unit 7

Literary Analysis Workshop

The Language of Poetry Emily Dickinson once wrote, “If I feel physically as if the top of my head were taken off, I know that is poetry.” A good poem can make readers look at the world in a new way. A simple fork becomes the foot of a strange and unearthly bird; death itself appears as the driver of a carriage. After reading a poem, you might find yourself repeating lines in your mind or remembering images that “spoke” to you from the page. What gives poetry such power? Read a poem closely, and you’ll see how it has been carefully crafted to affect you.

Part 1: Form What you’ll most likely notice first about a poem is its form, or the distinctive way the words are arranged on the page. Form refers to the length and placement of lines and the way they are grouped into stanzas. Similar to a paragraph in narrative writing, each stanza conveys a unified idea and contributes to a poem’s overall meaning. Poems can be traditional or organic in form. Regardless of its structure, though, a poem’s form is often deliberately chosen to echo its meaning.

traditional

organic

Characteristics

Characteristics

• follows fixed rules, such as a specified number of lines

• does not have a regular pattern of rhythm and may not rhyme

• has a regular pattern of rhythm and rhyme

• may use unconventional spelling, punctuation, and grammar

• includes the following forms: sonnet, ode, haiku, limerick, ballad, epic

• includes the following forms: free verse, concrete poetry

Example Does the road wind up-hill all the way? Yes, to the very end. Will the day’s journey take the whole long day? From morn to night, my friend.

Example wear your colors like a present person today is here & now

—from “Up-hill” by Christina Rossetti

688

—from “Look Not to Memories” by Angela de Hoyos

Analyze the Example • Identify the rhyming words at the ends of the lines to see the rhyme pattern of the stanza.

Analyze the Example • Notice that this poem has no capitalization or end punctuation.

• Read the lines aloud to hear their regular rhythm.

• Note the lack of rhyme and the use of an ampersand (&).

• Notice how the singsong musical quality emphasizes the comforting message.

• Think about why this structure suits the “seize the day” message.

unit 7: the language of poetry

model 1: traditional form The following two stanzas are from an ode, a complex lyric poem that addresses a serious theme, such as justice, truth, or the passage of time. While odes can follow just about any structure, “The Fire of Driftwood” is traditional in form because of its regular stanzas, rhythm, and rhyme. Here, the speaker—the voice that talks to the reader—sadly reflects on how he and his friends have grown apart.

from

the fire of driftwood Poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Close Read

We spake of many a vanished scene, Of what we once had thought and said, Of what had been, and might have been, And who was changed, and who was dead; 5

1. How is the form of the first stanza similar to that of the second? Consider the number and length of the lines, the pattern of the rhyme, and the rhythm.

And all that fills the hearts of friends, When first they feel, with secret pain, Their lives thenceforth have separate ends, And never can be one again.

2. Summarize the different ideas expressed in each stanza.

model 2: organic form This poem is written in free verse, with no regular pattern of rhythm and rhyme. Notice how its form differs from that of Longfellow’s poem.

i am not done

yet

Poem by Lucille Clifton

5

10

as possible as yeast as imminent as bread a collection of safe habits a collection of cares less certain than i seem more certain than i was a changed changer i continue to continue where i have been most of my lives is where i’m going

Close Read 1. Using the chart on the preceding page, identify two characteristics that make this poem organic in form. 2. Read the poem aloud. The short lines and the rhythm help to emphasize the ideas expressed in each line. Choose two lines and explain what the speaker is saying.

liter ary analysis workshop

689

Part 2: Poetic Elements What gives one poem a brisk rhythm and another the sound of an everyday conversation? How can two poems on the same subject—for example, the simplicity of nature—create dramatically different images in your mind? Sound devices and imagery are the techniques that give dimension to words on a page.

sound devices Much of the power of poetry depends on rhythm—the pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in each line. Poets use rhythm to emphasize important words or ideas and to create a mood that suits their subject. Some poems have a regular pattern of rhythm, which is called meter. Analyzing the effects of a poem’s rhythm begins with scanning, or marking, the meter. Unstressed syllables are marked with a ( ) and stressed syllables with a ( ) , as in these lines from “A Dirge” by Percy Bysshe Shelley: Rough wind, / that moan / est loud

a

Grief / too sad / for song;

b

Wild wind / when sul / len cloud

a

Knells / all the night / long.

b

A regular pattern of rhyme is called a rhyme scheme. Rhyme scheme is charted by assigning a letter of the alphabet to matching end rhymes, as shown in “A Dirge.” Poets also use many other sound devices to create specific effects. In each of the following examples, notice how the device helps to establish a mood, create a rhythm, and suggest different sounds and sights of the sea. repetition

alliteration

a sound, word, phrase, or line that is repeated for emphasis and unity

the repetition of consonant sounds at the beginnings of words

Break, break, break, On thy cold gray stones, O Sea!

The scraggy rock spit shielding the town’s blue bay —from “Departure” by Sylvia Plath

—from “Break, Break, Break” by Alfred, Lord Tennyson assonance

consonance

the repetition of vowel sounds in words that do not end with the same consonant

the repetition of consonant sounds within and at the ends of words

The waves break fold on jewelled fold. —from “Moonlight” by Sara Teasdale

And black are the waters that sparkled so green. —from “Seal Lullaby” by Rudyard Kipling

690

unit 7: the language of poetry

Literary Analysis Workshop

model 1: rhythm and rhyme The speakers in this next poem could be understood to be the collective voice of the pool players mentioned underneath the title. Read the poem aloud to hear its unique rhyme scheme and rhythm. In what ways do these elements reflect the fast-lane lifestyle that the speakers describe?

We Real C

 

The Pool Players. Seven at The Golden Shovel.

l

Close Read 1. Even though the rhyming words in this poem fall in the middle of the lines, they sound like end rhymes. If you treat these words as end rhymes, what is the rhyme scheme?

Poem by Gwendolyn Brooks

We real cool. We Left school. We Lurk late. We Strike straight. We 5

Sing sin. We Thin gin. We

2. One way to read this poem is to stress every syllable. How would you describe the rhythm? Explain how it echoes the speakers’ attitude toward life.

Jazz June. We Die soon.

model 2: other sound devices This poem immerses you in the edge-of-your-seat excitement of a close baseball game. What sound devices has the poet used to create this effect?

Poem by Robert Francis

5

10

Poised between going on and back, pulled Both ways taut like a tightrope-walker, Fingertips pointing the opposites, Now bouncing tiptoe like a dropped ball Or a kid skipping rope, come on, come on, Running a scattering of steps sidewise, How he teeters, skitters, tingles, teases, Taunts them, hovers like an ecstatic bird, He’s only flirting, crowd him, crowd him, Delicate, delicate, delicate, delicate—now!

