Poetry – a comprehensive work pack GRADE 8 Revision and continuation of poetry syllabus (Part 1)

May 2020

Instructions:This is a comprehensive pack on poetry. It contains all the knowledge required for poetic analysis. Don’t feel overwhelmed as you have covered most of these concepts before – they serve as revision. There are several tasks in this pack and they have been highlighted in yellow. I have further highlighted important definitions or notes to assist your learning process – these are in green.

Time allocation: 2 WeeksWork through the pack slowly. I have included a checklist for core concepts.

Checklist:Title

Literal vs Figurative

Alliteration

Sibilance

Onomatopoeia

Assonance

Simile

Metaphor

Personification

Form and Structure

Rhyme

Rhythm n/a

Foot

Refrain

Enjambment

Diction

Tone

Theme

Mood

Poetry in context: Poem for My Mother. This is one of the poems to be

used for assessment. It is wise to revise this poem.

TITLE AND POETIC DEVICES

TITLE – pre-readingThe title of the poem will often provide the first clue as to what a poem is about. Read the title and try to predict what the poem may be about. You discover you are wrong once you have read the poem, but, more often than not, it will give you some idea of what is going on. Let us try some examples. Predict what the following poems are about (they are in your syllabus). You can look back at your initial thoughts once you have read the poem.The GraveThe African PotPoem for My Mother

Literal and Figurative When we use language, sometimes we want the words to mean exactly what they say. This is called literal language. At other times, we want words to create an image or suggest an idea. The words do not mean exactly what they say. They have another meaning. This is called figurative language.For example:My friend lives around the corner – literalExams are around the corner - figurativeAnother way to talk about this is to talk about the DENOTATION and CONNOTATION of the words. The denotative meaning is the direct meaning

- What kind of animal is that?- It is a giraffe. (The animal is literally a giraffe.)

The connotative meaning is the meaning we associate with a word. - He would make a good basketball player, as he is a real giraffe. (He is very

tall.)Here the word giraffe is associated with the word tall.

Words can have positive, negative or neutral connotations. - That curry has a strong smell. (Negative connotation.)- That curry has a delicious fragrance. (Positive connotation.)Fragrance and smell are synonyms, but the associated meaning of each word is different.

Side Quest:Learn the spelling of denotation and connotation by heart.Write out each word 10 times. Write it out on a piece of paper and stick it on a wall.

T ASK :A. Identify which sentence in each of the following pairs uses the denotative or figurative meaning of the word and which uses the connotative meaning of the word.1. A mouse came into the house to nibble on the bread. He is a mouse who allows others to bully him.2. Our teacher drums into us the importance of checking our work. Do you play the guitar or the drums?3. That film star is hot! The flames are very hot.

B. Explain what the connotations of these words are and why they are not suitable to be used as names of schools.1. tortoise2. cockroach3. mud

Revision: LITERAL MEANING: The literal meaning of a poem is the surface meaning – what the words actually mean

FIGURATIVE MEANING The figurative meaning of a poem is uncovered with a more in-depth analysis, looking at poetic techniques, rhetorical devices and the poet’s intention. A poet creates figurative meaning by using imagery.

Imagery refers to any sort of image or picture that is created in the mind. Figures of speech are used to create images.

The poetic devices that are commonly used in poetry can be categorized according to function: Sound devices and figures of speech that use comparison.

Sound Devices:SOUND DEVICES do not refer to your pair of earphones or a cool speaker. Rather, they refers to language that relies on sound to convey its message. There are 3 main types of sound devices: Assonance, Onomatopoeia and Alliteration

Assonance – repetition of vowel sounds- e.g. The fat cat sat on the mat.

Onomatopoeia – words that spell how something sounds “crash”, “bark”

ALLITERATION is the repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of a word (or stressed syllable)

E.g. The big, belligerent bullies bulldozed their way through the younger children.

CONSONANTS ARE SOUNDS THAT ARE NOT VOWELS – c, n, s, n, n, t, s are the consonants in the word consonant

Many familiar tongue twisters use ALLITERATION

TASK Think of some examples of tongue twisters that you might know. You could even ask a relative about tongue twisters they may have tried before. A) Write your example in your workbook. B) Underline the repeated consonants.

WHY IS ALLITERATION USED?

