of words on Tone that will help you.
Remember that usually the tone or attitude cannot be named with a single word
Think complexity.
Rarely does a poem begin and end the poetic experience in the same place. As
is true for most of us, the poet’s understanding of an experience is a gradual
realization, and the poem is a reflection of that understanding or insight. Watch
for the following keys to shifts:
• key words (but, yet, however, although)
• punctuation (dashes, periods, colons, ellipsis)
• stanza divisions and line breaks
• changes in line or stanza length or both
• irony
• changes in sound that may indicate changes in meaning
• changes in diction
Now look at the title again, but this time on an interpretive level. What new
insight does the title provide in understanding the poem?
What is the poem saying about the human experience, motivation, or condition?
What subject(s) does the poem address? What do you learn about those
subjects? What idea does the poet want you to take away with you concerning
these subjects? Remember that the theme of any work of literature is stated in a
complete sentence.
Poetry T
TITLE
P
PARAPHRASE
C CONNOTATION
A
ATTITUDE
S
SHIFTS
T
TITLE
T
THEME
TP-CASTT Poetry Analysis • Blank Table
Poetry Aristotle’s Rhetorical Triangle
rhetoric |ˈretəәrik|
noun
the art of effective or persuasive speaking or writing, especially the use of figures of speech and other
compositional techniques.
Poetry Poetry Questions
Voice: Speaker and Situation
1. Who is the speaker of the poem? How would you characterize this speaker?
2. Where does the speaker reveal his or her attitude toward the poem’s subject? Does the speaker’s
attitude or feelings change at any point? If so, where and with what implications?
3. What is the speaker’s situation? What is happening in the poem?
Diction and Imagery
1. Which words convey the richest connotations? What do these connotations contribute to your
understanding of the poem?
2. What kinds of imagery does the poem include? Do you detect any patterns among the images?
What do the images collectively suggest?
Figures of Speech/Literary Devices
1. What kinds of figures of speech occur in the poem? How important are figures of comparison–
simile and metaphor?
2. How do the poem’s figures of speech contribute to the poem’s vividness and concreteness? What
do they contribute to its feelings and meaning?
3. What details of language and action are symbolic? How do you know?
4. Does the poem exhibit a pattern of linked allegorical details?
Syntax and Structure
1. What kinds of sentences does the poet use? What kinds of structure and pattern do the poem’s
sentences exhibit?
2. What does the poem’s syntax reveal about the state of mind of its speaker?
3. How is the poem organized? How do its stanza or major sections develop?
4. How are the stanzas or major sections of the poem related?
Sound, Rhyme, and Meter
1. Does the poem rhyme? Does it employ assonance, alliteration, onomatopoeia, or other forms of
sound play? With what effects?
2. What kind of rhythm does the poem include? Does the rhythm change at any point? With what
effects?
Theme
1. How do the poetic elements create and convey the poem’s meaning(s)?
2. Do you think there is more than one theme? Why or why not?
3. Is the theme of the poem explicit or implicit? Is it conveyed more clearly in one part of the poem
than another?
Experience Questions
1. What feelings does the poem evoke? What sensations, associations, and memories does it give
rise to?
2. What feelings surfaced as you read the poem?
3. What words, phrases, and details triggered your strongest reaction?
4. What associations about your own experiences do you bring to the poem?
Interpretation Questions
1. What ideas does the poem express, either directly or indirectly?
2. What words, phrases, lines, and details may have confused or baffled you? Why?
3. What observations can you make about the poem’s details?
4. What words and phrases recur? How? Where? Why?
5. What connections can you establish among the details of action and language? What inferences
can you draw from these connections?
Evaluation Questions
1. What view of the world does the poet present? What do you think of the poet’s view?
2. What values are associated with the speaker?
3. To what extent do you think the speaker’s attitude reflects that of the poet?
4. How do your own ideas and standards influence your experience, interpretation, and evaluation
of the poem?
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Poetry Beat Poetry Activity
•The first player picks a common phrase and says it aloud.
•The next player needs to say a phrase which begins with the end of that
phrase. For instance, if the first player says “king of the hill”, then the second
player might say “Hill Street Blues”.
•Play continues clockwise, each player saying a phrase which begins with
what the previous player added. It may begin with all of what the previous
player added or only with the end of the addition.
•You may change the ending of the previous phrase from plural to singular or
vice versa, if you desire. You can also use homonyms and puns. For instance,
if the player before you picks a phrase that ends in “accountancy”, you might
say “sea salt”.
