Dimeter
Trimeter
Tetrameter
Pentameter
Hexameter
Any number above six (hexameter) is heard as a combination of smaller parts; for example, what we might call heptameter (seven feet in a line) is indistinguishable (aurally) from successive lines of tetrameter and trimeter (4-3).
To scan a line is to determine its metrical pattern. Perhaps the best way to begin scanning a line is to mark the natural stresses on the polysyllabic words. Take Shelley’s line:
And walked with inward glory crowned.
Then mark the polysyllabic nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs that are normally stressed:
Then fill in the rest:
Then divide the line into feet:
Then note the sequence:
The line consists of four iambs; therefore, we identify the line as iambic tetrameter.
Rhythm refers particularly to the way a line is voiced, i.e., how one speaks the line. Often, when a reader reads a line of verse, choices of stress and unstress may need to be made. For example, the first line of Keats’ “Ode on Melancholy” presents the reader with a problem:
No, no, go not to Lethe, neither twist
If we determine the regular pattern of beats (the meter) of this line, we will most likely identify the line as iambic pentameter. If we read the line this way, the statement takes on a musing, somewhat disinterested tone. However, because the first five words are monosyllabic, we may choose to read the line differently. In fact, we may be tempted, especially when reading aloud, to stress the first two syllables equally, making the opening an emphatic, directive statement. Note that monosyllabic words allow the meaning of the line to vary according to which words we choose to stress when reading (i.e., the choice of rhythm we make).
The first line of Milton’s Paradise Lost presents a different type of problem.
Of Man’s First Disobedience, and the Fruit
Again, this line is predominantly iambic, but a problem occurs with the word “Disobedience.” If we read strictly by the meter, then we must fuse the last two syllables of the word. However, if we read the word normally, we have a breakage in the line’s metrical structure. In this way, the poet forges a tension between meter and rhythm: does the word remain contained by the structure, or do we choose to stretch the word out of the normal foot, thereby disobeying the structure in which it was made? Such tension adds meaning to the poem by using meter and rhythm to dramatize certain conflicts. In this example, Milton forges such a tension to present immediately the essential conflicts that lead to the fall of Adam and Eve.
The explication should follow the same format as the preparation: begin with the large issues and basic design of the poem and work through each line to the more specific details and patterns.
The first paragraph should present the large issues; it should inform the reader which conflicts are dramatized and should describe the dramatic situation of the speaker. The explication does not require a formal introductory paragraph; the writer should simply start explicating immediately. According to UNC ‘s Professor William Harmon, the foolproof way to begin any explication is with the following sentence:
“This poem dramatizes the conflict between …”
Such a beginning ensures that you will introduce the major conflict or theme in the poem and organize your explication accordingly.
Here is an example. A student’s explication of Wordsworth’s “Composed upon Westminster Bridge” might begin in the following way:
This poem dramatizes the conflict between appearance and reality, particularly as this conflict relates to what the speaker seems to say and what he really says. From Westminster Bridge, the speaker looks at London at sunrise, and he explains that all people should be struck by such a beautiful scene. The speaker notes that the city is silent, and he points to several specific objects, naming them only in general terms: “Ships, towers, domes, theatres, and temples” (6). After describing the “glittering” aspect of these objects, he asserts that these city places are just as beautiful in the morning as country places like “valley, rock, or hill” (8,10). Finally, after describing his deep feeling of calmness, the speaker notes how the “houses seem asleep” and that “all that mighty heart is lying still” (13, 14). In this way, the speaker seems to say simply that London looks beautiful in the morning.
The next paragraphs should expand the discussion of the conflict by focusing on details of form, rhetoric, syntax, and vocabulary. In these paragraphs, the writer should explain the poem line by line in terms of these details, and they should incorporate important elements of rhyme, rhythm, and meter during this discussion.
The student’s explication continues with a topic sentence that directs the discussion of the first five lines:
However, the poem begins with several oddities that suggest the speaker is saying more than what he seems to say initially. For example, the poem is an Italian sonnet and follows the abbaabbacdcdcd rhyme scheme. The fact that the poet chooses to write a sonnet about London in an Italian form suggests that what he says may not be actually praising the city. Also, the rhetoric of the first two lines seems awkward compared to a normal speaking voice: “Earth has not anything to show more fair. / Dull would he be of soul who could pass by” (1-2). The odd syntax continues when the poet personifies the city: “This City now doth, like a garment, wear / The beauty of the morning” (4-5). Here, the city wears the morning’s beauty, so it is not the city but the morning that is beautiful …
The explication has no formal concluding paragraph; do not simply restate the main points of the introduction! The end of the explication should focus on sound effects or visual patterns as the final element of asserting an explanation. Or, as does the undergraduate here, the writer may choose simply to stop writing when they reach the end of the poem:
The poem ends with a vague statement: “And all that mighty heart is lying still!” In this line, the city’s heart could be dead, or it could be simply deceiving the one observing the scene. In this way, the poet reinforces the conflict between the appearance of the city in the morning and what such a scene and his words actually reveal.
Refer to the speaking voice in the poem as the “speaker” or “the poet.” For example, do not write, “In this poem, Wordsworth says that London is beautiful in the morning.” However, you can write,
“In this poem, Wordsworth presents a speaker who…”
We cannot absolutely identify Wordsworth with the speaker of the poem, so it is more accurate to talk about “the speaker” or “the poet” in an explication.
Use the present tense when writing the explication. The poem, as a work of literature, continues to exist!
To avoid unnecessary uses of the verb “to be” in your compositions, the following list suggests some verbs you can use when writing the explication:
dramatizes presents illustrates characterizes underlines | asserts posits enacts connects portrays | contrasts juxtaposes suggests implies shows | addresses emphasizes stresses accentuates enables |
The Fountain
Fountain, fountain, what do you say Singing at night alone? “It is enough to rise and fall Here in my basin of stone.” But are you content as you seem to be So near the freedom and rush of the sea? “I have listened all night to its laboring sound, It heaves and sags, as the moon runs round; Ocean and fountain, shadow and tree, Nothing escapes, nothing is free.”
—Sara Teasdale (American, 1884-1933)
As a direct address to an inanimate object “The Fountain” presents three main conflicts concerning the appearance to the observer and the reality in the poem. First, since the speaker addresses an object usually considered voiceless, the reader may abandon his/her normal perception of the fountain and enter the poet’s imaginative address. Secondly, the speaker not only addresses the fountain but asserts that it speaks and sings, personifying the object with vocal abilities. These acts imply that, not only can the fountain speak in a musical form, but the fountain also has the ability to present some particular meaning (“what do you say” (1)). Finally, the poet gives the fountain a voice to say that its perpetual motion (rising and falling) is “enough” to maintain its sense of existence. This final personification fully dramatizes the conflict between the fountain’s appearance and the poem’s statement of reality by giving the object intelligence and voice.
The first strophe, four lines of alternating 4- and 3-foot lines, takes the form of a ballad stanza. In this way, the poem begins by suggesting that it will be story that will perhaps teach a certain lesson. The opening trochees and repetition stress the address to the fountain, and the iamb which ends line 1 and the trochee that begins line 2 stress the actions of the fountain itself. The response of the fountain illustrates its own rise and fall in the iambic line 3, and the rhyme of “alone” and “stone” emphasizes that the fountain is really a physical object, even though it can speak in this poem.