Close Read 1. Read the boxed text aloud. The use of alliteration emphasizes the tension that the base stealer feels. Find another example of alliteration and explain its effect. 2. Identify two other sound devices that the poet uses and describe their effects.

liter ary analysis workshop

691

imagery and figurative language I can remember wind-swept streets of cities on cold and blustery nights, on rainy days; heads under shabby felts and parasols and shoulders hunched against a sharp concern. —from “Memory” by Margaret Walker

Do these lines make you want to stay indoors, nestled under layers of blankets? If so, the reason is imagery, or words and phrases that re-create sensory experiences for readers. Through the highlighted images, the poet helps readers visualize the bleak scene—the way it looks, sounds, and even feels—in striking detail. One way poets create strong imagery is through the use of figurative language, which conveys meanings beyond the literal meanings of words. Figurative language pops up all the time in everyday speech. For example, if you say “My heart sank when I heard the disappointing news,” your friends will understand that your heart did not literally sink. Through this figurative expression, you are conveying the emotional depth of your disappointment. In the following examples, notice what each technique helps to emphasize about the subject described.

figurative language simile a comparison between two unlike things using the words like, as, or as if

metaphor a comparison between two unlike things but without the words like or as

personification a description of an object, an animal, a place, or an idea in human terms

hyperbole an exaggeration for emphasis or humorous effect

692

unit 7: the language of poetry

example I remember how you sang in your stone shoes light-voiced as dusk or feathers. —from “Elegy for My Father” by Robert Winner The door of winter is frozen shut. —from “Wind Chill” by Linda Pastan Death, be not proud, though some have callèd thee Mighty and dreadful, for thou art not so. —from “Sonnet 10” by John Donne Here once the embattled farmers stood And fired the shot heard round the world. —from “The Concord Hymn” by Ralph Waldo Emerson

Literary Analysis Workshop

model 3: imagery Notice the imagery this poet uses to transport you to the hot sands of an island in the West Indies.

Midsummer, Tobago Poem by Derek Walcott

Broad sun-stoned beaches.

Close Read

White heat. A green river. 5

1. The boxed image appeals to the senses of sight and touch. Identify three other images and describe the scene they conjure up in your mind.

A bridge, scorched yellow palms from the summer-sleeping house drowsing through August.

2. How does the speaker feel about the summer days he or she describes? Explain how the image in lines 10–11 helps you to understand the speaker’s emotions.

Days I have held, days I have lost, 10

days that outgrow, like daughters, my harbouring arms.

model 4: figurative language The use of figurative language in this poem strengthens the contrast between a lifeless winter day and the vibrancy of the horses. from

Horses

Poem by Pablo Neruda, translated by Alastair Reid Close Read

Text not available for electronic use. Please refer to the text in the textbook.

1. One example of a simile is boxed. What does this comparison tell you about the air? Find another simile and explain the comparison. 2. In line 5, the poet uses personification to describe winter. What characteristics of winter does this comparison emphasize?

liter ary analysis workshop

693

Part 3: Analyze the Literature Apply what you have just learned about the forms, techniques, and effects of poetry by comparing the next two poems. The first describes the dead-end life of Flick Webb, a former high school basketball star. Read the poem a first time, looking for details that help you to understand the character of Flick. Then read the poem aloud to get the full impact.

ex-Basketball Player Poem by John Updike

5

10

15

20

25

30

694

Pearl Avenue runs past the high-school lot, Bends with the trolley tracks, and stops, cut off Before it has a chance to go two blocks, At Colonel McComsky Plaza. Berth’s Garage Is on the corner facing west, and there, Most days, you’ll find Flick Webb, who helps Berth out.

Close Read

Flick stands tall among the idiot pumps— Five on a side, the old bubble-head style, Their rubber elbows hanging loose and low. One’s nostrils are two S’s, and his eyes An E and O. And one is squat, without A head at all—more of a football type.

1. In the second stanza, Flick stands next to gas pumps, which are personified as athletes. Citing details in the stanza, describe this image as you see it in your mind’s eye.

Once Flick played for the high-school team, the Wizards. He was good: in fact, the best. In ’46 He bucketed three hundred ninety points, A county record still. The ball loved Flick. I saw him rack up thirty-eight or forty In one home game. His hands were like wild birds.

2. Identify the simile in the third stanza. What does it tell you about Flick’s athletic ability in high school?

He never learned a trade, he just sells gas, Checks oil, and changes flats. Once in a while, As a gag, he dribbles an inner tube, But most of us remember anyway. His hands are fine and nervous on the lug wrench. It makes no difference to the lug wrench, though. Off work, he hangs around Mae’s Luncheonette. Grease-gray and kind of coiled, he plays pinball, Smokes those thin cigars, nurses lemon phosphates. Flick seldom says a word to Mae, just nods Beyond her face toward bright applauding tiers Of Necco Wafers, Nibs, and Juju Beads.

unit 7: the language of poetry

3. Now that you know more about the character of Flick, reread lines 1–3. How does the image of Pearl Avenue remind you of him? 4. The poet uses alliteration in the last stanza. One example is boxed. Find two more examples.

Literary Analysis Workshop

The description of basketball players in this poem provides a sharp contrast to the sad portrait of Flick Webb in “Ex-Basketball Player.”

SLAM,

DUNK,&

Poem by Yusef Komunyakaa

5

10

HOOK 15

20

25

30

35

40

Fast breaks. Lay ups. With Mercury’s Insignia on our sneakers, We outmaneuvered to footwork Of bad angels. Nothing but a hot Swish of strings like silk Ten feet out. In the roundhouse Labyrinth our bodies Created, we could almost Last forever, poised in midair Like storybook sea monsters. A high note hung there A long second. Off The rim. We’d corkscrew Up & dunk balls that exploded The skullcap of hope & good Intention. Lanky, all hands & feet . . . sprung rhythm. We were metaphysical when girls Cheered on the sidelines. Tangled up in a falling, Muscles were a bright motor Double-flashing to the metal hoop Nailed to our oak. When Sonny Boy’s mama died He played nonstop all day, so hard Our backboard splintered. Glistening with sweat, We rolled the ball off Our fingertips. Trouble Was there slapping a blackjack Against an open palm. Dribble, drive to the inside, & glide like a sparrow hawk. Lay ups. Fast breaks. We had moves we didn’t know We had. Our bodies spun On swivels of bone & faith, Through a lyric slipknot Of joy, & we knew we were Beautiful & dangerous.

Close Read 1. Is the form of this poem traditional or organic? Support your answer with specific examples.

2. Read the boxed lines aloud and identify two sound devices that are used. What does the rhythm in these lines remind you of? 3. The speaker describes the players as “Beautiful & dangerous” in line 40. Find two examples of figurative language that suggest either of these qualities. Explain your choices.

4. Contrast the two poems, citing three differences. Think about each poet’s treatment of the subject, as well as his use of poetic techniques.

liter ary analysis workshop

695

Before Reading

There Will Come Soft Rains Poem by Sara Teasdale

Meeting at Night Poem by Robert Browning

The Sound of Night Poem by Maxine Kumin

What is our place in

nature?

KEY IDEA Are humans more powerful than nature? Think of how we change landscapes, drive other species to extinction, and otherwise use nature for our own ends. Or are humans insignificant in the face of nature’s power? DISCUSS Think about a recent encounter you had with nature. What attitude did you express—admiration? indifference? In a small group, discuss your overall attitudes toward nature.