•The game ends when someone says a phrase that ends where the first phrase
began. Returning to our example, the game might end when someone said
“long live the king”.
Man in the moon
Moon over Miami
Miami Vice
vice grip
grip tide
tide pools
pools of blood
blood money
money can’t buy me love
love is like a red, red rose…
Poetry Beat Poetry
•The term “Beat Generation” was coined by Jack Kerouac in the 1950s,
referring to being “upbeat” and “on the beat”, meaning they were on the
cusp of new trends.
•Major writers of the Beat Movement were Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg,
Lucien Car, and Hal Chase.
•Elements of the Beat Movement were incorporated into the later hippie
movement.
•What did they want?
Liberation (to worship and love as they wanted)
Spiritual liberation
Sexual liberation
Women’s liberation
Race liberation
Freedom of speech/no censorship
Decriminalization of many drugs (including marijuana)
Ecological consciousness
Respect for people as individuals
Less materialism and consumerism
•What did they achieve?
•Great leaps in liberation
•Fewer censorship laws
•Influenced Bob Dylan and The Beatles
•What does the poetry sound like?
•Spontaneous
•Stream of consciousness
•Strong sense of rhythm
Poetry
“The Art Form of Spoken Word Poetry” • Chelsea Vogel
Spoken word poetry gained popularity in America in the post war 1990’s era and sprang from the beat
movement. Several famous beatniks such as William Burroughs, Allen Ginsburg and Jack Kerouac reintroduced the art of spoken poetry in the U.S during the 1960’s. Ginsburg had a spoken word video
featured on MTV and Kerouac had a tribute album in which famous actors and musicians read his
poems aloud.
During the 1990’s poetic expression reemerged in pop culture and the spoken word poetry movement of
the 90’s is often directly correlated with the beat movement of the 60’s in their striking similarities like
improvisational style, the coffee house atmosphere of performances and a disdain for the traditional
academic community. Yet the emergence of spoken word can be dated back to Homer reading “The
Odyssey” before the invention of the printing press, at a time when oral storytelling was the only way for
stories, poems and prose to reach audiences.
Most spoken word poets have no intentions of getting their poetry published as they are more concerned
with being heard and conveying the messages held in their poems in an immediate and intense way. The
Nelson Atkins Museum of Art defines spoken word as,
"Poetry that is written on a page but performed for an audience. Because it is performed, this
poetry tends to demonstrate a heavy use of rhythm, improvisation,free association, rhymes, rich
poetic phrases, word play and slang. It is more aggressive and “in your face” than more
traditional forms of poetry (North)”.
Spoken word differs from poetry readings and slam poetry in that it doesn’t translate well to paper and is
solely intended to be performed for audiences with its cadenced rhythmic beat and the personification
of raw emotion on behalf of the speaker. Some readers argue that any type of poetry that can be read out
loud is spoken word depending on the delivery. Either way this type of poetry is especially appealing to
younger generations because it is oftentimes written by young people, for young people and delivers
content that explores worldly issues relevant in today’s society.
The popularity of spoken word on Yale campus directly correlates to the popularity of slam poetry on a
national level. Several Yale students credit spoken word with its likeness to hip hop music, associating
the poetry with rap mastermind, Andre 3000’s lyrics. Not only do the contemporary topics explored by
this type of poetry intrigue students, the world of spoken poetry has enticed professors at some of the
most prestigious ivy league universities to use the rhythmic prose as an innovative teaching method in
the classroom.
Tyler Hoffman, an English professor and Dean of Arts and Sciences at Rutgers-Camden published a book
titled “American Poetry in Performance: From Walt Whitman to Hip Hop”. Throughout the book the 45
year old professor fiercely advocates his belief that hip hop is indeed poetry saying “That is the poetry
that is most alive today, the poetry that most influences our own culture—without question”.
Hoffman isn’t the only educator who acknowledges the importance of spoken word as a favored means
of self-expression in this generation, Sarah Kay a graduate at Brown University and internationally
known spoken word poetry teacher, founded Project V.O.I.C.E, a national movement aimed at inspiring
educators nationwide to find ways of incorporating spoken word poetry into lesson plans. She argues
that by using spoken word poetry as an instrument that encourages young people to recognize their
views as valid and significant we are inspiring younger generations to engage and partake in the future
of our society.