The second strophe expands the conflicts as the speaker questions the fountain. The first couplet connects the rhyming words “be” and “sea” these connections stress the question, “Is the fountain content when it exists so close to a large, open body of water like the ocean?” The fountain responds to the tempting “rush of the sea” with much wisdom (6). The fountain’s reply posits the sea as “laboring” versus the speaker’s assertion of its freedom; the sea becomes characterized by heavily accented “heaves and sags” and not open rushing (7, 8). In this way, the fountain suggests that the sea’s waters may be described in images of labor, work, and fatigue; governed by the moon, these waters are not free at all. The “as” of line 8 becomes a key word, illustrating that the sea’s waters are not free but commanded by the moon, which is itself governed by gravity in its orbit around Earth. Since the moon, an object far away in the heavens, controls the ocean, the sea cannot be free as the speaker asserts.
The poet reveals the fountain’s intelligence in rhyming couplets which present closed-in, epigrammatic statements. These couplets draw attention to the contained nature of the all objects in the poem, and they draw attention to the final line’s lesson. This last line works on several levels to address the poem’s conflicts. First, the line refers to the fountain itself; in this final rhymed couplet is the illustration of the water’s perpetual motion in the fountain, its continually recycled movement rising and falling. Second, the line refers to the ocean; in this respect the water cannot escape its boundary or control its own motions. The ocean itself is trapped between landmasses and is controlled by a distant object’s gravitational pull. Finally, the line addresses the speaker, leaving him/her with an overriding sense of fate and fallacy. The fallacy here is that the fountain presents this wisdom of reality to defy the speaker’s original idea that the fountain and the ocean appear to be trapped and free. Also, the direct statement of the last line certainly addresses the human speaker as well as the human reader. This statement implies that we are all trapped or controlled by some remote object or entity. At the same time, the assertion that “Nothing escapes” reflects the limitations of life in the world and the death that no person can escape. Our own thoughts are restricted by our mortality as well as by our limits of relying on appearances. By personifying a voiceless object, the poem presents a different perception of reality, placing the reader in the same position of the speaker and inviting the reader to question the conflict between appearance and reality, between what we see and what we can know.
The writer observes and presents many of the most salient points of the short poem, but they could indeed organize the explication more coherently. To improve this explication, the writer could focus more on the speaker’s state of mind. In this way, the writer could explore the implications of the dramatic situation even further: why does the speaker ask a question of a mute object? With this line of thought, the writer could also examine more closely the speaker’s movement from perplexity (I am trapped but the waters are free) to a kind of resolution (the fountain and the sea are as trapped as I am). Finally, the writer could include a more detailed consideration of rhythm, meter, and rhyme.
You may reproduce it for non-commercial use if you use the entire handout and attribute the source: The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
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Where did i start, a path of creative self-expression, forget editing & go with the flow, show, not tell, write for one person, make it relatable, read it aloud, edit and evolve, trust the process.
I’m sure if you are reading this, at least for once you would have written poetry or attempted to write one. Whether a student, teacher, parent, someone from a literary background, homemaker or an uneducated person, everyone makes an effort to write a poem at some point in their lifetime. The simple reason behind this is that poetry is a means of self-expression, to capture emotions, thoughts, and experiences in a creative and imaginative way. Here’s a beginner’s guide to writing poetry from scratch.
Poetry can be used to tell a story, convey a message, evoke a feeling, or simply play with language. Writing poetry can also be a form of therapy, allowing people to work through difficult emotions and explore their inner selves. Additionally, poetry has been a significant part of human culture for thousands of years, passing down stories, beliefs, and traditions from one generation to the next.
So whatever your reason for writing poetry be, know that you are not alone and every expression matters. You don’t need a degree in literature or great writing skills to pen poetry. If you don’t believe me, let me tell you how I started writing one. It is a little embarrassing for me to put it here but then if it could help you see a possibility for your own poetry-writing journey, then why not, right?
When I was around 11 years old (that’s 23 years back) I started writing and my very first fascination was nature and it still remains to be so. My ‘idea’ of poetry at that time was just about lines ending with rhymes. This is how my very first poem, started (don’t laugh at it; it was a kid’s expression then!):
Do you see that? At this age, after years of writing experience, I can see so many things flawed in the above stanza. For one, it has to be God’s ‘creation’ & not ‘creature’ and the whole thing looks like a ‘forced rhyming’ just to call it poetry. Don’t even ask me about the rest of the stanzas. But wait, does it matter that it was flawed? Absolutely no; because I see it as a ‘start’.
Yes, that day, a small kid started her journey towards self-expression and all that mattered to her were words that helped her make sense of what was happening around her and also inside her mind. And my dear friend, that’s all that should matter to you too when you are starting to pen poetry.
Writing poetry is a path of creative self-expression.
Now that you know what really matters, let’s get to the act of writing. All you need is an intention to write one. Firstly, choose a theme that talks to you or tap into an emotion that you are currently experiencing. That way you can easily get into the flow of writing instead of getting about it mechanically. Start somewhere, anywhere but just start. It really doesn’t matter if you write a great starting line or not, trust me!
If you are still stuck wondering where to start, then simply borrow a line/phrase from any book you read or a poem you liked. You can later replace the first line with something of your own; it really works. And yeah, it is not copying, it’s simply taking inspiration.
If you ask any of the writers or poets, they will tell you how most times their first drafts end up nothing but crap. So fret not about perfection and simply add one word after the other. Remember, just one word after the other. Easy, right? For beginners, free verse is the best bet but if you are in the mood for experimentation with different forms like haiku, lyrical poems, etc, then go for it. Just don’t let the structure restrict the flow of your ideas.
How To Write Better Poetry
Poetry is enriched with vivid imagery (descriptions). Showing and not telling is a writing technique used to create vivid and engaging descriptions by allowing readers to experience and interpret events and emotions, rather than just being told about them. All you need to do is to tap a little deeper into your sense of touch, vision, hearing, smell or taste. Here are some examples of showing and not telling:
Every individual has different perspectives and it’s the ability to put our perspectives out loud and clear that matters. So, loosen up, leave your hesitations and write for one person-yourself. Even if you plan to publish, it’s just you and the other person who is reading that is involved in this equation. So write for either yourself or just one reader. That way, the connection between you and the reader is easily established.
Have you noticed that a song lyrics appeals to you so much that it feels it was written just for you? Well, that’s where relatability comes into the picture. Even while you are writing your personal experiences, try and make it relatable to the reader.
To make a poem written from personal experience relatable to the reader, you can focus on universal themes and emotions that are common to many people. This can include topics such as love, loss, joy, fear, hope, etc. Additionally, you can use concrete and specific details that paint a vivid picture of your experiences and help the reader connect with them on an emotional level.
Avoid using jargon or uncommon terminology that may confuse or alienate the reader. Finally, you can use literary devices such as imagery, metaphor, and simile to enhance the emotional impact of the poem.
Reading your poem aloud can help you to identify and correct any issues in your writing, and to gain a better understanding of how the poem will be received by an audience. This is when you will get an idea of how the usage of words complement each other or not, whether is there a rhythmic flow to the poem, is the tone and theme of the poem are conveyed or not, etc.