696

literary analysis: sound devices One common sound device used in poetry is rhyme, the repetition of sounds at the ends of words. End rhyme is rhyme at the ends of lines, as in this excerpt: Whose woods these are I think I know. His house is in the village though. Another sound device is alliteration, the repetition of consonant sounds at the beginnings of words, as in Droning a drowsy syncopated tune. Still another sound device is onomatopoeia, the use of words that imitate sounds, as in The buzz saw snarled and rattled in the yard. As you read the following poems about nature, notice their sound devices. Record examples on a chart. Title

End Rhyme

“There Will Come Soft Rains”

ground / sound (lines 1 and 2)

Alliteration

Sara Teasdale 1884–1933

Onomatopoeia

reading strategy: reading poetry Reading poetry requires paying attention not only to the meaning of the words but to the way they look and sound. The following strategies will help you. • Notice how the lines are arranged on the page. Are they long lines, or short? Are they grouped into regular stanzas or irregular stanzas, or are they not divided into stanzas at all? Stanza breaks usually signal the start of a new idea. • Pause in your reading where punctuation marks appear, just as you would when reading prose. Note that in poetry, punctuation does not always occur at the end of a line; a thought may continue for several lines. • Read a poem aloud several times. As you read, notice whether the rhythm is regular or varied. Is there a rhyme scheme, or regular pattern of end rhyme? For example, you’ll notice that “There Will Come Soft Rains” is written in couplets, two-line units with an aa rhyme scheme. Regular patterns of rhythm and rhyme give a musical quality to poems. Review: Make Inferences

Sara Teasdale: Love and War Sara Teasdale explored the topic of love in all of its aspects. Drawing on her own experiences, she wrote about the beauty, pleasure, fragility, and heartache of love in exquisitely crafted lyric poems. In reaction to World War I, she also wrote antiwar poems, such as “There Will Come Soft Rains.” Robert Browning: Painter of Portraits Robert Browning was a master at capturing psychological complexity. Using the dramatic monologue, a poem addressed to a silent listener, he conveyed the personalities of both fictional and historical figures. “Meeting at Night” is one of his shorter lyric poems. Maxine Kumin: Poet of Place The poetry of Maxine Kumin is rooted in New England rural life. Using traditional verse forms, Kumin explores changes in nature, people’s relationship to the land and its creatures, and human mortality, loss, and survival.

Robert Browning 1812–1889

Maxine Kumin born 1925

more about the author For more on these poets, visit the Literature Center at ClassZone.com.

697

There Will Come Soft Rains Sara Teasdale

There will come soft rains and the smell of the ground, And swallows circling with their shimmering sound; a

Read the first stanza aloud. Notice that it is a rhymed couplet. What expectations are set up by this end rhyme?

And frogs in the pools singing at night, And wild plum-trees in tremulous white; 5

Robins will wear their feathery fire Whistling their whims on a low fence-wire; And not one will know of the war, not one Will care at last when it is done.

10

a READING POETRY

b

b SOUND DEVICES

What examples of alliteration can you identify in lines 1–6?

Not one would mind, neither bird nor tree If mankind perished utterly; And Spring herself, when she woke at dawn, Would scarcely know that we were gone.

ANALYZE VISUALS What overall feeling do you get from this landscape?

698

unit 7: the language of poetry

Spring Landscape (1909), Constant Permeke. Constant Permeke Museum, Jabbeke, Belgium. © 2008 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York/SABAM, Brussels.

Moonrise (1906), Guillermo Gomez y Gil. Oil on canvas. Musée des Beaux-Arts, Pau, France. Photo © Giraudon/Bridgeman Art Library.

Meeting at Night Robert Browning

5

10

1 The gray sea and the long black land; And the yellow half-moon large and low; And the startled little waves that leap In fiery ringlets from their sleep, As I gain the cove1 with pushing prow,2 And quench its speed i’ the slushy sand. c 2 Then a mile of warm sea-scented beach; Three fields to cross till a farm appears; A tap at the pane, the quick sharp scratch And blue spurt of a lighted match, And a voice less loud, through its joys and fears, Than the two hearts beating each to each! d

1. cove: a small, partly enclosed body of water. 2. prow (prou): the front part of a boat.

700

unit 7: the language of poetry

c READING POETRY

Read the first stanza aloud. What rhyme scheme do you notice?

d M AKE INFERENCES

Where does the speaker arrive, and what happens once he is there?

The Sound of Night Maxine Kumin

5

10

15

20

25

And now the dark comes on, all full of chitter noise. Birds huggermugger1 crowd the trees, the air thick with their vesper2 cries, and bats, snub seven-pointed kites, skitter across the lake, swing out, squeak, chirp, dip, and skim on skates of air, and the fat frogs wake and prink wide-lipped, noisy as ducks, drunk on the boozy black, gloating chink-chunk. e

Trees at Night (c. 1900), Thomas Meteyard. Berry Hill Gallery, New York. Photo © Edward Owen/Art Resource, New York.

And now on the narrow beach we defend ourselves from dark. The cooking done, we build our firework bright and hot and less for outlook than for magic, and lie in our blankets while night nickers around us. Crickets chorus hallelujahs; paws, quiet and quick as raindrops, play on the stones expertly soft, run past and are gone; fish pulse in the lake; the frogs hoarsen.

e SOUND DEVICES

What examples of onomatopoeia can you identify in the first stanza? What do they add to the poem?

Now every voice of the hour—the known, the supposed, the strange, the mindless, the witted, the never seen— sing, thrum, impinge,3 and rearrange endlessly; and debarred4 from sleep we wait for the birds, importantly silent, for the crease of first eye-licking light, for the sun, lost long ago and sweet. By the lake, locked black away and tight, we lie, day creatures, overhearing night. 1. huggermugger: disorderly. 2. vesper: pertaining to the evening; a type of swallow that sings in the evening. 3. impinge (Gm-pGnjP): to strike or push upon. 4. debarred: prevented or hindered.

meeting at night / the sound of night

701

After Reading

Comprehension 1. Clarify According to the speaker in Teasdale’s poem, how would the natural world react if “mankind perished utterly”? 2. Clarify Whom does the speaker in Browning’s poem meet when he arrives at his destination? 3. Clarify What time and place are described in Kumin’s poem?

Literary Analysis 4. Reading Poetry Which poem did you appreciate most when read aloud? Explain the qualities that were brought out in an oral reading. 5. Analyze Rhyme Describe how end rhyme is used in each poem. Which poems employ a regular rhyme scheme? What ideas are emphasized through end rhyme? Use a chart like the one shown to plan your answer. Rhyme Scheme

Important Rhyming Words

“There Will Come Soft Rains” “Meeting at Night” “The Sound of Night”

6. Recognize Alliteration Which poem makes the most obvious use of alliteration? What feelings or ideas are suggested by these repeated consonant sounds? 7. Relate Theme and Sound Devices Describe the qualities of nature conveyed in each poem. How are sound devices used to suggest these qualities? Refer to your sound devices chart to plan your answer. 8. Draw Conclusions What does each poem suggest about humans and nature?

Literary Criticism 9. Critical Interpretations According to one critic, Teasdale’s poetry “expresses the fragility of human life where the only real certainty comes from nature.” How does this comment apply to “There Will Come Soft Rains”?

702

unit 7: the language of poetry

Reading-Writing Connection Broaden your understanding of the poems by responding to these prompts. Then use Revision: Grammar and Style to improve your writing.

writing prompts

self-check

A. Short Response: Support an Opinion

A strong opinion statement will . . .

Which of the three poems expresses the greatest appreciation of nature? Defend your choice in one or two paragraphs, using examples from the poems.

• identify one poem as expressing the most appreciation of nature • show how the imagery and tone of the poem express this appreciation

An effective response will . . .

B. Extended Response: Interpret Theme What is the theme or message of each poem that you read? Drawing on details from the poems, write a three-to-five-paragraph response.

• give a clearly stated interpretation of each poem • present details that support the interpretation

revision: grammar and style USE PRECISE LANGUAGE It is important for writers to choose words that effectively express the rhythm, sound, and imagery they wish to convey to their audience. Notice how Maxine Kumin’s use of precise verbs in “The Sound of Night” makes the description livelier and more specific than if she had used verbs such as “fly” or “communicate.” and bats, snub seven-pointed kites, skitter across the lake, swing out, squeak, chirp, dip, and skim on skates of air . . . (lines 4–7) Careful consideration of word choice can be given to all types of writing, not just poetry. Notice that the revisions in red are precise verbs that enhance the description in this first draft. Revise your responses to the prompts by changing any dull, general verbs to more precise ones. student model

urges

In “There Will Come Soft Rains,” Sara Teasdale asks us to consider that annihilated

nature will go on long after humans have done away with themselves.

writing tools For prewriting, revision, and editing tools, visit the Writing Center at ClassZone.com.