Spoken word has not only found its way into universities but entertainment media as well with the
creation of new shows that focus on young adults all over the U.S. essentially performing their poetry in
front of live audiences in an effort to showcase the emotionally charged prose as the captivating art form
it truly is. The HBO hit television show “Brave New Voices” which showcases the raw talent of young,
spoken word poets across the U.S. is based on teaching workshops offered in New York and San
Francisco that advocate the use of spoken poetry in classroom settings as a part of the organization Youth
Speaks, similar to Sarah Kay’s national movement, Project V.O.I.C.E.
The founders of Youth Speaks, Jen Weiss and Scott Herndon familiarize educators with spoken word
poetry through suggested classroom exercises and thorough descriptions of hip-hop culture and its
strong ties to spoken poetry. The duo told Harvard Educational Review that their goal is to introduce
innovative learning approaches to the traditional classroom setting in an effort to hook students and
compel them to let their voices be heard.
By acknowledging that spoken word poetry is the artistic expression of this generation for its
contemporary and societal content as well as its close association in structure with hip-hop music a
genre that especially appeals to young adults, educators are paving the way for a literary revolution that
appears to be in its prime.The only truly accurate description of spoken word poetry is the inner voice
spoken aloud, it’s a literary movement you have to hear to believe.
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Poetry “Dulce et Decorum Est”
Bent double, like old beggars under sacks,
Knock-kneed, coughing like hags, we cursed through sludge,
Till on the haunting flares we turned our backs
And towards our distant rest began to trudge.
Men marched asleep. Many had lost their boots
But limped on, blood-shod. All went lame; all blind;
Drunk with fatigue; deaf even to the hoots
Of tired, outstripped Five-Nines that dropped behind.
Gas! Gas! Quick, boys! – An ecstasy of fumbling,
Fitting the clumsy helmets just in time;
But someone still was yelling out and stumbling,
And flound’ring like a man in fire or lime…
Dim, through the misty panes and thick green light,
As under a green sea, I saw him drowning.
In all my dreams, before my helpless sight,
He plunges at me, guttering, choking, drowning.
If in some smothering dreams you too could pace
Behind the wagon that we flung him in,
And watch the white eyes writhing in his face,
His hanging face, like a devil’s sick of sin;
If you could hear, at every jolt, the blood
Come gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs,
Obscene as cancer, bitter as the cud
Of vile, incurable sores on innocent tongues,
My friend, you would not tell with such high zest
To children ardent for some desperate glory,
The old Lie; Dulce et Decorum est
Pro patria mori.
8 October 1917- March, 1918
Poetry “Dulce et Decorum Est”
Bent double, like old beggars under sacks,
Knock-kneed, coughing like hags, we cursed through sludge,
Till on the haunting flares we turned our backs
And towards our distant rest began to trudge.
Men marched asleep. Many had lost their boots
But limped on, blood-shod. All went lame; all blind;
Drunk with fatigue; deaf even to the hoots
Of tired, outstripped Five-Nines that dropped behind.
Calibre explosive shells
Gas! Gas! Quick, boys! – An ecstasy of fumbling,
Fitting the clumsy helmets just in time;
But someone still was yelling out and stumbling,
And flound’ring like a man in fire or lime…
Dim, through the misty panes and thick green light,
As under a green sea, I saw him drowning.
In all my dreams, before my helpless sight,
He plunges at me, guttering, choking, drowning.
Rockets that were sent to burn with a
bright light to light up men and other
targets
A place further behind the front lines
where exhausted soldiers might rest.
Sound of shells in the air
Poison gas (maybe chlorine or phosgene)
that effectively “drowned” someone in air.
Early name for gas masks
A substance that burns like tissue
Glass in the eyepieces of gas masks
Sound of “drowning” from poison gas
If in some smothering dreams you too could pace
Behind the wagon that we flung him in,
And watch the white eyes writhing in his face,
His hanging face, like a devil’s sick of sin;
If you could hear, at every jolt, the blood
Come gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs,
Regurgitated food from a cow
Obscene as cancer, bitter as the cud
Of vile, incurable sores on innocent tongues,
enthusiasm
My friend, you would not tell with such high zest
To children ardent for some
desperate glory,
keen
The old Lie; Dulce et Decorum est
It is sweet and right
Pro patria mori.
to die for your
8 October 1917- March, 1918
country. A very
popular sentiment
at the start of World
War I.
Poetry
T
TP-CASTT Poetry Analysis • “Dulce et Decorum Est”
TITLE
Predictions of what the poem may be about–ponder the meaning, first
impressions, any allusions, connotations
This is sweetness and order.