So, own your poem and read it aloud to help you understand the nuances intuitively. It may sound difficult but try and see. You will get better at it with every poem.
Now that you know how your poetry has turned out and how it sounds while reading, it’s time that you make the edits and polish your poem. Though editing may take time to learn, it’s still your poem to experiment and evolve. Take charge of it and check the tone and mood of the poem. Make sure they match the content and the emotional impact you want to convey.
Read the poem several times, paying attention to each line and stanza. Look for areas that could be improved, such as awkward phrasing or unclear meaning. Consider using synonyms, metaphors, and similes to add depth and impact. Check the structure of the poem. Make sure each stanza and line break serves a purpose, and that the poem has a clear beginning, middle, and end. Finally, have someone else read the poem and provide feedback. This can give you a fresh perspective and help you to identify areas that could be improved.
Poetry is a creative form of self-expression. So, trust the process and evolve with each piece of writing. Also, poetry gives you the liberty to break the rules and simply have fun. So what stops you from writing a poetry, today? Get creative. Get bold. Get writing!
P.S. At the start of this post you read the childish poetry that I started with. To know how my writing has evolved over years, you can check these two poems (click on the below images) that are inspired by my all-time fascination with nature. You will see that with years, the experiences and perspectives have evolved. And, that is all that I wish for you to know, so you honour your expressions and emotions in verses without any hesitation.
How I Fell in Love With Her
If Only You Wake Up To Become the Sunlight
Hope this post helps. If you are just beginning to pen poetry, feel free to post it in the comments or share it on Twitter and tag me @PoetryPromising .
If you are an established poet, do share your very first piece of poetry. Let others be inspired.
Happy Poetrying!
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Published on January 30, 2020 by Jack Caulfield . Revised on August 14, 2023.
Literary analysis means closely studying a text, interpreting its meanings, and exploring why the author made certain choices. It can be applied to novels, short stories, plays, poems, or any other form of literary writing.
A literary analysis essay is not a rhetorical analysis , nor is it just a summary of the plot or a book review. Instead, it is a type of argumentative essay where you need to analyze elements such as the language, perspective, and structure of the text, and explain how the author uses literary devices to create effects and convey ideas.
Before beginning a literary analysis essay, it’s essential to carefully read the text and c ome up with a thesis statement to keep your essay focused. As you write, follow the standard structure of an academic essay :
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Step 1: reading the text and identifying literary devices, step 2: coming up with a thesis, step 3: writing a title and introduction, step 4: writing the body of the essay, step 5: writing a conclusion, other interesting articles.
The first step is to carefully read the text(s) and take initial notes. As you read, pay attention to the things that are most intriguing, surprising, or even confusing in the writing—these are things you can dig into in your analysis.
Your goal in literary analysis is not simply to explain the events described in the text, but to analyze the writing itself and discuss how the text works on a deeper level. Primarily, you’re looking out for literary devices —textual elements that writers use to convey meaning and create effects. If you’re comparing and contrasting multiple texts, you can also look for connections between different texts.
To get started with your analysis, there are several key areas that you can focus on. As you analyze each aspect of the text, try to think about how they all relate to each other. You can use highlights or notes to keep track of important passages and quotes.
Consider what style of language the author uses. Are the sentences short and simple or more complex and poetic?
What word choices stand out as interesting or unusual? Are words used figuratively to mean something other than their literal definition? Figurative language includes things like metaphor (e.g. “her eyes were oceans”) and simile (e.g. “her eyes were like oceans”).
Also keep an eye out for imagery in the text—recurring images that create a certain atmosphere or symbolize something important. Remember that language is used in literary texts to say more than it means on the surface.
Ask yourself:
Is it a first-person narrator (“I”) who is personally involved in the story, or a third-person narrator who tells us about the characters from a distance?
Consider the narrator’s perspective . Is the narrator omniscient (where they know everything about all the characters and events), or do they only have partial knowledge? Are they an unreliable narrator who we are not supposed to take at face value? Authors often hint that their narrator might be giving us a distorted or dishonest version of events.
The tone of the text is also worth considering. Is the story intended to be comic, tragic, or something else? Are usually serious topics treated as funny, or vice versa ? Is the story realistic or fantastical (or somewhere in between)?
Consider how the text is structured, and how the structure relates to the story being told.
Think about why the author chose to divide the different parts of the text in the way they did.
There are also less formal structural elements to take into account. Does the story unfold in chronological order, or does it jump back and forth in time? Does it begin in medias res —in the middle of the action? Does the plot advance towards a clearly defined climax?
With poetry, consider how the rhyme and meter shape your understanding of the text and your impression of the tone. Try reading the poem aloud to get a sense of this.
In a play, you might consider how relationships between characters are built up through different scenes, and how the setting relates to the action. Watch out for dramatic irony , where the audience knows some detail that the characters don’t, creating a double meaning in their words, thoughts, or actions.
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Your thesis in a literary analysis essay is the point you want to make about the text. It’s the core argument that gives your essay direction and prevents it from just being a collection of random observations about a text.
If you’re given a prompt for your essay, your thesis must answer or relate to the prompt. For example:
Is Franz Kafka’s “Before the Law” a religious parable?
Your thesis statement should be an answer to this question—not a simple yes or no, but a statement of why this is or isn’t the case:
Franz Kafka’s “Before the Law” is not a religious parable, but a story about bureaucratic alienation.
Sometimes you’ll be given freedom to choose your own topic; in this case, you’ll have to come up with an original thesis. Consider what stood out to you in the text; ask yourself questions about the elements that interested you, and consider how you might answer them.
Your thesis should be something arguable—that is, something that you think is true about the text, but which is not a simple matter of fact. It must be complex enough to develop through evidence and arguments across the course of your essay.
Say you’re analyzing the novel Frankenstein . You could start by asking yourself:
Your initial answer might be a surface-level description:
The character Frankenstein is portrayed negatively in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein .
However, this statement is too simple to be an interesting thesis. After reading the text and analyzing its narrative voice and structure, you can develop the answer into a more nuanced and arguable thesis statement:
Mary Shelley uses shifting narrative perspectives to portray Frankenstein in an increasingly negative light as the novel goes on. While he initially appears to be a naive but sympathetic idealist, after the creature’s narrative Frankenstein begins to resemble—even in his own telling—the thoughtlessly cruel figure the creature represents him as.
Remember that you can revise your thesis statement throughout the writing process , so it doesn’t need to be perfectly formulated at this stage. The aim is to keep you focused as you analyze the text.
To support your thesis statement, your essay will build an argument using textual evidence —specific parts of the text that demonstrate your point. This evidence is quoted and analyzed throughout your essay to explain your argument to the reader.
It can be useful to comb through the text in search of relevant quotations before you start writing. You might not end up using everything you find, and you may have to return to the text for more evidence as you write, but collecting textual evidence from the beginning will help you to structure your arguments and assess whether they’re convincing.
To start your literary analysis paper, you’ll need two things: a good title, and an introduction.
Your title should clearly indicate what your analysis will focus on. It usually contains the name of the author and text(s) you’re analyzing. Keep it as concise and engaging as possible.
A common approach to the title is to use a relevant quote from the text, followed by a colon and then the rest of your title.
If you struggle to come up with a good title at first, don’t worry—this will be easier once you’ve begun writing the essay and have a better sense of your arguments.