When we talk about ALLITERATION in poetry it is because it is used purposefully. Just as the tongue twisters use ALLITERATION to “twist” your tongue. In poetry alliteration may be used to: Connect words – so that we know they are part of the same idea.

Create mood: To mirror the ideas or events or feelings being described – a soft “s” or a hard “t”, for instance :

Sarah slept soundly in the sand – this has a soothing feeling. The “s” rolls on our tongue and is continuous. [sibilance : the repetition of soft consonants – s, with sh, ch, and th, including three others such as z, x, f and soft c]Tyrant Tony wreaked terror – is harsh and has a fearful feeling about it.[other harsh sounds: b and d]

Certain sounds and their combinations have an emotional effect on us.E.g. The repetition of “b,” “j,” “ch,” “tch” and both hard and soft “g’s” – all

harsh, jarring sounds – create a discordant, chilling effect in the nonsensical poem “Jabberwocky,” you can almost hear the terrible “Jabberwock” come stomping and snorting to meet his death.Tips:

Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppersA peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper pickedIf Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppersWhere’s the peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked?

Betty Botter bought some butterBut she said the butter’s bitterIf I put it in my batter, it will make my batter bitterBut a bit of better butter will make my batter betterSo ‘twas better Betty Botter bought a bit of better butter

She sells seashells by the seashore

LANGUAGE DEVICES - SOUND DEVICES

ALLITERATION

Pronounce the sound out loud and see how it feels when you say it. Does it feel harsh and short or do you need to let out a long, soft breath to say it? “Whisper” – the “wh” comes out like a whisper when you say it out loud. It is elongated and gentle. This exercise will help you identify what feeling, image or association is behind the alliteration. Reading out aloud will also show you how alliteration creates rhythm.Furthermore, you will be able to see how the sentences or phrases stick in your mind.

Jabberwocky By Lewis Carroll

’Twas brillig, and the slithy toves Did gyre and gimble in the wabe: All mimsy were the borogoves, And the mome raths outgrabe.

“Beware the Jabberwock, my son! The jaws that bite, the claws that catch! Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun The frumious Bandersnatch!”

He took his vorpal sword in hand; Long time the manxome foe he sought— So rested he by the Tumtum tree And stood awhile in thought.

And, as in uffish thought he stood, The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame, Came whiffling through the tulgey wood,

And burbled as it came!

One, two! One, two! And through and through The vorpal blade went snicker-snack! He left it dead, and with its head He went galumphing back.

“And hast thou slain the Jabberwock? Come to my arms, my beamish boy! O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!” He chortled in his joy.

’Twas brillig, and the slithy toves Did gyre and gimble in the wabe: All mimsy were the borogoves, And the mome raths outgrabe.

Intensifies an image: Sounds have an association with other words and images – for example: “Sn” sound is short and reminds us of the word “snip” or “snapped”. By using it repeatedly an image forms in our mind “snicker-snack” immediately makes us think of something being sliced.

It is also used to lend strengthen the image – connected words are stronger together. To Create Rhythm ALLITERATION makes writing feel musicalE.g Alliteration in “Hello” by Adele

I’ve forgotten how it felt before the world fell at our feet.

To Make You LaughEvery child laughs at the silly alliterative nursery rhyme “Peter Piper Picked a Pack of Pickled Peppers.” TV and film titles and characters often use alliteration for a comical effect, such as “SpongeBob SquarePants”, “Bugs Bunny, “Donald Duck”…Names like these signal to the viewer that the show or movie is a comedy.

To Help You RememberALLITERATION is used in advertising as a persuasive device. The repetition of the first letter helps us remember the slogan or brand name. See the examples below:

Popular brands: Bed, Bath, & BeyondDunkin DonutsBest BuyCoca-ColaKrispy KremePayPal

TASKA) Read the poem, The Jabberwocky, and mark examples of alliteration with a colour pen. B) Try and figure out what some of the stanzas are saying. Tip: Use the sound devices to guess what the nonsense words are suggesting.

Don’t dream it. Drive it.–Jaguar

The best four by four by far–Land Rover

Make the most of now.

–Vodafone

Onomatopoeia can bring writing to life. It does so because it allows you to do more than see the words on the page or the images they create in your mind – it allows you to hear what is going on.

