poetic structure

8/13/2019 Poetic Structure

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POETIC STRUCTURE

Contrastive / Counterpoint: each part of the poem presents aconflicting idea or different conception of the same reality. The poem normally follows a symmetrical division.

Explanatory: the poem analyses a certain proposition, normallyin stages. The division of the poem is asymmetrical: the first part, shorter,

presents the thesis or argument, which is developed andelaborated in the rest of the poem.

The poem may follow an anticlimatic structure, where theimportant information appears at the beginning.

Conclusive: the poem has a summari ing tendency or purpose. The opening lines provide a commentary of the final lines. The last lines contain the relevant message or conclusion.


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Circular structure: the poem begins and endsin the same way.

!ome lines from the beginning of the poem may berepeated at the end to reinforce the structure.

The content expressed does not change and thepoem reverts to the initial statement.

"inear structure: different details, features orinformation are added in the various stan as. #eleting any of the stan a would not alter the overall

meaning of the poem.


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POETIC VOICE

The attitude adopted by the poetic addresser$persona% in relation to the facts told.

The poet creates a fictional identity thatbecomes the spea&er of the text.This fictional spea&er may be a directparticipant or character in the poem, or simply

an invisible voice producing the tone, state ofmind, feeling, attitude, etc.


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POETIC I

't stresses the spea&er(s function in thetext by focusing on his/her personal

opinions, feelings, thoughts.'t is associated with the expressivefunction of language.'t indicates sub)ectivity and intimacy.'ts effect is that of a close relation orcomplicity with the reader.


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POETIC THIRD PERSON

The spea&er does not participate from theevents in the poem.The poem refers to external events or facts.'t stresses the content of the poem so that itfall under the referential function of language.'t produces a sense of distance anddetachment.!ometimes associated with an ob)ective viewand an impersonal approach to the poem(ssub)ect matter.


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LYRICAL PATTERNS

-epetitive: a single state of mind isrepeated from stan a to stan a.

arrative: the poem tells a story in anordered way from beginning to end."ogical: the spea&er argues a case and

comes to a conclusion.


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Philip Larkin, Days(E plana!"ry#

0hat are days for1#ays are where we live.They come, they wa&e usTime and time over.They are to be happy in:0here can we live but days1

2h, solving that 3uestion4rings the priest and the doctor 'n their long coats-unning over the fields.


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$"hn %il!"n, On His &lin'n ss()"n)l*si+ #

0hen ' consider how my light is spentEre half my days, in this dar& world and wide,

2nd that one talent which is death to hide"odged with me useless, though my soul more bent

To serve therewith my 5a&er, and present5y true account, lest he returning chide,#oth god exact day labour, light denied1' fondly as&: 4ut 6atience, to prevent

That murmur, soon replies 7od doth not needEither man(s wor&, or his own gifts: who best4ear his mild yo&e, they serve him best: 8is state

's &ingly thousands at his bidding speed 2nd post o(er land and ocean without rest:They also serve who only stand and wait.


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Eli a- !h $ nnin.s I / l()"n!ras!i+ #

' feel ' could be turned to ice'f this goes on, if this goes on.' feel ' could be buried twice

2nd still the death not yet be done

' feel ' could be turned to fire'f there can be no end to this.' &now within me such desireo &iss could satisfy, no &iss.

' feel ' could be turned to stone, 2 solid bloc& not carved at all,

4ecause ' feel so much alone.' could be grave stone or a wall.

4ut better to be turned to earth0here other things at least can grow.' could be then a part of birth,6assive, not &nowing how to &now.


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%"rph"syn!a)!i) l + l

The parallel structure The linguistic elements follow the same order 't accelerates the rhythm of the composition 't provides rhythm and musicality 't has the effect of remembrance #ynamic sense by ascribing meaning to the

elements that are repeated.

4inary parallelism: same syntactic structure isrepeated twice 5ultiple parallelism: same structure is repeated

more than two times


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C"rr la!i+ s!r*)!*r

The repetition is at the level of words havingthe same or similar meaning, or belonging tothe same categoryThe repeated items appear in the same order -epetition slows down the progression of thepoem

't focuses on stressing the same contents


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Ph"n"l".i)al l + l

5etre umber of stresses per line $9 %

;oot: combination of stressed and unstressedsyllables in the line 'ambic pentameter: stresses, iambic feet

$combination of 9 unstressed syllable followedby a stressed one%

!ound: repetition of sounds, either at theend of the line or within the line


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S"*n' pa!! rns

Rhyme : masculine $one syllable rhyme% feminine $twosyllable rhyme%Assonance : last vocalic sounds $line / rhyme%

2lliteration : initial stressed consonant cluster within thesame line $

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