“Fearful symmetry” : The violence of creation in William Blake’s “The Tyger”
The essay introduction provides a quick overview of where your argument is going. It should include your thesis statement and a summary of the essay’s structure.
A typical structure for an introduction is to begin with a general statement about the text and author, using this to lead into your thesis statement. You might refer to a commonly held idea about the text and show how your thesis will contradict it, or zoom in on a particular device you intend to focus on.
Then you can end with a brief indication of what’s coming up in the main body of the essay. This is called signposting. It will be more elaborate in longer essays, but in a short five-paragraph essay structure, it shouldn’t be more than one sentence.
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is often read as a crude cautionary tale about the dangers of scientific advancement unrestrained by ethical considerations. In this reading, protagonist Victor Frankenstein is a stable representation of the callous ambition of modern science throughout the novel. This essay, however, argues that far from providing a stable image of the character, Shelley uses shifting narrative perspectives to portray Frankenstein in an increasingly negative light as the novel goes on. While he initially appears to be a naive but sympathetic idealist, after the creature’s narrative Frankenstein begins to resemble—even in his own telling—the thoughtlessly cruel figure the creature represents him as. This essay begins by exploring the positive portrayal of Frankenstein in the first volume, then moves on to the creature’s perception of him, and finally discusses the third volume’s narrative shift toward viewing Frankenstein as the creature views him.
Some students prefer to write the introduction later in the process, and it’s not a bad idea. After all, you’ll have a clearer idea of the overall shape of your arguments once you’ve begun writing them!
If you do write the introduction first, you should still return to it later to make sure it lines up with what you ended up writing, and edit as necessary.
The body of your essay is everything between the introduction and conclusion. It contains your arguments and the textual evidence that supports them.
A typical structure for a high school literary analysis essay consists of five paragraphs : the three paragraphs of the body, plus the introduction and conclusion.
Each paragraph in the main body should focus on one topic. In the five-paragraph model, try to divide your argument into three main areas of analysis, all linked to your thesis. Don’t try to include everything you can think of to say about the text—only analysis that drives your argument.
In longer essays, the same principle applies on a broader scale. For example, you might have two or three sections in your main body, each with multiple paragraphs. Within these sections, you still want to begin new paragraphs at logical moments—a turn in the argument or the introduction of a new idea.
Robert’s first encounter with Gil-Martin suggests something of his sinister power. Robert feels “a sort of invisible power that drew me towards him.” He identifies the moment of their meeting as “the beginning of a series of adventures which has puzzled myself, and will puzzle the world when I am no more in it” (p. 89). Gil-Martin’s “invisible power” seems to be at work even at this distance from the moment described; before continuing the story, Robert feels compelled to anticipate at length what readers will make of his narrative after his approaching death. With this interjection, Hogg emphasizes the fatal influence Gil-Martin exercises from his first appearance.
To keep your points focused, it’s important to use a topic sentence at the beginning of each paragraph.
A good topic sentence allows a reader to see at a glance what the paragraph is about. It can introduce a new line of argument and connect or contrast it with the previous paragraph. Transition words like “however” or “moreover” are useful for creating smooth transitions:
… The story’s focus, therefore, is not upon the divine revelation that may be waiting beyond the door, but upon the mundane process of aging undergone by the man as he waits.
Nevertheless, the “radiance” that appears to stream from the door is typically treated as religious symbolism.
This topic sentence signals that the paragraph will address the question of religious symbolism, while the linking word “nevertheless” points out a contrast with the previous paragraph’s conclusion.
A key part of literary analysis is backing up your arguments with relevant evidence from the text. This involves introducing quotes from the text and explaining their significance to your point.
It’s important to contextualize quotes and explain why you’re using them; they should be properly introduced and analyzed, not treated as self-explanatory:
It isn’t always necessary to use a quote. Quoting is useful when you’re discussing the author’s language, but sometimes you’ll have to refer to plot points or structural elements that can’t be captured in a short quote.
In these cases, it’s more appropriate to paraphrase or summarize parts of the text—that is, to describe the relevant part in your own words:
The conclusion of your analysis shouldn’t introduce any new quotations or arguments. Instead, it’s about wrapping up the essay. Here, you summarize your key points and try to emphasize their significance to the reader.
A good way to approach this is to briefly summarize your key arguments, and then stress the conclusion they’ve led you to, highlighting the new perspective your thesis provides on the text as a whole:
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By tracing the depiction of Frankenstein through the novel’s three volumes, I have demonstrated how the narrative structure shifts our perception of the character. While the Frankenstein of the first volume is depicted as having innocent intentions, the second and third volumes—first in the creature’s accusatory voice, and then in his own voice—increasingly undermine him, causing him to appear alternately ridiculous and vindictive. Far from the one-dimensional villain he is often taken to be, the character of Frankenstein is compelling because of the dynamic narrative frame in which he is placed. In this frame, Frankenstein’s narrative self-presentation responds to the images of him we see from others’ perspectives. This conclusion sheds new light on the novel, foregrounding Shelley’s unique layering of narrative perspectives and its importance for the depiction of character.
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Learn to write.
Learn how to write a poem through seven easy to follow steps that will guide you through writing completed poem. Ignite a passion for poetry!
This article is a practical guide for writing a poem, and the purpose is to help you write a poem! By completing the seven steps below, you will create the first draft of a simple poem. You can go on to refine your poetry in any way you like. The important thing is that you’ve got a poem under your belt.
At the bottom of the post, I’ll provide more resources on writing poetry. I encourage you to explore different forms and structures and continue writing poetry on your own. Hopefully, writing a poem will spark, in you, a passion for creative writing and language.
Let’s get started with writing a poem in seven simple steps:
Now we’ll go into each step in-depth. And, if your feeling up to it, you can plan and write your poem as we go.
Find what you want to write about
Before you begin writing, you need to choose a subject to write about. For our purposes, you’ll want to select a specific topic. Later, you’ll be drawing a comparison between this subject and something else.
When choosing a subject, you’ll want to write about something you feel passionately about. Your topic can be something you love, like a person, place, or thing. A subject can also be something you struggle with . Don’t get bogged down by all the options; pick something. Poets have written about topics like:
And of course… cats
Once you have your subject in mind, you’re going to begin freewriting about that subject. Let’s say you picked your pet iguana as your subject. Get out a sheet of paper or open a word processor. Start writing everything that comes to mind about that subject. You could write about your iguana’s name, the color of their skin, the texture of their scales, how they make you feel, a metaphor that comes to mind. Nothing is off-limits.
Write anything that comes to mind about your subject. Keep writing until you’ve entirely exhausted everything you have to say about the subject. Or, set a timer for several minutes and write until it goes off. Don’t worry about things like spelling, grammar, form, or structure. For now, you want to get all your thoughts down on paper.
ACTION STEPS:
What lesson do you want to teach?
Poetry often has a theme or a message the poet would like to convey to the reader. Developing a theme will give your writing purpose and focus your effort. Look back at your freewriting and see if a theme, or lesson, has developed naturally, one that you can refine.
Maybe, in writing about your iguana, you noticed that you talked about your love for animals and the need to preserve the environment. Or, perhaps you talk about how to care for a reptile pet. Your theme does not need to be groundbreaking. A theme only needs to be a message that you would like to convey.