TASK: Imagine that you are fire. If fire had a written language, it might look something likethis:

fzip rroazzz shwiff prrrip crooar

This new 'language' uses sounds that fire makes.Choose at least one of the following and invent a new language for it. What would the language look like? Jot down some ideas in your workbook.

Side quest: If we use a selection of these words in a sentence about fire can you spot any alliteration? What effect has been created?

Sentence: The fire fizzed, swiftly ripping through the room with its fierce and frightening roar.

We have been using words that sound like the noise they represent e.g. fizz. Imagine the noise a bottle of pop makes when it’s opened, it really is fizzzzzzzz!

LANGUAGE DEVICES - SOUND DEVICES

ONOMATOPOEIA

T ASK :

A. Find “real” words to represent the invented language you used to describe the wind, sea, rain and an aeroplane. B. Choose one object and write a sentence about it, just like we did in the example (The fire fizzed…)C. Consider what the use of onomatopoeia (sound words) does in your sentence. Example:The fire fizzed, swiftly ripping through the room with its fierce and frightening roar. In this sentence, the use of onomatopoeia brings to life the sounds of the fire. It ‘fizzed’ and gave a ‘roar’. The sounds of these words emphasise for the reader the sounds being made by the fire as it takes over the room.

T ASK :Match the onomatopoeia to the appropriate phrase:

Onomatopoeia What sound is it?

1. Swish a finger rubbed over the rim of a wet glass

2. Um keys in a pocket3. Tinkle a baby being tickled under the chin4. Eek people talking behind a closed door5. Jangle a silk skirt6. Pop ice in a glass7. Gurgle the plucked string of a guitar8. Boing a balloon at a children's party9. Murmur an old lady sees a mouse running across

her lounge10. Zing a child on a trampoline11. Plop bells in a church12. Clang bees around honey13. Hiss steel pot lids in a kitchen14. Clatter a snake15. buzz a frog in a pond

Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds to create a special effect of sound or sense. Short vowels create pace and energy. The following is from an advertisement outside a casino:

Flick a card, spin a wheel, hit a jackpot.Long vowel sounds have a soothing effect: they slow down a passage and give it

LANGUAGE DEVICES - SOUND DEVICES

ASSONANCE

a more reflective, even sombre mood.

John Keats establishes a mood of quiet reflection with the long, slow i soundsat the beginning of Ode on a Grecian urn:

Thou still unravished bride of quietness!Thou foster-child of silence and slow time ..

The following are some examples of assonance in everyday usage. The first example emphasises the fact that assonance involves the repetition of similar sounds, even if the spelling is different:IT BEATS AS IT SWEEPS AS IT CLEANS(advertisement for a vacuum cleaner)

No hope for Dover soles(newspaper headline, about the decline of fish populations in the North Sea)

The rain in Spain falls mainly in the plain(song lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner, from My Fair Lady)

Wot a lot I got(advertising slogan for SMARTIES – note the slang way the first word is spelt to draw attention to the repeated o sound.)

Chicken LickenStan the ManSurf and turfMaster blasterTask: Think up four of your own examples:

Note: Assonance doesn’t have to rhyme.

Assonance and poetic analysis.Vowels can be looooong or short.“Sweet cheese” is using assonance of a long “ee” sound . This longer sound is soothing, almost hypnotic. “Hit it !” – the short “i” sound has a fast pace. It is a lot more energetic than “sweet cheese”.A good poet uses these sounds intentionally – to add to the imagery of the poem. You as the reader should consider how the sounds used enhance the message of the poem.

T ASK :Ceiling eyes green bell like smooth find three flying aid paces

soon wave fight wound moonbeam grey pavement web alive

brood died rely wedding

Match the above words that contain assonance to the list of words below:1. Left2. Cool

3. Shy4. Deep

5. Made6. Light

TASKREAD THE FOLLOWING POEMA.UNDERLINE THE EXAMPLES OF ALLITERATION B.CIRCLE THE EXAMPLES OF ASSONANCE.

"Everyone Sang" by Siegfried Sassoon

Everyone suddenly burst out singing:And I was filled with such delightAs prisoned birds must find in freedomWinging wildly across the whiteOrchards and dark-green fields: on - on - and out of sight.

Everyone's voice was suddenly lifted:And beauty came like the setting sun:My heart was shaken with tears; and horrorDrifted away ... O. but EveryoneWas a bird; and the song was wordless: the singing will never be done.