. . . soft r ains / meeting at night / the sound of night

703

Before Reading

I dwell in Possibility— Poem by Emily Dickinson

Variation on a Theme by Rilke Poem by Denise Levertov

blessing the boats Poem by Lucille Clifton

What if you couldn’t

fail ?

KEY IDEA Think about living in a world of endless possibility. You have no limitations, and you have every advantage available to you. If you want to sing, you have an extraordinary voice. If you want to feed the hungry, world leaders adopt your plans. What would you do in life if you knew that you could only succeed? QUICKWRITE Make a short to-do list of things you’d like to accomplish if success were assured. Then, with a partner, discuss your list. What are some of the entries? How do you feel inside as you imagine completing these tasks?

704

To- Do List 1. Compete in th e Olympics 2. 3.

poetic form: lyric poetry A lyric poem is a short poem in which a single speaker expresses personal thoughts and feelings on a subject. In ancient Greece, lyric poets expressed their feelings in song, accompanied by a lyre. While modern lyric poems are no longer sung, they still retain common characteristics such as: • a sense of rhythm and melody • imaginative language • exploration of a single feeling or thought Reading the lyric poems on the following pages aloud will help you appreciate these characteristics.

literary analysis: figurative language Figurative language is an expression of ideas beyond what the words literally mean. Three basic types of figurative language, or figures of speech, follow: • A simile compares two unlike things that have something in common, using like or as. (bats, sailing like kites) • A metaphor compares two unlike things by saying that one thing actually is the other. (bats, snub seven-pointed kites) • Personification lends human qualities to an object, animal, or idea. (bats, performing a graceful ballet) Poets use figurative language both to convey abstract thoughts and to offer a fresh outlook on everyday things. As you read the following poems, use a chart like this one to record and analyze examples of simile, metaphor, and personification. Example

Type

Two Things Compared

“I dwell in Possibility—/ A fairer House than Prose–”

metaphor

poetry/possibility and a house

Ideas Suggested

reading skill: compare and contrast Comparing and contrasting the poems—identifying the similarities and the differences between them—will help you understand each poem’s central theme. As you read, compare the feelings expressed and the figurative language used.

Emily Dickinson: Passionate Poet As an adult, Emily Dickinson rarely left her father’s home or welcomed visitors. Yet she managed to write poems that are remarkable for their originality and Emily Dickinson awareness of human 1830–1886 passion. Using unusual imagery and syntax, she explored such powerful emotions as love, despair, and ecstasy. Denise Levertov: A Poetic Vocation Denise Levertov’s view that writing poetry should be like a religious calling was influenced by the early 20th-century poet Rainer Maria Rilke, whom she claimed as Denise Levertov a role model. Levertov 1923–1997 often used her art in service of political ideals, tackling such issues as the Vietnam War and the nuclear arms race. Lucille Clifton: Honoring Heritage Lucille Clifton’s poetry honors African heritage and expresses optimism about life. Clifton is a professor of humanities at St. Mary’s College, which boasts a Lucille Clifton premier varsity sailing born 1936 program. Sailboat races there may have inspired “blessing the boats.”

more about the author For more on these poets, visit the Literature Center at ClassZone.com.

705

I dwell in Possibility— e m i ly dick i nson I dwell in Possibility— A fairer House than Prose— More numerous of Windows— Superior—for Doors— a 5

Of Chambers as the Cedars— Impregnable1 of Eye— And for an Everlasting Roof The Gambrels2 of the Sky— b

a FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE

The speaker is not literally living in a House of Possibility. What idea is really being conveyed in this metaphor? b FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE

Of Visitors—the fairest— 10 For Occupation—This— The spreading wide my narrow Hands To gather Paradise—

1. Impregnable: unconquerable. 2. Gambrels: a type of roof with two slopes on each side.

706

unit 7: the language of poetry

An extended metaphor compares two unlike things in more than one way. The house metaphor continues from the first stanza to the next. In lines 5–8, what is Dickinson saying about the size and scope of this house?

Detail of Cape Cod Morning (1950), Edward Hopper. Oil on canvas, 341/8˝ × 401/4˝. Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, D.C. © Heirs of Josephine N. Hopper, licensed by the Whitney Museum of American Art.

ANALYZE VISUALS In what way does this image illustrate the feelings expressed in Dickinson’s poem? Give specific details.

i dwell in possibility

707

Variation on a Theme by Rilke (The Book of Hours, Book I, Poem I, Stanza I ) denise levertov

5

10

A certain day became a presence to me; there it was, confronting me—a sky, air, light: a being. And before it started to descend from the height of noon, it leaned over and struck my shoulder as if with the flat of a sword, granting me honor and a task. The day’s blow c rang out, metallic—or it was I, a bell awakened, and what I heard was my whole self saying and singing what it knew: I can. d

c

FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE In this poem, a day is given human qualities. What idea does Levertov highlight through this use of personification?

d COMPARE AND

CONTR AST How similar are the feelings expressed in this poem and Dickinson’s poem?

708

blessing the boats (at St. Mary’s) lucille clifton

5

10

may the tide that is entering even now the lip of our understanding carry you out beyond the face of fear may you kiss the wind then turn from it certain that it will love your back may you open your eyes to water water waving forever and may you in your innocence sail through this to that e

e

LYRIC POETRY What feeling is the speaker expressing?

20

variation on a theme by rilke / blessing the boats

709

After Reading

Comprehension 1. Recall In Dickinson’s poem, what is the speaker’s house “fairer than”? 2. Recall What did the speaker of Levertov’s poem hear when “the day’s blow rang out”? 3. Paraphrase What does the speaker of Clifton’s poem wish?

Literary Analysis 4. Interpret Metaphor In Dickinson’s poem, the house is the basis for a metaphor that is carried throughout the poem. What does this extended metaphor suggest about being a poet and living a life of the imagination? 5. Interpret Figurative Language Reread lines 4–7 in Levertov’s poem and identify two examples of figurative language. What idea is conveyed? How does the figurative language illustrate the relationship between the speaker and the day? 6. Analyze Personification Find two or three examples of personification in Clifton’s poem. What is given human qualities, and to what effect? 7. Evaluate Figurative Language Refer to the chart you created as you read. Which poem made the best use of figurative language? Explain your choice. 8. Compare and Contrast Themes Complete a chart like the one shown. Based on this information, do the poems suggest similar or different ideas about possibility? Feelings Expressed

Figurative Language Used

“I dwell in Possibility ” “Variation on a Theme by Rilke” “blessing the boats”

9. Evaluate Lyric Poems Review the characteristics of lyric poetry listed on page 705. Which poem would work best as the lyrics of a song, and why?

Literary Criticism 10. Critical Interpretations French poet Jean de La Fontaine said, “Man is so made that when anything fires his soul, impossibilities vanish.” Evaluate the three poems against his statement. Do they support his claim? Why or why not?

710

unit 7: the language of poetry

Reading-Writing Connection Broaden your understanding of the poems by responding to these prompts. Then use Revision: Grammar and Style to improve your writing.

writing prompts

self-check

A. Short Response: Write a Lyric Poem

A successful poem will . . .

