The pattern of stresses and pauses in a poem.

THE PATTERN OF STRESSES AND PAUSES IN A POEM. HOW TO

It is rare to have manuscript drafts to examine in this way, but I hope that this convinces you of the kind of attention writers pay to word choice. The two rhyme words are decided-grasp/clasp-but in which order should they come? вЂClaspвЂ™ is a less aggressive word than вЂgraspвЂ™ вЂclaspвЂ™ is not quite as gentle as an embrace, but it is closer to embracing than вЂgraspвЂ™ is вЂ“ so it must be for deliberate effect that we end up with вЂWhat dread grasp/Dare its deadly terrors clasp? But if you look at the manuscript stanza 5, you can see revisions from вЂњWhatвЂќ to вЂњWhere,вЂќ and the struggle with the third line, where Blake eventually decided that the idea of an arm was redundant, subsumed in the notions of grasping and clasping. One similarity between the draft and final version is that each is made up entirely of unanswered questions. Significantly, this introduces the idea of вЂњthe Lamb,вЂќ a dramatic contrast to the tiger, as well as the idea of a вЂњheвЂќ who made the lamb. The most obvious difference between the two is that stanza 4 of the draft does not survive in the published version, and an entirely new stanza, вЂњWhen the stars threw down their spears,вЂќ appears in the finished poem. Why was this particular word chosen from a whole range of words that might have said much the same? Looking at manuscript drafts can be really enlightening, showing how much effort was expended in order to find the most appropriate or most evocative expression.

In the same way, we also need to pay attention to word choice. But it may also mean understanding why one particular form was chosen rather than another: why, for example, did the poet choose to write a sonnet rather than an ode, a ballad, or a villanelle? To appreciate the appropriateness of one form, we need to be aware of a range of options available to that particular writer at that particular time. That may mean learning something about the people who produced the writing, music, painting that we are interested in, and why they produced it. What is the point of analyzing poetry? One simple answer is that the more we know about anything the more interesting it becomes: listening to music or looking at paintings with someone who can tell us a little about what we hear or see вЂ“ or what weвЂ™re reading вЂ“ is one way of increasing our understanding and pleasure. be able to identify and discuss the main analytical concepts used in analyzing poetry.have an awareness of the role of analysis to inform appreciation and understanding of poetry.

THE PATTERN OF STRESSES AND PAUSES IN A POEM. HOW TO

You will examine poems that do not rhyme and learn how to compare and contrast poetry.Д«y the end of this readingВ you should be able to: You will learn about rhythm, alliteration, rhyme, poetic inversion, voice and line lengths and endings. This reading is designed to develop the analytical skills you need for a more in-depth study of literary texts.

The pattern of stresses and pauses in a poem.