Now, what is your theme? Finish the following statement:
The lesson I want to teach my readers about (your subject) is ______
Ex. I want to teach my readers that spring days are lovely and best enjoyed with loving companions or family.
Compare your subject to another, unlike thing.
To write this poem, you will compare your subject to something it, seemingly, has nothing in common with. When you directly compare two, unlike things, you’re using a form of figurative language called a metaphor. But, we’re going to take this metaphor and extend it over one or two stanzas- Stanzas are like paragraphs, a block of text in a poem- Doing this will create an extended metaphor.
Using a metaphor will reinforce your theme by making your poem memorable for your reader. Keep that in mind when you’re choosing the thing you’d like to compare your subject to. Suppose your topic is pet iguanas, and your theme is that they make fantastic pets. In that case, you’ll want to compare iguanas to something positive. Maybe you compare them to sunshine or a calm lake. This metaphor does the work or conveying your poem’s central message.
Make your writing sound poetic.
Figurative language is a blanket term that describes several techniques used to impart meaning through words. Figurative language is usually colorful and evocative. We’ve talked about one form of figurative language already- metaphor and extended metaphor. But, here are a few others you can choose from.
This list is, by no means, a comprehensive one. There are many other forms of figurative language for you to research. I’ll link a resource at the bottom of this page.
Five types of figurative language:
There are many other types of figurative language, but those are a few common ones. Pick two of the five I’ve listed to include in your poem. Use more if you like, but you only need two for your current poem.
How do you want your poem to sound and look?
If you want to start quickly, then you can choose to write a free-verse poem. Free verse poems are poems that have no rhyme scheme, meter, or structure. In a free verse poem, you’re free to write unrestricted. If you’d like to explore free verse poetry, you can read my article on how to write a prose poem, which is a type of free verse poem.
Read more about prose poetry here.
However, some people enjoy the support of structure and rules. So, let’s talk about a few of the tools you can use to add a form to your poem.
Tools to create poetic structure:
Rhyme Scheme – rhyme scheme refers to the pattern of rhymes used in a poem. The sound at the end of each line determines the rhyme scheme. Writers label words with letters to signify rhyming terms, and this is how rhyme schemes are defined.
If you had a four-line poem that followed an ABAB scheme, then lines 1 and 3 would rhyme, and lines 2 and 4 would rhyme. Here’s an example of an ABAB rhyme scheme from an excerpt of Robert Frost’s poem, Neither Out Far Nor In Deep:
‘The people along the sand (A)
All turn and look one way. (B)
They turn their back on the land. (A)
They look at the sea all day. (B)
Check out the Rhyme Zone.com if you need help coming up with a rhyme!
Read more about the ins and outs of rhyme scheme here.
Meter – a little more advanced than rhyme scheme, meter deals with a poem’s rhythm expressed through stressed and unstressed syllables. Meter can get pretty complicated ,
Check out this article if you’d like to learn more about it.
Stanza – a stanza is a group of lines placed together as a single unit in a poem. A stanza is to a poem what a paragraph is to prose writing. Stanzas don’t have to be the same number of lines throughout a poem, either. They can vary as paragraphs do.
Line Breaks – these are the breaks between stanzas in a poem. They help to create rhythm and set stanzas apart from one another.
Combine your figurative language, extended metaphor, and structure.
Poetry is always unique to the writer. And, when it comes to poetry, the “rules” are flexible. In 1965 a young poet named Aram Saroyan wrote a poem called lighght. It goes like this-
That’s it. Saroyan was paid $750 for his poem. You may or may not believe that’s poetry, but a lot of people accept it as just that. My point is, write the poem that comes to you. I won’t give you a strict set of guidelines to follow when creating your poetry. But, here are a few things to consider that might help guide you:
Still, need some help? Here are two well-known poems that are classic examples of an extended metaphor. Read over them, determine what two, unlike things, are being compared, and for what purpose? What theme is the poet trying to convey? What techniques can you steal? (it’s the sincerest form of flattery)
“Hope” is a thing with feathers by Emily Dickenson.
“The Rose that Grew From Concrete” by Tupac Shakur.
Read your poem, and edit for clarity and focus .
When you’re finished, read over your poem. Do this out loud to get a feel for the poem’s rhythm. Have a friend or peer read your poem, edit for grammar and spelling. You can also stretch grammar rules, but do it with a purpose.
You can also ask your editor what they think the theme is to determine if you’ve communicated it well enough.
Now you can rewrite your poem. And, remember, all writing is rewriting. This editing process will longer than it did to write your first draft.
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Continued reading on Poetry
A Poetry Handbook
“With passion, wit, and good common sense, the celebrated poet Mary Oliver tells of the basic ways a poem is built—meter and rhyme, form and diction, sound and sense. She talks of iambs and trochees, couplets and sonnets, and how and why this should matter to anyone writing or reading poetry.”
Masterclass.com- Poetry 101: What is Meter?
Poetry Foundation- You Call That Poetry?!
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March 21, 2023 by Prasanna
Poetry Essays Examples: A poem essay assesses a poem. It breaks down the words, sounds, sentiments and subjects that the writer utilizes in the poem. A poem essay ought to incorporate an investigation of the theme, message, cadence and word decision. These essays should have both an introduction and a conclusion.
Any scholarly essay should have a postulation articulation and a poem essay is no special case. The primary reason for a poem exposition isn’t to sum up the poem, yet to foster a top to bottom thought that makes a contention dependent on an investigation of the poem. The theory proclamation ought to contain the essay’s primary contention about the poem.
You can read more Essay Writing about articles, events, people, sports, technology many more.
Present your poem with an early-on section. Compose the title of the poem and its creator. Give a concise rundown of the poem’s substance. A short rundown on Edgar Allen Poe’s “The Raven,” for instance, would express that the speaker of the poem is aching for his lost love and gets overwhelmed by a raven that expresses just a single word, “nevermore.”
Expound on the lovely language and symbolism. Does the writer utilize exact and striking jargon to make definite pictures? What artistic gadgets are utilized to upgrade implications? Answer these inquiries by clarifying and examining explicit models from the poem. Tell how the artist makes those pictures. A genuine illustration of this would be the poem exposition found at Bookstove.com. The poem exposition examines Poe’s utilization of comparison and analogy in “The Raven.”
Expound on solid and sense. Does the artist utilize mood and meter to make significant sounds in the poem? Which word sounds does the writer use to take pictures? Does the artist utilize jargon that requests the five detects? Answer these inquiries by clarifying in your poem essay how the writer’s selection of words makes a signature sound. For instance, a poem exposition on Poe’s “Raven” would show how the ABCBBB rhyme plot assists with making a more profound feeling of despair.
Expound on feeling and feeling. Is the writer making an inclination or mindset? Does the poem summon an enthusiastic reaction? Answer these inquiries in your poem essay by clarifying what sort of reaction the writer is attempting to summon in his crowd. A poem essay on “The Raven” would portray how the utilization of despairing word decisions and redundancy, combined with the dreadful raven and grieving for the lost Lenore, make a profound feeling of pity and misery for the peruser.
Compose an end to your poem essay. Clarify the creator’s plan with the poem and whether the person accomplished that objective. Backing your assessment with subtleties from the poem.