In four or more lines, write a poem about a feeling you’ve had. Incorporate at least two examples of figurative language.

• describe a single impression • include similes, metaphors, or personification

An effective analysis will . . .

B. Extended Response: Analyze Theme

• include statements about the speakers’ inspiration

Who or what inspires the speakers of the three poems to be open to possibility? Write three to five paragraphs in which you explore the people, places, ideas, or things that embolden the three speakers.

• present details from the poems to support conclusions • devote at least one paragraph to each poem

revision: grammar and style CREATE RHYTHM Parallelism is the use of similar grammatical constructions to express ideas that are related or equal in importance. In the following excerpt from her poem “blessing the boats,” Lucille Clifton uses parallelism to add rhythmic cadence to her writing. Notice how, in two different instances, she uses an inverted sentence structure that begins with the words “may you,” followed by predicates. may you kiss the wind then turn from it certain that it will love your back may you open your eyes to water water waving forever (lines 6–11) Note how the revisions in red use parallelism to improve this first draft. Revise your responses to the prompts by making similar changes. student model

And through

Through poetry, the speaker sees the unseen. Poetry also helps the speaker s

experience heaven on earth.

writing tools For prewriting, revision, and editing tools, visit the Writing Center at ClassZone.com.

i dwell . . . / variation . . . / blessing the boats

711

Before Reading

The Fish Poem by Elizabeth Bishop

Christmas Sparrow Poem by Billy Collins

The Sloth Poem by Theodore Roethke

What

animal reminds you of yourself ? KEY IDEA Think about your pets or other animals you’ve seen at the zoo or on TV nature shows. Do they ever behave in a way that seems almost human? Have you ever thought you knew what they were feeling? In the poems that follow, you will meet three animals with distinctive “human” qualities. DISCUSS Choose one animal you identify with the most. Explain to a partner why you relate to it and what characteristics you share with it.

712

poetic form: free verse Most modern poems are written in free verse, a poetic form with no regular pattern of rhyme or rhythm. A free verse poem can be structured as one long, unbroken stanza, as in “The Fish,” or with many stanzas of varying length, as in “Christmas Sparrow.” The lines in free verse poems may also vary in length. Without a strict meter, the rhythm of free verse poetry often seems more like everyday speech. As you read, notice how the line length, sounds of words, and punctuation create a rhythm in each poem.

literary analysis: imagery Sometimes a poem can seem like a portrait of a moment, a person, an animal, or an object. Imagery, or words and phrases that appeal to the reader’s senses, can help create these types of portraits and often reinforce certain ideas about the subject described. For example, in “The Fish,” Bishop appeals to the senses of sight and touch when she describes the fish’s skin. Lines like these help depict a beautifully fragile old fish. hung in strips / like ancient wallpaper shapes like full-blown roses / stained and lost through age As you read the poems, record strong, evocative imagery on a chart like the one shown. Identify • the sense the word or phrase appeals to • the associations the imagery conjures up • the idea that is being reinforced Poem Title: Imagery

Sense(s)

Associations

Idea Reinforced

reading strategy: visualize As you read the following poems, notice how the imagery, descriptions, and specific words help you visualize the animals, settings, and events in the poems. Use your imagination to “see” what they might look like. For example, what image of a fish comes to mind when you read the following description? He hung a grunting weight, / battered and venerable / and homely. . . .

Elizabeth Bishop: Soulful Poet The poetry of Elizabeth Bishop is marked by its exact and tranquil descriptions of the physical world. Hidden beneath her poems’ air of serenity and simplicity, however, are underlying themes Elizabeth Bishop of great depth. When 1911–1979 writing about loss and pain, the struggle to belong, and other themes, Bishop worked hard to ensure that “the spiritual [was] felt.” Billy Collins: Poet for the People Billy Collins remembers publishing a poem in his high school newspaper that was later confiscated. Rising to national and popular prominence years later, Collins became U.S. Poet Billy Collins Laureate (2001–2003) born 1941 and launched the “Poetry 180” program, which aimed to get more high school students to read wellwritten, understandable poetry each day during the 180-day school year. Theodore Roethke: Passion for Nature “When I get alone under an open sky,” wrote Theodore Roethke, “where man isn’t too evident— then I’m tremendously exalted. . . .” A passion for nature pervades Theodore Roethke Roethke’s poetry. His 1908–1963 poems also explore love, mortality, and the quest for spiritual wholeness.

more about the author For more on these poets, visit the Literature Center at ClassZone.com.

713

The Fish Elizabeth Bishop

5

10

15

20

25

30

714

I caught a tremendous fish and held him beside the boat half out of water, with my hook fast in a corner of his mouth. He didn’t fight. He hadn’t fought at all. He hung a grunting weight, battered and venerable and homely. Here and there a his brown skin hung in strips like ancient wallpaper, and its pattern of darker brown was like wallpaper: shapes like full-blown roses stained and lost through age. He was speckled with barnacles, fine rosettes of lime, and infested with tiny white sea-lice, and underneath two or three rags of green weed hung down. While his gills were breathing in the terrible oxygen —the frightening gills, fresh and crisp with blood, that can cut so badly— I thought of the coarse white flesh packed in like feathers, the big bones and the little bones, the dramatic reds and blacks of his shiny entrails,

unit 7: the language of poetry

a FREE VERSE

Notice how the lines of this poem are unequal in length. How do the short lines affect the rhythm in the poem?

35

40

45

50

55

60

65

70

75

and the pink swim-bladder like a big peony. I looked into his eyes which were far larger than mine but shallower, and yellowed, the irises backed and packed with tarnished tinfoil seen through the lenses of old scratched isinglass. They shifted a little, but not to return my stare. —It was more like the tipping of an object toward the light. b I admired his sullen face, the mechanism of his jaw, and then I saw that from his lower lip —if you could call it a lip— grim, wet, and weaponlike, hung five old pieces of fish-line, or four and a wire leader with the swivel still attached, with all their five big hooks grown firmly in his mouth. A green line, frayed at the end where he broke it, two heavier lines, and a fine black thread still crimped from the strain and snap when it broke and he got away. Like medals with their ribbons frayed and wavering, a five-haired beard of wisdom trailing from his aching jaw. c I stared and stared and victory filled up the little rented boat, from the pool of bilge where oil had spread a rainbow around the rusted engine to the bailer rusted orange, the sun-cracked thwarts, the oarlocks on their strings, the gunnels—until everything was rainbow, rainbow, rainbow! And I let the fish go.

b VISUALIZE

Reread lines 34–44. What aspects of the fish’s character can you “see” in this description of its eyes?

c IM AGERY

What senses does this description of the fish’s face appeal to? What associations form in your mind about the fish?

the fish

715

s a m t s i r h C Sparrow Billy Collins

The first thing I heard this morning was a rapid flapping sound, soft, insistent—

5

10

15

20

716

wings against glass as it turned out downstairs when I saw the small bird rioting in the frame of a high window, trying to hurl itself through the enigma of glass into the spacious light.

d

Then a noise in the throat of the cat who was hunkered on the rug told me how the bird had gotten inside, carried in the cold night through the flap of a basement door, and later released from the soft grip of teeth. On a chair, I trapped its pulsations in a shirt and got it to the door, so weightless it seemed to have vanished into the nest of cloth. But outside, when I uncupped my hands, it burst into its element, dipping over the dormant garden in a spasm of wingbeats then disappeared over a row of tall hemlocks.

unit 7: the language of poetry

d IM AGERY

What images describe the bird in lines 1–7? What senses do these images appeal to?