READ THE FOLLOWING POEM AND HIGHLIGHT THE EXAMPLES OF ONOMATOPOEIA.

"In the Bath" by Stephen Hewitt

I schlunch into the bathThen I gollop and schollop and drollopthe water on the walls.I slop and I querch as the soap isSpeeding around the bottom of the bath.Then I stand up and hulunchBack into the water.Iflunch and I smollop the waterAround till I whallop and smackThe water out.

Figures of speech that use comparison:Simile – A comparison between two things using the words like or as.Metaphor – A comparison that doesn’t use the words like or as it is a direct comparison, e.g. John is a lion.Personification – Giving an animal or inanimate object human qualities. Example: The sun was generous with his warmth that day.

The wind swept the leaves into a corner.

SIMILESIn your workbooks, write down a definition of simile using your own words.

TASK: Use the words below to complete the animal similes that follow. The first one has been completed for you.

Lark leech ostrich duck hyena lamb ox wolf mule

He laughs like a ___________hyena_______.She's as hungry as a ________________________________.He waddles like a ________________________.She was as gentle as a ______________________________.He clung like a ________________________________ to his surfboard.She's as strong as an _____________________.He wouldn't listen; she was like an _____________ with its head in the sandShe is as happy as a ___________________________.He's as obstinate as a ________________ .

METAPHORSLOOK UP "METAPHORS"

WRITE THE DEFINITION OF A METAPHOR IN YOUR OWN WORDS

Read the following two metaphor poems and answer the questions that follow.POEM 1

The dark is...a swallowed nightscary and unknowna blanket of blacka place where nightmares livea deep dark holea place where light can't showa place where horror draws you inblack tights over your headthe final sleep

LANGUAGE DEVICES – USING COMPARISON

something blacka black catwhere nobody goesa dark cupboarda witch's cauldronblack as blackdeathlonelinessthe night skya question

an icy blanket of shadow covering the worlda creeping black monstera sea of shadows seeping into every cornera sleeping potion carried around the worlda bottle of Cokea mysterious cavethe retreat of the sunlonelinessan oily seaa black cat at nightthe edge of the universe

coldblack

silence*

TASK: Read the above poem several times.1. Which are your favourite images? Why?2. Are there any lines which are not metaphors? Which ones?3. Can you think of any ‘dark’ metaphors of your own?

TASK: Write your own metaphor poem

A. Create 5 of your own metaphors for “the sun”. An example has been completed for you.The sun is…1. A golden coin hanging from the sky2.3.4. 5.

6.

B. Put the metaphors together and you have a poem!

C. Choos two of the following topics that you like best and try the task again:The sea is…A snail is…A thunderstorm is…A moon is…

METAPHORS & SIMILES – Enrichment taskTRY AND DRAW THE FOLLOWING METAPHORS AND SIMILES

Her eyes were still, blue pools

This is a ______________ because________________________________.

The boxer had an iron fist.

This is a ______________ because________________________________.

The birds on the telephone wire looked like music notes on a page.

This is a ______________ because________________________________.

PERSONIFICATIONIn your workbooks, write down a definition of personification using your own words.

Read the poem below:

"Wind" by Dianne BrandI pulled a hummingbird out of the sky but I let it go.I heard a song and carried it with me on my cotton streamers.I dropped it on an ocean and lifted up a wave with my bare hands.I made a whole cornfield tremble and bend as I ran by.I pushed a soft cloud from here to thereI hurried a stream along a pebbled pathI scooped up a yard of dirt and hurled it in the airI lifted a straw hat and sent it flyingI broke a limb from a guava treeI became a breeze. bored and tiredand hovered and hung and rustled and laywhere I could.

List a few of the personality traits that characterize the wind as described by the poetExample: The breeze is bored

TASK: Personify each of the following objects.The first example has been done for you.

car _____The thirsty car gulped down the petrol____________________________door _______________________________________________________________telephone __________________________________________________________moon ______________________________________________________________stars _______________________________________________________________mountain ___________________________________________________________

FORM AND STRUCTURE – an introduction

The form and structure of the poem are also important. You should ask questions such as:- How is the poem organised?- How many stanzas and lines is the poem divided into? For example, if the poem is about a day and there are three stanzas, it could be argued that each stanza represents a different time of day: morning, afternoon and night (if the content supports this).- Are the lines of uniform length, or are some short and some long?In answering these questions, keep the content of the poem in mind, as the form and structure of the poem will reflect the content.Poems are either narrative or lyrical .Narrative – means that they tell a storyLyrical – means that they express the personal thoughts and feelings of the poet. Each of these can take on different forms.