“Karl Shapiro, the creator of the “Car Wreck” poem was brought into the world in Baltimore, Maryland. The reality the creator was Jewish and felt denied by the remainder of the understudies at the University of Virginian can be found in the lines of his poem. His desire to change the name to sound more Germanic made him disloyal according to Jewish society.
The poem depends on a genuine auto collision. Nobody knows whether Shapiro has seen the mishap or found out about it in the news. Concerning the actual appraisal of the poem, it has 259 words, 39 lines, and poems 3 6.
The poem starts with a depiction of a rescue vehicle hustling along to the spot of an awful auto accident to forestall the presence of casualties. It picks the enduring individuals to change them into the clinic. The significant topic of the poem is passing on the grounds that the vast majority of the fender bender members used to pass on because of that occasion. The creator notices the outlandish idea of mortality by contrasting the mishap and different kinds of death lie war or sickness. The state of mind of the poem is desolate and intelligent. It is a poem sort of poem – it gives a peruser the point-by-point depiction of the circumstance without recounting a particular story.
I chose this poem because it resembles the reality of life. They permitted me to feel the agony from the misfortune. I accept the creator talks about a dreary issue, yet the subject is applicable to each person on the grounds that every one of us will kick the bucket one day and no one knows when it will occur. The most great line to me is, “Unified with a pail douches lakes of blood.” It implies that a police officer washes away the overstated lakes of blood left after the fender bender. Another comparative poem I can review is “Demise Be Not Proud” by John Donne. These two creators talk about the subject of mortality. In contrast to Shapiro, who looks confused by the subject, Donne dismisses the force of death and ridicules it.”
Question 1. What is a poetry essay?
Answer: A poem essay fosters an understanding of a specific poem. This translation contains a contention about what you think the writer is saying or doing in the poem and what impact the poem’s different components, similar to expression or rhyme, have on the poem overall. This contention will thus shape the premise of your essay’s proposal articulation.
Question 2. How to start a poetry essay?
Answer: A poem essay ought to incorporate an investigation of the subject, message, musicality and word decision. The introduction and conclusion are the two major parts of it. Present your poem with a starting section. Compose the title of the poem and its creator.
Question 3. How to structure a poem in an essay?
Answer: Utilize the prologue to clarify which poems you are expounding on. Attempt to adjust the detail you incorporate for every poem. Analyze the poems all through the essay. Remark on content, subjects, thoughts and perspectives just as structure, construction and language.
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Our MA in Creative Writing is an exciting and rewarding course, taught with academic rigour by award-winning writers. It will help sharpen your practical knowledge of writing poetry and prose fiction and develop your knowledge and understanding of twentieth and twenty-first century literature.
The teaching and research provided offers a combination of conceptual and theoretical reflection, analysis of historical and cultural contexts, pays close attention to literary texts and primary sources, and enables the imaginative creation of new writing.
You will be supported with writing workshops and one-to-one tutorials where you will be encouraged to express and develop your own ideas. You will be based in an environment where your curiosity and imagination as well as your intellectual discipline and the individual nature of your responses is respected and valued.
Alongside the teaching modules you will have access to an extensive events programme, which includes the sharing of work and expertise by leading researchers and writers.
We are one of the most well-regarded English departments in the country. We are, in addition, one of few English departments in the world to teach and research in literature produced in Britain from the early medieval period to the present day as well as in anglophone literature from across the globe.
Consequently, with the learning opportunities provided by the department’s world-leading scholars, our course will give you the freedom to study broadly or to specialise, but always within a support structure where you will always be able to develop your own creative writing ideas.
All the MA programmes offered by the Faculty of Arts & Humanities consist of three components:
a Major Research Project to the value of at least 60 credits
Core Modules to the value of 0-90 credits, depending on the programme
For students studying the MA in Creative Writing, the Research Project ( 60 credits ) is an extended critical essay on a subject of your own choosing and a portfolio of creative work, consisting of new works written after you have completed the workshop-style modules. You will be steered in your choice of essay topic by the module convenor. Exploring a particular subject in depth, it will encourage the development of sophisticated argument, the marshalling of evidence, the reading of the relevant criticism and contextual material, and the appropriate high level of bibliographical and presentational skills.
You will also be required to choose one from the following two core modules below:
Creative Writing Poetry (30 credits)
Creative Writing Prose Fiction (30 credits)
Finally, you will choose 90 credits of elective modules from across the Faculty of Arts & Humanities, so that your total number of credits adds up to exactly 180.
The course can be taken in one year on a full-time basis or over two years in a part-time format within a structure that is varied and effective and able to nurture creative and imaginative work.
Learning is carried out in small group tutorials, lectures, seminars and one-to-one sessions when you will gain a thorough grounding in the genres, forms, histories and cultures of literature in English, with opportunities to specialise.
You will choose one of two core creative writing modules, in which you will be required to write longer pieces within your chosen literary discipline and share your work. You will also undertake a major research project, which will provide you with the opportunity to produce an extended essay that you identify and research yourself.
You will receive feedback and listen to suggestions about your work, and you will also be expected to contribute to the small group sessions by giving your own feedback.
Assessment on the course is rigorous and very much focused, as you would expect, on your written work.
You will be expected to produce essays, a portfolio of poetry or prose fiction as well as an extended essay for your research project.
We also want to understand how you see yourself and your own work so there will also be an assessment based on a self-critique.
Students are usually required to have an Honours Degree at 2:1 level or higher or overseas equivalent from a recognised national or international university.
Students should submit a sample of 4-6 poems or 2,000 words of fiction.
English language requirements
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The tuition fees shown are for one complete academic year of study, are set according to the academic year of entry, and remain the same throughout the duration of the programme for that cohort (unless otherwise stated) .
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We are committed to supporting the best students irrespective of financial circumstances and are delighted to offer a range of funding opportunities.
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The ‘making cocoa for kingsley amis’ poet shares the book that surprised her the most, the best thing a reader ever said to her, and the few films she thinks are – almost – better than the book.
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W hat makes Wendy Cope one of the nation’s most loved poets ? Many things: her unpretentious, accessible style; her sense of humour; her hard-won wisdom; and the fact that, running beneath these poems that are such a pleasure to read, is often an iceberg-like swell of deep emotion.
Recently Cope told The Times, “if you want people to enjoy poetry, then it’s kind of nice to write poems they can understand.” And a whole new generation has begun to relate to and connect with them. Last year, one of her most famous poems, “The Orange”, went viral on TikTok, leading to a new edition of her work being released. This week, for the first time, her poetry is being published in a collected edition, with over three decades of writing in one volume.
Here she shares an insight into her reading and writing life...
In book form: Politics on the Edge by Rory Stewart, Table for Two by Amor Towles, The Letters of Emily Dickinson . On my Kindle: Stardust by Joseph Kanon, Death at the Sign of the Rook by Kate Atkinson, Lost and Never Found by Simon Mason. And a few more.
In this house books are out of control. They aren’t all mine.
A few months ago I discovered Joseph Kanon and I have now read almost all his books. Among the best are Defectors (set in Moscow in 1961), Los Alamos (with Oppenheimer as a character) and The Good German (post-war Berlin). His work is historical fiction with brilliant descriptions of place and gripping plots.
The Pooh books and, a few years later, the works of Nigel Molesworth (written by Geoffrey Willans). All because they made me laugh so much. They still do.