25

30

For the rest of the day, I could feel its wild thrumming against my palms as I wondered about the hours it must have spent pent in the shadows of that room, hidden in the spiky branches of our decorated tree, breathing there among the metallic angels, ceramic apples, stars of yarn, its eyes open, like mine as I lie in bed tonight e picturing this rare, lucky sparrow tucked into a holly bush now, a light snow tumbling through the windless dark.

e VISUALIZE What details help you imagine how the bird looks and feels as it hides in the Christmas tree?

christmas sparrow

717

The

o Sloth

Theodore Roethke

In moving-slow he has no Peer.1 You ask him something in his Ear, He thinks about it for a Year;

5

And, then, before he says a Word There, upside down (unlike a Bird), He will assume that you have Heard— A most Ex-as-per-at-ing Lug. But should you call his manner Smug, He’ll sigh and give his Branch a Hug; f

10

Then off again to Sleep he goes, Still swaying gently by his Toes, And you just know he knows he knows.

1. peer: equal.

718

unit 7: the language of poetry

f

IM AGERY Reread line 9. What does this image suggest about the sloth?

After Reading

Comprehension 1. Recall How does the fish in Bishop’s poem react when it is caught? 2. Recall How did the bird in Collins’s poem get trapped inside the house? 3. Summarize What is the sloth’s response when asked a question?

Literary Analysis 4. Visualize Describe in detail the mental picture you form of each animal in the poems. 5. Analyze Imagery Review the examples of imagery you recorded in your chart. Identify some images that appeal to your sense of sight and others that appeal to your sense of touch. What is the most striking image in each poem? Why? 6. Analyze Free Verse How is the experience of reading Bishop’s and Collins’s free verse poems different from reading Roethke’s more traditional poem? 7. Interpret Themes How are the three animals in these poems like people? What does each poem suggest about the relationship between human beings and animals? 8. Compare and Contrast Texts Compare and contrast the Bishop and Collins poems. In a chart like the one shown, consider subject, mood, and theme in your answer. “The Fish”

“Christmas Sparrow”

Similarities

Differences

Subject Mood Theme

Literary Criticism 9. Critical Interpretations According to Billy Collins, the best poems begin in clarity and end in mystery. Would you say that this is true for each of the three poems in this lesson? Why or why not?

the fish / christmas sparrow / the sloth

719

Before Reading

Piano Poem by D. H. Lawrence

Fifteen Poem by William Stafford

Tonight I Can Write . . . / Puedo Escribir Los Versos . . . Poem by Pablo Neruda

Which

memor ies last? KEY IDEA Think back to a moment from your past that evokes powerful feelings in you. Why has this memory made such a lasting impression? Was it the person you shared the experience with, or the activity itself? In the poems that follow, three speakers recall moments that have had a lasting impact. QUICKWRITE In a short paragraph, describe a particular memory. Why is this recollection special? What feelings do you remember? Include sensory details that help present a clear picture.

720

literary analysis: sound devices In the poems that follow, the poets use rhyme and other sound devices to convey rhythm and meaning: • Assonance—the repetition of vowel sounds in words that don’t rhyme We could find the end of a road, meet the sky on out Seventeenth. . . . • Consonance—the repetition of consonant sounds within and at the ends of words Softly, in the dusk, a woman is singing to me; Taking me back down the vista of years, till I see • Repetition—a sound, word, phrase, or line that is repeated I loved her, and sometimes she loved me too. She loved me, sometimes I loved her too. Listen for the various sound devices that establish each poem’s rhythmic flow, and notice how they help to evoke specific memories. Record examples in a chart. Assonance

Consonance

Repetition

“Piano” “Fifteen” “Tonight I Can Write . . .”

reading skill: understand line breaks End-stopped lines of poetry end at a normal speech pause, as in these lines from “Tonight I Can Write . . .”: The same night whitening the same trees. We, of that time, are no longer the same. This emphasizes the line endings and makes a reader view each line as a complete unit of meaning. Enjambed lines run on without a natural pause, as in “Fifteen”: South of the bridge on Seventeenth I found back of the willows one summer day a motorcycle with engine running Enjambment can create a tension and momentum until the thought is complete. As you read each poem, think about how line breaks affect rhythm and meaning. Review: Make Inferences

D. H. Lawrence: Writer of Experience Although impoverished during his childhood, D. H. Lawrence found great pleasure in learning and culture, a love of which was instilled by his mother. Lawrence’s D. H. Lawrence confessional, earnest 1885–1930 style is illustrated in the poem “Piano.” He wrote it in memory of his mother. William Stafford: Remembering the Past William Stafford remembered, growing up in Kansas, being “surrounded by songs and stories and poems, and lyrical splurges of excited talk. . . .” These memories eventually became the stuff of his poetry. “Fifteen” is part of a collection of poems that recall his past.

William Stafford 1914–1993

Pablo Neruda: Boy Wonder Pablo Neruda was drawn to poetry at an early age, even though his workingclass family scoffed at his literary ambitions. By age 20 he had achieved literary stardom with the Pablo Neruda publication of Twenty 1904–1973 Love Poems and a Song of Despair. The book chronicles a passionate love story, from the couple’s first meeting to eventual breakup. “Tonight I Can Write” is the 20th poem.

more about the author For more on these poets, visit the Literature Center at ClassZone.com.

721

The Spinet (1902), Thomas Wilmer Dewing. Oil on wood, 151/2˝ × 20˝. Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, D.C. Photo © Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, D.C./Art Resource, New York.

Piano D. H. Lawrence

Softly, in the dusk, a woman is singing to me; Taking me back down the vista of years, till I see A child sitting under the piano, in the boom of the tingling strings And pressing the small, poised feet of a mother who smiles as she sings. 5

10

722

In spite of myself, the insidious mastery of song Betrays me back, till the heart of me weeps to belong To the old Sunday evenings at home, with winter outside And hymns in the cozy parlour, the tinkling piano our guide. a So now it is vain for the singer to burst into clamour With the great black piano appassionato. The glamour Of childish days is upon me, my manhood is cast Down in the flood of remembrance, I weep like a child for the past.

unit 7: the language of poetry

a SOUND DEVICES

Reread lines 5–9 aloud. Where can you find assonance and consonance in this stanza?

Fifteen William Stafford

5

South of the bridge on Seventeenth I found back of the willows one summer day a motorcycle with engine running as it lay on its side, ticking over slowly in the high grass. I was fifteen.

b LINE BREAKS

10

I admired all that pulsing gleam, the shiny flanks, the demure headlights fringed where it lay; I led it gently to the road and stood with that companion, ready and friendly. I was fifteen.

15

We could find the end of a road, meet the sky on out Seventeenth. I thought about hills, and patting the handle got back a confident opinion. On the bridge we indulged a forward feeling, a tremble. I was fifteen.

20

Thinking, back farther in the grass I found the owner, just coming to, where he had flipped over the rail. He had blood on his hand, was pale— I helped him walk to his machine. He ran his hand over it, called me good man, roared away.

b

Notice how Stafford continues a thought or sentence from one line to the next. How does this enjambment affect the way you read the lines?

I stood there, fifteen.

piano / fifteen

723

Tonight I Can Write . . . Pablo Neruda

Text not available for electronic use. Please refer to the text in the textbook.