Forms in Narrative Poetry:

Epic This is a long narrative poem set against the background of mythology or history. Your characters are often gods or heroes.

An example of an epic is the Illiad, written by the Greek poet Homer. This excerpt is a translation by Ian Johnston

From: people.uncw.edu/deagona/LIT/Iliad excerpts.pdfBallad This is poetry that originates from song and was intended

for dancing. They have a chorus or refrain. Stories about hardships, tragedies, love, and romance are standard ingredients of the ballad.While often from the Middle Ages, there are modern ballads for you to listen to – “Someone Like You”, AdeleExample of a ballad:Example #1: Tam Lin (Unknown)Scottish traditional ballad

” ‘O I forbid you, maiden all,That wears gold in your hair,To come or go by CarterhaughFor young Tam Lin is there.”

Dramatic Monologue

The speaker (not the poet) addresses a silent partner or audience at an important moment in their life. The audience can see deeper into a part of who they are. See the following example – A hawk gives a monologue, thinking of the power he holds.

From: https://literarydevices.net/dramatic-monologue/

Forms of Lyrical Poetry

Elegy This is a poem lamenting (grieving) the death of someone. See the following exampleIn Memory of W. B. Yeats (By W. H. Auden)

Another powerful example is O Captain! My Captain! (By Walt Whitman)

From https://literarydevices.net/elegy/Ode This is a poem of celebration. They were originally

meant to be sung. John Keats celebrates autumn as the most giving of all seasons in his Ode to Autumn.Other examples: Ode on Intimations of Immortality from Recollections of Early Childhood (By William Wordsworth)

See: https://literarydevices.net/ode/ for more examples

Sonnet The word sonnet is derived from the Italian word “sonetto,” which means a “little song”All sonnets have 14 lines.The structure and rhyme schemes have different forms. Here, Rhythms are strictly followedThere are different types:Petrarchan (or Italian) Sonnet – the rhyme scheme isbba–abba–cdc–dcd

Shakespearean (or Elizabethan) Sonnet - abab–cdcd–efef–gg(This will be covered in more detail when you cover a sonnet in your syllabus.)

See “Sonnet 18: Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?” for an examplehttps://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/45087/sonnet-18-shall-i-compare-thee-to-a-summers-day

Other forms of Poetry:Examples:

Free Verse

Does not have a fixed rhyme scheme or stanza structure.See the example by e e cummings – the poet has dropped all the punctuation rules, using it how he wishes.

Example: (ee cummings)here’s a little mouse) and what does he think about, iwonder as over thisfloor (quietly withbright eyes) drifts …

Haiku A three-line verse of Japanese origin.Consists of 17 syllables in total:Line 1 : 5 syllablesLine 2 : 7 syllablesLine 3 : 5 syllables

Alone in the house,With no breath of air or sound,A watching angel.

Limerick A five line humorous verse.The first and second and fifth lines rhyme with each other.The third and forth lines rhyme.

There once was a teacher of Greek,Who was teaching his pupils to speak;The result of his trialsWas failure by miles,And now his career is up the creek.

Vilanelle A 19 line poemConsisting of 5 tercets (three-line stanzas) and a concluding quatrain (4 line stanza).It repeats lines and uses rhyming at the end of its lines.

Look up : Do not go gentle into that good night, by Dylan Thomas. Here is an excerpt:

RHYME

Rhyme is the repetition of words or sounds, usually at the end of lines. A rhyme scheme is a way of working out the rhyme pattern in a poem by assigning a letter of the alphabet to a particular sound. E.g.The cat ate a mouse (a)And fell quite sick (b)It ran into the house (a)And began to play … (c) Here the rhyme scheme is abac

WHAT IS RHYME FOR?