The leather-bound complete works of Shakespeare passed on to me by my father. He gave it to me when I was doing A-level English. I wrote a poem about it (in my book Anecdotal Evidence ).
A Shropshire Lad by AE Housman. For years I was put off by the title. Then a poet friend urged me to read it and it was a revelation. Housman has been one of my favourite poets ever since.
Ian D Suttie, author of The Origins of Love and Hate . I read it when I was a student and it gave me a lot of insight into my unhappiness and what might be done about it. It was the beginning of a path that led to my entering psychoanalysis a few years later.
In my armchair in our living room, where I have a reading stand for the sake of my neck. And in bed late at night, where I read from a Kindle. Different books upstairs and downstairs.
The Orange and Other Poems . My poem “The Orange” went viral on TikTok and my publishers followed that up with a lovely little volume. It has sold faster than any of my other books and been a wonderful stroke of luck.
Earlier this year I had a letter from a man who was dying, saying how much my poems had meant to him over the years, and thanking me. The worst thing? Being asked, in a rude and aggressive way, “What’s the secret of getting your poems published?” This has happened more than once. My answer is “Get better at writing”.
Topping & Company in Ely. When we moved to Ely this was an unexpected bonus. Great stock, lovely staff. It’s as least as good as any of the bookshops in nearby Cambridge.
Usually. But I can think of films that came close – the 1992 David Copperfield , for example, and a couple of Jane Austen films: Emma starring Gwyneth Paltrow and Sense and Sensibility with Emma Thompson.
‘Collected Poems’ is out now, published by Faber
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The inaugural Australian poet laureate will be appointed in 2025 as part of the federal Labor government’s new National Cultural Policy, Revive .
The intention to create the official position was announced, with some fanfare, at the beginning of 2023. But there is still no clear indication of how a suitable candidate will be selected, what criteria will be used, and the precise nature of the role. We still do not know what, exactly, an Australian poet laureate will be expected to do, or to achieve.
When the position was announced, academic Valentina Gosetti called it a “ an unmissable opportunity ” and hoped it would “reflect the call for diversity” embodied in Revive . One can only welcome any public initiative that acknowledges the greater diversity of contemporary Australian poetry, where Indigenous, non-Anglo, queer and all-abilities people are now represented.
But what about the diversity of poetry itself? I mean those genres that call themselves poetry, or might be deemed “poetry-adjacent” but pass under the radar of institutions such as the academy, the publishing industry and the literary awards system.
How would a poet laureate “speak” to the spoken word, slam or hip-hop communities, or to bush poets, or to songwriters?
The dominant intellectual model for poetry in the West remains the romantic-modernist version that emphasises its wow factor: its capacity to transform or estrange language in exciting, aesthetically challenging ways, often at the level of the individual image.
Fishing for Lightning: The Spark of Poetry (2021), Sarah Holland-Batt.
As Sarah Holland-Batt expresses it in her study of Australian poets, Fishing for Lightning: The Spark of Poetry (2021): “Poems are full of surprises: each line is a little detonation of language and imagery, each stanza a series of swift steps into the unknown.”
This model has been progressively institutionalised through academic literary studies and, more recently, university creative writing programs. Holland-Batt is herself an award-winning poet and professor of creative writing at Queensland University of Technology. She has advocated for an Australian poet laureate, saying the role would “elevate the status of Australian poetry domestically and internationally”.
But not all poetry is about aesthetic surprise. A century and more ago, when poetry was genuinely popular , it often told stories, inveigled emotional empathy, or offered moral dicta in ways that now seem trite or sentimental.
Poems like Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s The Wreck of the Hesperus , Thomas Bracken’s Not Understood and Ella Wheeler Wilcox’s Solitude once made up what a great many people understood by “poetry”. With the work of the popular but increasingly unfashionable Rudyard Kipling in mind, George Orwell called such offerings “good bad poetry”:
A good bad poem is a graceful monument to the obvious. It records in memorable form […] some emotion which very nearly every human being can share.
This is what a great many song lyrics continue to do, of course, along with other kinds of contemporary verse-making that fall short of the literary institution. This is why, once in a while, a journalist will announce that poetry isn’t dead by “discovering” spoken word or slam poetry, though they have been around for decades.
Today’s spoken word poets are overwhelmingly young; many have links to popular music, hip-hop, stand-up comedy and theatre. The Bankstown Poetry Slam , for example, has evolved its own spirited and diverse community, its own local celebrities. It offers its own poetry workshops, in which poets can refine their craft as performers, and is part of an alternative awards system.
The emphasis is on being “authentic”, for slam poetry draws from the language of identity politics and personal development. The strong emotional engagement that performers invite from their audience makes it much more exciting than the average page-based poetry reading.
Founder of the Bankstown Poetry Slam Sara Mansour and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at the Western Sydney Leadership Dialogue group, Olympic Park Sydney, October 7, 2022. Photo: Jane Dempster/AAP.
Consider Nielsen BookData figures for the top-ten bestselling titles under the category “Poetry Texts & Poetry Anthologies” for the period 2019–23.
These figures highlight the importance of the internet in generating an audience for poetry. Five of the top ten bestselling books are by Instagram poets, an astonishing four of them by Punjabi-Canadian Rupi Kaur , and one by Australian Courtney Peppernell . “Instapoetry” speaks in many of the same ways slam does, in the language of self-help and positive affirmation.
Singer-songwriters are also represented, with Paul Kelly’s selection of his favourite poems , and the book of Lana Del Rey’s recent spoken-word album.
Dropbear (2021) by PhD candidate at the University of Sydney Evelyn Araluen won the 2022 Stella Prize for women and non-binary writers.
Notable, too, is the success of First Nations poet Evelyn Araluen’s Stella prize-winning debut collection Dropbear , which currently makes her the bestselling Australian poet. Indeed, she and Homer are the only two “literary” authors in this list. Homer is there almost certainly because the Penguin translation is commonly set on university courses.
In tenth place comes To My Country , by the US-based Australian actor Ben Lawson, a bush ballad in response to the Black Summer bushfires, illustrated by Bruce Whatley.
Araluen has been mentioned in the media as a potential candidate for the Australian laureateship, along with more established poets like Judith Beveridge, Ali Cobby Eckermann, John Kinsella and David Malouf.
How might Indigenous poets like Araluen or Eckermann feel about a position intended to amplify the literary achievements of the colonial state? After all, the initial role of the British laureate was as an ornament to power. Though it is no longer expected, laureates up to and including the present incumbent, Simon Armitage , still write forgettable panegyrics on royal occasions.
When the planned laureateship was announced, Guy Rundle suggested in Crikey that “we’ve already got the words that move us collectively as a nation”: those of classic popular songs. Would those who advocate for an Australian poet laureate entertain one whose words are already carried on the voices of multitudes, such as Nick Cave, Paul Kelly, Sia, Courtney Barnett or The Kid Laroi?
It is unclear how a poet laureate appointed on the basis of their standing within the literary community might “elevate the status” of poetry that is already popular and which survives quite happily outside it. Will the appointee merely campaign for more readings, or for the posting of poems in public spaces or on social media? These are old ideas.
Might they advocate, as British poet laureate Simon Armitage did, for a poetry centre at a university somewhere – perhaps the same one that employs them? Or would they be more usefully involved in bringing about a national discussion about the many different ways in which poetry is now practised and understood, and develop better channels of communication between them?