724

unit 7: the language of poetry

Puedo Escribir Los Versos . . . Pablo Neruda Puedo escribir los versos más tristes esta noche. Escribir, por ejemplo: ‘La noche está estrellada, y tiritan, azules, los astros, a lo lejos.’ El viento de la noche gira en el cielo y canta. 5

Puedo escribir los versos más tristes esta noche. Yo la quise, y a veces ella también me quiso. En las noches como ésta la tuve entre mis brazos. La besé tantas veces bajo el cielo infinito.

10

Ella me quiso, a veces yo también la quería. Cómo no haber amado sus grandes ojos fijos. Puedo escribir los versos más tristes esta noche. Pensar que no la tengo. Sentir que la he perdido. Oir la noche inmensa, más inmensa sin ella. Y el verso cae al alma como al pasto el rocío.

15

Qué importa que mi amor no pudiera guardarla. La noche está estrellada y ella no está conmigo. Eso es todo. A lo lejos alguien canta. A lo lejos. Mi alma no se contenta con haberla perdido.

20

Como para acercarla mi mirada la busca. Mi corazón la busca, y ella no está conmigo.

Waiting (2001), Ben McLaughlin. Oil on board, 30.5 cm × 30.5 cm. Private collection. Photo © Bridgeman Art Library.

La misma noche que hace blanquear los mismos árboles. Nosotros, los de entonces, ya no somos los mismos. Ya no la quiero, es cierto, pero cuánto la quise. Mi voz buscaba el viento para tocar su oído. 25

De otro. Será de otro. Como antes de mis besos. Su voz, su cuerpo claro. Sus ojos infinitos. Ya no la quiero, es cierto, pero tal vez la quiero. Es tan corto el amor, y es tan largo el olvido.

30

Porque en noches como ésta la tuve entre mis brazos, mi alma no se contenta con haberla perdido. Aunque éste sea el último dolor que ella me causa, y éstos sean los últimos versos que yo le escribo.

tonight i can write . . . / puedo escribir . . .

725

Reading for Information JOURNAL ARTICLE In 1971, nearly 50 years after writing “Tonight I Can Write . . .” Pablo Neruda was awarded the Nobel Prize in literature. For Neruda, this meant a prize of $450,000 and worldwide fame, although he was already quite famous in and around Chile, his native country. The following selection gives background on this prestigious award.

e z i r P l e NLoibterature

The in In

1888, the well-known scientist and inventor Alfred Nobel experienced the shock of reading his own obituary. A French journalist had mistakenly reported his passing and described him as a “merchant of Death.” The name was a reference to Nobel’s most famous invention: dynamite. This description troubled Nobel. He had often spoken out against violence and considered himself a pacifist. Many believe that he was moved to create a more positive legacy; for when he did die, his will specified that his fortune be used to honor people whose achievements enrich human life. Since 1900, the Nobel Prize has rewarded some of the world’s most dazzling achievements in the fields of physics, chemistry, medicine, economics, peace, and literature. Given out each year by the Swedish Academy, the prize consists of a gold medal, a diploma, and money (in 2000, it reached one million dollars), but its actual worth is much higher. Nobel winners, or laureates, are considered among the most important and influential people in the world. The Nobel Prize has both launched new careers and brought closure to long and successful ones. Nobel’s will required that a prize winner’s work provide “the greatest benefit to mankind.” For achievements in literature, however, Nobel had a second requirement: this work must

726

unit 7: the language of poetry

also be “in an ideal direction.” Over the past century, there has been debate over what “ideal direction” means, and why any particular writer should be chosen. As a result, the prize has been used at different times to honor different things: talented but unknown writers, for example, or writers who pioneer new styles. Pablo Neruda falls into the “pioneers” category, while recent winning poets Seamus Heaney (1995) and Wislawa Szymborska (1996), were honored as “unknown masters.” When Neruda won his Nobel Prize in 1971, the Academy’s presentation speech stated that “his work benefits mankind precisely because of its direction.” Neruda’s early poems describing “isolation and dissonance” gave way to later ones declaring “harmony with Man and the Earth.” The Academy saw this as an “ideal direction” for all of mankind to take. Neruda’s work was also praised for its political content, particularly as it criticized the oppression of writers and artists. In recent years, the Academy has moved away from determining “ideal direction” in favor of simply honoring writers for work which “furthers knowledge of man and his condition.” This tendency might have pleased Neruda, who once stated, “The books that help you most are those which make you think the most . . . a great book that comes from a great thinker is a ship of thought, deep freighted with truth and beauty.”

After Reading

Comprehension 1. Recall How does the speaker in Stafford’s poem react to finding the motorcycle? 2. Recall What are some nature images in Neruda’s poem? 3. Summarize In Lawrence’s poem, what is the speaker remembering?

Literary Analysis 4. Visualize Cite specific lines from both Lawrence’s and Stafford’s poems that helped you to visualize what the speakers remember. For example, what mental pictures did you form when reading lines 3 and 4 of Lawrence’s poem? 5. Analyze Sound Devices What examples of sound devices did you list as you read? Explain what ideas are emphasized through repetition of words and phrases. 6. Analyze Figurative Language For each poem, record one or two effective examples of figurative language on a chart like the one shown. Note whether each example is a simile, metaphor, or personification. Also indicate what ideas each comparison suggests. Poem

Example

Type of Figurative Language

Ideas Suggested

7. Examine Line Breaks Compare and contrast the poets’ use of end-stopped and enjambed lines. How do their choices affect the rhythm of the poems? 8. Compare and Contrast Themes Compare and contrast the speakers’ memories. In your opinion, why have these memories endured? 9. Evaluate Read “The Nobel Prize in Literature” on page 726, and consider “Tonight I Can Write . . .” in light of the Swedish Academy’s comments on Neruda’s work. Does the poem have more to do with isolation and dissonance, or harmony?

Reading-Writing Connection writing prompt

self-check

Extended Response: Analyze Imagery

An effective analysis will . . .

What do the images from nature in Neruda’s poem reveal about the speaker’s relationship with the woman? What do they tell the reader about the speaker’s emotions? Use details from the poem to write a response in three to five paragraphs.

• cite examples of nature imagery • describe what feelings are evoked in these examples

piano / fifteen / tonight i can write . . .

727

Before Reading

Sonnet 18 Poem by William Shakespeare

Sonnet XXX of Fatal Interview Poem by Edna St. Vincent Millay

What makes a good

love poem ? KEY IDEA How do you describe something you cannot see or taste or touch? Like a love song, a love poem uses familiar objects and experiences to make sense of the mysterious feelings of love. As you’ll see in “Sonnet 18” and “Sonnet XXX,” the results can be as different as day and night. BRAINSTORM In a group, brainstorm a list of comparisons you might use to describe how it feels to be in love. Think of song lyrics you know or poems you have read. As you create your list, discuss what aspect or quality of love each comparison communicates.