Rhyme brings rhythm or musical quality to poems. Sometimes it is used to link ideas in a poem – it automatically connects the words that

sound the same. It also allows us to remember the poem - in many cultures it is used to pass stories on to

younger generations. The pattern of rhyme (or rhyming scheme) gives form to the poem – e.g. abac (in the

poem above) But mostly, it makes the poem enjoyable to read! It gives form to the poem – a pattern

of rhyme

The following are examples of rhyme used to make us laugh. They are called Limericks:

1.An elderly man called Keith,Mislaid his set of false teeth.They'd been laid on a chair,He'd forgot they were there,Sat down, and was bitten beneath.

2. There is a young man from DubeWhose name, as we know, is NcubeBut to leave out the clickMakes him mad as a tickWell I would be too, wouldn’t ube?

Extract of a poem by Margaret Kollmer

3.If you’re lacking a little good cheer,Go and tickle a bull in the rear.For I’m sure that the rumor,That they’ve no sense of humor,Is a product of ignorant fear.

pun.me/pages/funny-limericks.phppoemhunter.com/poem/limericks-of-south-african-towns-and-place-names/

Not all poems use rhyme: many modern poems have no rhyme scheme at all – this is called free-verse. It symbolizes breaking away from the structure and rules of conventional poetry. This structure is enforced by rhyme.

RHYTHM

The rhythm of a poem is the repeated pattern of sounds , or beat, of the poem. We create rhythm by stressing some words (and syllables) and not others.Here is an example of rhythm in a sentence. The stressed syllable has been underlined.

Never stop doing best till you reach the top if you want to find hope.

A stressed syllable is a syllable you put emphasis on when reading it aloud.Stressed syllables tend to be longer, and unstressed shorter.Here is an example:With ice-cream, you emphasise the first syllable “ice”. With “I scream”, you emphasise the last syllable “scream”. If you had to read each syllable with the same emphasis, you would not be able to tell the difference between them.

Side Quest: Take out a dictionary and look up the word “syllable”. The dictionary shows you where the breaks are in the word - syl-la-ble. Look up 5 more words and write down the syllables (as I have done for syllable).

REFRAIN

A refrain is a phrase or a line of poetry that is repeated throughout a poem. A refrain often comes at the end of a stanza or between two stanzas, but it doesn’t have to.Some examples to assist you (http://www.examplesinpoetry.com/refrain-poetry-examples-definition)Underline the refrain in examples two and three

Example of refrain #1:

From:Annabel Lee , by Edgar Allan Poe

For the moon never beams without bringing me dreamsOf the beautiful Annabel Lee;And the stars never rise but I feel the bright eyesOf the beautiful Annabel Lee;And so, all the night-tide, I lie down by the sideOf my darling, my darling, my life and my bride,In the sepulchre there by the sea,In her tomb by the sounding sea.

Example of refrain #2:

From:Stopping by Woods On a Snowy evening , by Robert Frost

The woods are lovely, dark, and deep,But I have promises to keep,And miles to go before I sleep,And miles to go before I sleep.

Example of Refrain #3:

From:O Captain! My Captain! , by Walt Whitman

O Captain! my Captain! our fearful trip is done;The ship has weather'd every rack, the prize we sought is won;The port is near, the bells I hear, the people all exulting,While follow eyes the steady keel, the vessel grim and daring:But O heart! heart! heart!O the bleeding drops of red,Where on the deck my Captain lies,Fallen cold and dead.

ENJAMBMENT

When a sentence runs into the next line without a break (also known as a run-on line)Features of an Enjambment

It is a running on of a thought from one line to another without final punctuation.Uses:

Poets can achieve a fast pace by using enjambment (as if the words are running!).

To create a sense of anticipation in a poem, since the full meaning of enjambed lines only becomes clear by reading further in the poem. In this way, enjambment can also create a feeling of movement.

It helps readers to continue thinking about the idea, which is expressed in one line, and which continues through to the next.

It draws the reader’s eye to the next line.

Enjambment has the effect of encouraging the reader to continue reading from one line

to the next, since most of the time a line of poetry won't make complete sense until the

reader finishes the sentence on the following line or lines.

To control the phrasing or rhythm of a poem: The use of a line break (space at the end of the line) can help to create a pause in the rhythm.

To emphasize a meaningful word. Ending a line with a word that wouldn't normally receive emphasis can be a good way of shifting the reader's focus to it.

To create ambiguity or contradiction. Enjambment can give the reader mixed messages. When the line ends halfway, it may suggest that the next part is going to contradict it.

Some examples:1. I think I had never seenA verse as beautiful as a flower.