Peter Kirkpatrick is an Honorary Associate Professor in the Discipline of English and Writing at the University of Sydney. He has published widely in Australian literary studies and cultural history, and is the author of three collections of poetry, including The Hard Word (2021). This story was first published on The Conversation .
Hero photo: Nick Cave performing at the Montreux Jazz Festival, Switzerland, July 2 2022. Laurent Gillieron/AAP.
Liv clayworth.
Fiona wright named charles perkins centre 2024 writer-in-residence, 'a poem can provide a moment of calm contemplation', first nations poet evelyn araluen wins prestigious prize.
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Key Strategies for Writing a Successful Poetry Essay. 1. Close Reading: Begin by closely reading the poem multiple times to understand its structure, themes, and language use. 2. Analysis: Analyze the poem's meaning, symbolism, and poetic devices such as metaphors, similes, and imagery. 3.
Identify Key Themes and Symbols. One important aspect of crafting a poem analysis essay is identifying the key themes and symbols within the poem. Themes are recurring ideas or messages that the poet conveys through the poem, while symbols are objects, characters, or elements that represent deeper meanings. When analyzing a poem, pay attention ...
Pay attention to the use of language, word choice, and imagery. Consider the tone and mood of the poem. Look for patterns or repetitions in the poem. Think about the emotions evoked by the poem. Identifying the theme of a poem requires careful analysis and interpretation.
Main Paragraphs. Now, we come to the main body of the essay, the quality of which will ultimately determine the strength of our essay. This section should comprise of 4-5 paragraphs, and each of these should analyze an aspect of the poem and then link the effect that aspect creates to the poem's themes or message.
In order to write effectively about poetry, one needs a clear idea of what the point of writing about poetry is. When you are assigned an analytical essay about a poem in an English class, the goal of the assignment is usually to argue a specific thesis about the poem, using your analysis of specific elements in the poem and how those elements ...
Poetry essay body paragraphs example. Body Paragraph 1: Identify and Explain Literary Devices. "Because I could not stop for Death" by Emily Dickinson employs various literary devices that contribute to the poem's themes. The poem employs personification, where Death is personified as a courteous carriage driver.
The final step to writing your poetry essay is to include your own insights and analysis. This is important for providing your essay with its unique voice and is essential for providing a unique argument. Using your knowledge of the poem, provide the reader with a summary of your own ideas and opinions on the poem.
Analyze both the choices of the author of the poem and your own vision. First of all, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Do not limit yourself to dry analysis, add your own vision of the poem. In this way, you will get a balanced essay that will appeal to teachers.
Teaches Fiction and Storytelling. Teaches Storytelling and Writing. Teaches Creating Outside the Lines. Teaches Writing for Social Change. Teaches Fiction, Memory, and Imagination. Teaches Fantasy and Science Fiction Writing. Teaches Poetic Thinking. Teaches Writing and Performing Poetry. Icons and Their Influences.
Body Paragraphs. The body section should form the main part of poetry analysis. Make sure you have determined a clear focus for your analysis and are ready to elaborate on the main message and meaning of the poem. Mention the tone of the poetry, its speaker, try to describe the recipient of the poem's idea.
Nonetheless, if you're new to writing poetry or want to explore a different writing process, try your hand at our approach. Here's how to write a poem step by step! 1. Devise a Topic. The easiest way to start writing a poem is to begin with a topic. However, devising a topic is often the hardest part.
11 Tips for Writing Better Poetry. Writing poems can be an incredibly exciting and liberating undertaking for writers of all ages and experience levels. Poetry offers writers many ways to play with form and convention while producing emotionally resonant work.
1 Decide what you want to write about. Unless you've been assigned to write a poem about a specific topic, the first step in writing a poem is determining a topic to write about. Look for inspiration around you, perhaps in nature, your community, current events, or the people in your life.
A summary of the poetry analysis essay provides a concise overview of its content and structure. It helps the reader grasp the key elements of the poem before delving into the analysis. You need to: Summarize the content and structure of the poem. Highlight key events, images, or ideas presented in the poem.
Here is an outline of a poem analysis essay to use: Opening paragraph - Introduce the Poem, title, author and background.. Body of text - Make most of the analysis, linking ideas and referencing to the poem.. Conclusion - State one main idea, feelings and meanings.. Poem Analysis Essay Introduction. To start an introduction to a poem analysis essay, include the name of the poem and the author.
Save the Theme: Exercise. Pick your favorite proverb or adage, such as "Actions speak louder than words.". Write a poem that uses that proverb or adage as the closing line. Until the closing line, don't comment on the deeper meaning in the rest of the poem—instead, tell a story that builds up to that theme.
How to Write a Poem in 5 Easy Steps. Poetry is one of the most elegant forms of human expression. From the epics of Homer to the sonnets of William Shakespeare to Edgar Allen Poe's "The Raven" to the silly limerick you learned at school, there is a type of poetry for every purpose. Reading poetry is a rite of passage for American ...
8. Have fun revising your poem. At the end of the day, even if you write in a well-established form, poetry is about experimenting with language, both written and spoken. Lauren emphasizes that revising a poem is thus an open-ended process that requires patience — and a sense of play. "Have fun. Play. Be patient.
A poetry explication is a relatively short analysis which describes the possible meanings and relationships of the words, images, and other small units that make up a poem. Writing an explication is an effective way for a reader to connect a poem's subject matter with its structural features. This handout reviews some of the important ...
Here's a beginner's guide to writing poetry from scratch. Poetry can be used to tell a story, convey a message, evoke a feeling, or simply play with language. Writing poetry can also be a form of therapy, allowing people to work through difficult emotions and explore their inner selves. Additionally, poetry has been a significant part of ...
Table of contents. Step 1: Reading the text and identifying literary devices. Step 2: Coming up with a thesis. Step 3: Writing a title and introduction. Step 4: Writing the body of the essay. Step 5: Writing a conclusion. Other interesting articles.
Compare your subject to something else by creating an extended metaphor. Try to relate a theme or a simple lesson for your reader. Use at least two of the figurative language techniques from above. Create a meter or rhyme scheme (if you're up to it) Write at least two stanzas and use a line break.
Answer: A poem essay ought to incorporate an investigation of the subject, message, musicality and word decision. The introduction and conclusion are the two major parts of it. Present your poem with a starting section. Compose the title of the poem and its creator. Question 3.
For students studying the MA in Creative Writing, the Research Project (60 credits) is an extended critical essay on a subject of your own choosing and a portfolio of creative work, consisting of new works written after you have completed the workshop-style modules. You will be steered in your choice of essay topic by the module convenor.
Essay Structure. A well-structured essay is important as it enhances readability, ensures logical flow, and effectively communicates the main ideas. When your essay is clearly organised it helps the reader understand and retain the essay's key points.
Get better at writing' The 'Making Cocoa for Kingsley Amis' poet shares the book that surprised her the most, the best thing a reader ever said to her, and the few films she thinks are ...
Holland-Batt is herself an award-winning poet and professor of creative writing at Queensland University of Technology. She has advocated for an Australian poet laureate, saying the role would "elevate the status of Australian poetry domestically and internationally". But not all poetry is about aesthetic surprise.