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Describing Poems. Thank you, Helen Vendler !. Narrative vs. Lyric . Narrative tells a story, but may include emotions. Lyric focuses more on emotion, but may have elements of a story. Try focusing your attention on verb tense to decide which kind of poem it is . Lyric Poems - Content.
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Describing Poems Thank you, Helen Vendler!
Narrative vs. Lyric • Narrative tells a story, but may include emotions. • Lyric focuses more on emotion, but may have elements of a story. • Try focusing your attention on verb tense to decide which kind of poem it is.
Lyric Poems - Content • Identify by content (love poem, nocturne, elegy, prayer, travel poem, etc.). What is the poem about? What subject matter does it deal with? • Pay attention to poems that violate expectations! • What is the poet doing that is new and interesting to add to the “problem” it is dealing with?
Lyric Poems – Speech Acts • Identify the speech acts (apology, declaration, boast, command, hypothesis, debate, etc.). What is the manner of expression the poet is using? • Identify and track the changes in speech acts throughout the poem to follow the poet’s intent. • Mapping the speech acts in this way allows us to see the skeletal structure of the poem, which enables us to describe it more precisely.
Lyric Poems – Outer Form • Identify the poem’s outer form (rhyme, meter, line-width, stanza-form, etc.). What is the structure of the poem? • Line-width: When figuring out how many beats per line the poem has, look at the lines surrounding it, or equivalent lines in different stanzas. Lines read in isolation can be read a variety of ways! • Rhythm: Are they rising (one-TWO, one-TWO) or falling (ONE-two, ONE-two)? How does this affect your reading of the tone or voice of the poem? • Poem-length: How many stanzas or cantos or lines does it have? • Combinations: Many poets play with these conventions, mixing and matching to suit their purposes and needs.
Lyric Poem – Inner Structural Form • Identify the poem’s inner structural form (sentences, agency, person, tenses, etc.). What is the emotional arc of the poem? Where are the major shifts in emotion or attitude? • Where does the logic turn? • Does the poem change narration styles (e.g. 1st person to 3rd person)? • Is there a major change in speech act or tense? • Does the poem change its imagery or figurative language?