2. Autumn showing off colors slowlyLetting the splendid colorsFlow softly to earth below.

3. The poet labors all his daysTo build the beauty in his rhyme.

Shakespeare's "Sonnet 116" (you may need a dictionary for this one!)

Four of the first eight lines of this sonnet by Shakespeare are enjambed .

Let me not to the marriage of true minds

Admit impediments. Love is not love

That alters when it alteration finds

Or bends with the remover to remove:

O no! It is an ever-fixed mark

That looks on tempests and is never shaken;

It is the star to every wandering bark,

Whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken.

(https://www.litcharts.com/literary-devices-and-terms/enjambment)(https://literarydevices.net/enjambment/)

DICTION AND TONE

DICTIONDiction, or word choice, is very important in poetry. Most poems are relatively short in comparison to other types of writing; the poet therefore has to choose his or her words carefully, with the intention of making the most impact.We covered connotation and denotation already and should understand how different words can change the meaning of a text.

Choice of words would depend on:The type of text.The audience.The purpose of the writer/speaker.

(NB: Diction = word choice)Why is the word diction important? We use it when we talk about tone and mood and even the theme of the poem. See the example at the end of the work pack.

TONEDefinition: Tone is the attitude or general character of a piece of writing and is often related to the attitude of the writer or speaker (litcharts.com).

You have often heard an elder say “Don’t use that tone of voice on me!”, especially if you have said something mischievous or disrespectful. He/She means that your intention to be mischievous is clear in what you are saying.

It is the same in writing – the author intends to get an emotion across to the reader or audience.

He can do so by the way he sets the scene, the images he creates and through diction.

Using diction to set tone:

She said: “He creeps among the bystanders. Watch out for him!”

She said: “He walks between the onlookers. Observe him.”

The words walk and creep are the same action – moving. However, the word creep suggests that he is a suspicious character. The word walk is neutral. The speaker then tells you to watch him – “watch out for him”, “observe him”. “Watch out” has a different tone to “observe”. You can tell already tell the tone of the words by the way he described the man’s movements.

Example of tones and how to identify them:

The following statements each express different attitudes about a shabby apartment.

Six different tones are used: Optimistic, bitter, tolerant, sentimental, humorous and objective

TASK: A. Look up the above words in the dictionary – write down their meanings in your workbook.

B. Choose one of the above words to describe the tone of each of the following statements.

C. Explain why you chose that description – what words or images gives us that tone?

The first has been completed for you:

1. This place may be shabby, but since both my children were born while we lived here, it has a

special place in my heart.

A: Sentimental tone ‘it has a special place in my heart’ expresses tender emotions

2. This isn’t the greatest apartment in the world, but it’s not really that bad.

Tolerant tone. The words ‘not really that bad’ shows the writer accepts the situation while recognizing that it could be better.

3. If only there were some decent jobs out there, I wouldn’t be reduced to living in this miserable dump.

Tone is bitter. The writer resents a situation that forces him/her to live in a ‘miserable dump’.

4. This place does need some repairs, but I’m sure the landlord will be making improvements

sometime soon.

Tone is optimistic. The writer is expecting the apartment to be improved soon.

5. When we move away, we’re planning to release three hundred cockroaches and tow mice, so we can leave the place exactly as we found it.

Tone is humorous. The write claims to be planning a comic revenge on the landlord by returning the apartment to the terrible condition it was in when the tenants moved in.

Word helpShabby: in poor condition

6. This is the apartment we live in. It provides shelter.

Tone is objective. The writer does not express feelings about the apartment. He simply states fact

THEME AND MESSAGE

Themes are ideas that not only apply to the specific characters and events of a book or play, but also express broader truths about human experience that readers can apply to their own lives.

A theme can be easy to understand in daily life. We have themed dress up days at school, or themed parties. A broad idea is given to all the attendees and they have to wear an outfit to

suit it. All the outfits are different, but they all have the same message.

We can look for themes in movies/tv shows:

In the T.V. series Pokemon, the central theme is “not giving up”. Ash, the lead character(protagonist), faces dangerous situations but always pulls through. This is the same message in “Finding Dory” - just keep swimming.

TASK: Consider a common theme in the following movies:

MOOD

The mood is the feeling that the poem produces in the reader when he or she reads the text. It is the atmosphere of the text.