Focus on one syntactical unit at a time–translate each unit into your own
words–literal events–define any unfamiliar words (use separate paper if
needed)
P
PARAPHRASE
C CONNOTATION
Soldiers marching in trench warfare. They couldn’t sleep. Many don’t have shoes
but keep walking. They lost their senses even to the bombs going off behind
them. A gas bomb is dropped and they all go for their helmets, but one man
doesn’t get his on in time and chokes to death. He haunts the narrator in his
sleep. If you could see what he’s seen, or heard what he’s heard, you wouldn’t
be so proud to die for your country.
Contemplate the poem for meaning beyond the literal.
Diction
Word Choice
Commentary
haunting flares
flound’ring
we flung him
Images
Device
Simile
“like old beggars under sacks”
and “like hags”
Metaphor
drunk with fatigue
The use of the diction “haunting” suggests remaining, not
quickly forgotten. Not only are the soldiers experiencing
the flares in the present, but they will be “haunted” for
the rest of their lives. The image of war will forever
remain with them.
The use of “flound’ring” to describe the choking man
gives the idea that he’s drowning. Men only flouder when
they’re desperate for air and life, so the gas can be seen as
the water that fills his lungs.
The word “flung” implies a certain carelessness or
ambivalence. If they “fling” a man’s body, they are so
desensitized by war that they don’t even care if the body
is justly treated. This shows how dehumanizing war is.
Commentary
Owen’s use of the similes “like old beggars under sacks”
and “like hags” both create images of being worn out.
They suggest begging for help and being weighted down
by the sacks. The use of the word “old” implies aging
through war and their loss of innocence and youth. This
reflection of soldiers from the beginning of the poem
presents an image of defeat contradicting the glorious war
soldier. Thus Owen emphasizes his bitter protest of war as
one that results in a horrible death rather than the glory
presented to innocent youths.
Comparing fatigue with alcohol makes it more destructive
and sloppy. If a soldier is drunk in fatigue, he is so tired
that he seems to be intoxicated, longing for sleep but has
to keep moving.
Other Devices
Examples
White eyes writing in his face
Device
Personification
Allusion
Dulce et decorum est por
patria mori
A
S
ATTITUDE
SHIFTS
Discussion
Describing the eyes as writhing gives them a human
quality. He is so tormented that even his eyes are in pain,
giving the situation an especially fatal quality.
This is the phrase that the gladiators said before they
battled in the coliseum. By referencing the gladiators who
died for the amusement of the Romans, the narrator is
comparing them to the soldiers, dying for the amusement
of their country.
Attitude of the speaker about the subject
Desolate, haunted, disillusioned.
Key words: but, yet, however, although
Punctuation: dashes, periods, colons, ellipses
Stanza divisions: changes in line or stanza length or both
Irony: (sometimes irony hides shifts)
Structure change
Changes in sound
Changes in diction: (slang to formal language)
State the shift and then explain the shift:
Gas! Gas! Quick, boys! – An ecstasy of fumbling…
The sudden exclamation points reflect the soldiers’ hurry to find their helmets and save themselves. It happens
without warning, just as gas bombs come suddenly without warning.
T
THEME
The universal statement as to the human condition–state in a complete
sentence
Men say it is an honour to fight for one’s country, but there is no honour in dying
in such horrid conditions.
14
Poetry Poetry Presentation /30
Group Members:
1. ________________________________________
2. _______________________________________
3. __________________________________________________
Your group will choose either a Beat poem or a spoken word poem that is less then five (5) minutes long.
You will analyse this poem’s voice, diction, imagery, figures of speech, and syntax. On the day of your
presentation, you must show a video of your poem or do a choral reading with your group. You must
also provide a hard copy of the lyrics for your fellow students and the teacher.
Video/Choral Reading:
A video/choral reading of group’s chosen poem is presented, and hard copy for audience to follow.
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Voice:
Where does the speaker reveal his or her attitude toward the poem’s subject? Does the speaker’s attitude
change at any point? What are the implications of this shift?
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Diction:
Which word or phrase conveys the richest connotation? How does this connotation enhance the poem?
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Imagery:
What kinds of imagery does the poem include? Do you detect any patterns among the images? What do
the images collectively suggest?
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Figures of Speech:
How do the poem’s figures of speech contribute to the poem’s feeling and meaning?
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Syntax:
How does the poem’s syntax contribute to the poem’s feeling and meaning?
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TP-CASTT and Rhetorical Triangle Discussion
The inclusion of all aspects of TP-CASTT and Aristotle’s Rhetorical Triangle in group’s analysis.
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Presentation Skills:
Presentation skills are effectively employed.
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