A poem about death will be more likely to have a sad mood than a happy or light-hearted mood.

Here's an example from Edgar Allan Poe's "The Raven":

"Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there wondering, fearing,Doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before"

Task: A. Identify the mood: When you read this extract, what feeling do you get from it? B. What particular words or images led you to feel that way? Explain whyThis mood is mysterious: things are hidden and puzzling. The reader really doesn't know what is going on, at least not for a while.

(look to your short story notes for a revision of mood)

NOTE: Mood and Tone are not the same. While the mood is dependent on the person reading it, the tone of a text is not. The mood is more your emotional interpretation. However, they are closely related. For example, it wouldn't be unusual for a poem with a joyful tone to also have a joyous mood—i.e., to make the reader feel joyful as well.

POETRY IN CONTEXT:POEM FOR MY MOTHER

Poem for my mother Jennifer Davids

Simile: comparing her words to a ball of hard blue soap. The soap, when used by her mother, gets smaller and smaller. She feels that her words (in the poem) become of lesser importance after her mother sees them.

Shriveled – wrinkly. Put your hands under water for a long time, your skin becomes shriveled.

Like a burnt granadilla – this is a simile. By comparing the hands to a burnt granadilla, we are able to imagine that her hands were worn, leathery and wrinkled.

Hunched: to bend over something. Its connotation is that someone is so busy with their task, they have contorted their body into an uncomfortable position.

The word diction is used to talk about the words in the text. This stanza uses the word “clenched”. Clenched is a strong word – the imagery associated with it is that of a fist closing very tight. She is not holding it gently. The words of the child are not held gently by the mother as if they were something to treasure.

The structure of this last stanza is interesting. It goes from three words on a line to one – rather like the soap that gets smaller and smaller with each use and eventually dissolves.

Each “paragraph” is called a STANZA. It has spaces before and after.

Title: the title of a poem gives it context. In this poem, it suggests that the poem was written from a child’s point of view.

That isn’t everything, you saidon the afternoon I brought a poemto you hunched on the washtubwith your handsthe shriveled 5burnt granadillaSkin of your handscovered by foam.

And my wordsslid like a ball 10of hard blue soapinto the tubto be grabbed and used by youto rub the clothes.

A poem isn’t all 15there is to life, you saidwith your blue ringed gazescanning the pageonce looking over my shoulderand back at the immediate 20dirty water

and my wordsbeing clenchedsmaller andsmaller. 25

Some in-depth thinking – Poetry in context:Why does her mother say “a poem isn’t all there is to life”?Look at the imagery used to describe her mother – hunched over a washtub, shriveled hands, grabbing the clothes. The words suggest years of rough hard word. Her life hasn’t been one where she is able to enjoy poetry or the things the child might delight in. Her life has made her hard. Perhaps she thinks that a poem won’t prepare her child for the life that she has led.

Why does the mother pay more attention to the soap than the poem?It is possible that the mother pays more attention to the soap because the soap can be used to accomplish something – washing. Perhaps she can’t see how words can accomplish something too. This is irony. The mother’s harsh words have accomplished something – making the child feel small. (Irony is a literary device or event in which how things seem to be is in fact very different from how they actually are.)

What is the tone of the poem? The tone of the poem is harsh. Grabbed and clenched are harsh words – these describe the actions in the poem. The tone can also be described as disheartened. The child is being told that her work isn’t important through words, “a poem isn’t all to life”, and through actions – clenching the poem. The mother’s situation is of hard work, doing labour and she can’t partake in the joy that the child experiences in poetry. She looks into the distance and then back at the water – this signifies disheartenment. Looking into the distance is often what we do when we have hope. Looking down is what we do when we feel disheartened. The tone of the poem is also ironic – the child’s poem was rejected by the mother but the poet has now published a poem, the very poem you are reading!

What is the mood of the poem? What emotions do I feel when reading the poem? What words and phrases cause these emotions?The words “smaller and smaller” create an atmosphere of sadness. The proud child, who went to show her mother her poem has been made to feel that it wasn’t an achievement at all.

THE END

Reference list:Excerpts taken from:literarydevices.netlitcharts.comSolutions for All, Teacher’s Guide, Grade 8X-kit Achieve, Grade 8, Revisions, questions and answers.X-kit Achieve, Essential Referenceteachitenglish.co.uk