728

Love is like . . 1. Fe ver 2. A red, red ro 3. A faucet

se

.

poetic form: sonnet The sonnet has been a popular poetic form for centuries, and, traditionally, love has been its subject. While different types of sonnets have been developed by various poets, there are some characteristics that are common to all sonnets. • Typically, the sonnet is a 14-line lyric poem written with a strict pattern of rhyme and rhythm. • The English, or Shakespearean, sonnet has a rhyme scheme of abab cdcd efef gg. Notice how this divides the poem into four distinct line groups: three quatrains, or four-line units, followed by a couplet—a pair of rhymed lines, or two-line unit. • The meter, or the repeated pattern of rhythm, in each line of a sonnet is typically iambic pentameter. Each rhythmic unit of meter is known as a foot. The most commonly used metrical foot is an iamb, which is an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable. Note the iambs in the following example from Shakespeare’s “Sonnet 18”: So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see, So long lives this, and this gives life to thee. In each line, notice that there are five units of iambs. When a line has five feet in it, it is referred to as pentameter. Therefore, this meter is called iambic pentameter. As you read the poems in this lesson, compare their rhyme schemes and meter.

reading strategy: reading sonnets Through their structure, sonnets often express complex ideas. These strategies will help you better understand sonnets: 1. Identify the situation, problem, or question introduced at the beginning of the poem. 2. Identify the turning point, if there is one. 3. Determine how the situation is clarified, the problem resolved, or the question answered. As you read, apply these strategies and record the results on a chart like the one shown. Strategy

Sonnet 18

William Shakespeare: Renaissance Man Although Shakespeare is best known for his plays, he was also a brilliant poet. When Shakespeare began his career in the 1590s, the sonnet was a literary fashion in England, William Shakespeare usually written as 1564–1616 a longing tribute to a faraway beloved. In fact, many of Shakespeare’s sonnets are addressed to a “dark lady” whose identity has never been discovered. First published in 1609, the complete series of 154 sonnets includes some of the finest love poems written in English. For more about Shakespeare, see the extended biography on page 1084. Edna St. Vincent Millay: A True Original Edna St. Vincent Millay was only 19 when her poem “Renascence” made her an instant celebrity. Although Millay’s youth and freespirited lifestyle fit the image of the rebellious Edna St. Vincent Millay artist, her highly 1892–1950 crafted poems often took on traditional poetic forms, such as the sonnet. In 1923 she became the first woman to win the Pulitzer Prize in poetry, a tribute to her technical skill.

more about the author For more on William Shakespeare and Edna St. Vincent Millay, visit the Literature Center at ClassZone.com.

Sonnet XXX

Situation/Problem/Question Turning Point Solution/Resolution/Answer

sonnet 18 / sonnet xxx

729

ANALYZE VISUALS Describe the relationship of the figures shown. What specific details support your inferences?

Sonnet 18 William Shakespeare

5

10

Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate:1 Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May, And summer’s lease hath all too short a date: Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines, And often is his gold complexion dimmed; And every fair from fair sometime declines, By chance or nature’s changing course untrimmed; 2 But thy eternal summer shall not fade, Nor lose possession of that fair thou owest;3 Nor shall Death brag thou wander’st in his shade, When in eternal lines to time thou growest: So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see, So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.

a

a READING SONNETS

Reread the second quatrain, or grouping of four lines. What situation does it describe?

1. temperate (tDmPpEr-Gt): moderate, mild. 2. untrimmed: stripped of beauty. 3. thou owest (thou IPGst): you own; you possess.

730

unit 7: the language of poetry

Offering of the Heart (1400-1410). French tapestry from Arras. Wool and silk, 247 cm × 209 cm. Louvre, Paris. Photo © Réunion des Musées Nationaux/Art Resource, New York.

selection title

731

The Cathedral (1908), Auguste Rodin. Bronze, 241/2˝ × 103/4˝ × 113/4˝. Photo © Timothy McCarthy/Art Resource, New York.

Sonnet xxx

of fata l i n t e rv i e w Edna St. Vincent Millay

5

10

Love is not all: it is not meat nor drink Nor slumber nor a roof against the rain; Nor yet a floating spar1 to men that sink And rise and sink and rise and sink again; Love can not fill the thickened lung with breath, Nor clean the blood, nor set the fractured bone; Yet many a man is making friends with death Even as I speak, for lack of love alone. b It well may be that in a difficult hour, Pinned down by pain and moaning for release, Or nagged by want2 past resolution’s power, I might be driven to sell your love for peace, Or trade the memory of this night for food. It well may be. I do not think I would.

1. spar: a pole used to support a ship’s sails. 2. want: need.

732

unit 7: the language of poetry

b SONNET

How does the rhyme scheme of lines 1–8 compare with that of Shakespeare’s sonnet?

After Reading

Comprehension 1. Recall What is the main comparison developed in “Sonnet 18”? 2. Clarify In “Sonnet 18,” the speaker promises the subject of the poem that “thy eternal summer shall not fade.” What is the basis for this promise? 3. Recall What contrast opens “Sonnet XXX”? 4. Paraphrase Reread the second quatrain of “Sonnet XXX.” What is the speaker’s claim about love in these lines?

Literary Analysis 5. Identify Metaphor In poetry, an extended metaphor is a comparison between two distinctive things that is continued across a number of lines. Consider the extended metaphor used in “Sonnet 18.” What qualities does this metaphor help communicate? 6. Interpret Imagery Consider the images Love Is Not that Millay presents in describing what meat love is not, or what it cannot do. These images are examples of what kinds of human needs? What is the point of contrasting love with these needs? Use a chart like the one shown to record the images from the poem.

Love Cannot fill the lung with breath

7. Analyze Sonnet Structure Review the chart you developed as you read. How do the ideas expressed in the sonnet relate to its quatrains and couplets? Cite evidence from the poems to explain your answer. 8. Compare Form Although separated by more than 300 years, Millay and Shakespeare both wrote poetry using the sonnet form. Determine the rhyme scheme and meter for both sonnets. Then reread the top of page 729. Is Millay’s poem a Shakespearean sonnet? Explain your answer.

Reading-Writing Connection writing prompt

self-check

Extended Response: Interpret Theme

A successful response will . . .

How would the speaker of each poem respond to the statement “Love lasts forever”? Use details from “Sonnet 18” and “Sonnet XXX” to write a three- to fiveparagraph response.

• describe each speaker’s concept of love • provide examples to support your opinion

sonnet 18 / sonnet xxx

733

poetic form: ballad The earliest ballads were stories told in song, using the voice and language of everyday people. They were composed orally, and singers often added or changed details to make the songs meaningful for their audience. These early ballads, typical of the medieval period, are known as folk ballads. Like a work of fiction, a ballad has characters, setting, and dialogue. Like a song, it uses repetition and has regular rhyme and meter. A traditional ballad—such as “Lord Randall,” the written version of an older folk ballad—has these characteristics: • consists of four-line stanzas with a simple rhyme scheme • narrates a single tragic incident through dialogue A ballad’s rhyme scheme may be very loose or seem inconsistent. A loose rhyme scheme gave the singer more freedom to improvise lyrics. And, because pronunciations change over time, words that once rhymed may no longer sound alike. As you read “Ballad” and “Midwinter Blues,” consider how these poems expand the traditional ballad form.

reading skill: understand dialect People who inhabit a particular region or who belong to a particular social or ethnic group may speak in a dialect, a variation of a language. Their speech may differ in pronunciation, vocabulary, and grammar from the standard form of the language. Dialect often provides clues about a poem’s setting, as in “Lord Randall,” which uses an 18th-century Scottish dialect. It can also reveal information about the speaker’s identity, such as ethnicity and social class, as in “Midwinter Blues.” As you read “Lord Randall,” record on a graphic organizer words and phrases written in dialect, and then rewrite them in standard English. Make a similar graphic organizer for “Midwinter Blues.” Title: “Lord Randall”

Gabriela Mistral: Voice of the Poor Chilean poet Gabriela Mistral (mC-strälP) wrote about the lives of everyday people. She believed the poet had a duty to speak for his or her own people and age. “What the soul is Gabriela Mistral to the body,” she once 1899–1957 remarked, “so is the artist to his people.” Mistral’s themes include love and loss, faith, childbearing, and motherhood. Many of her finest poems grappled with the suicide of her fiancé Romelio Ureta, who had left Mistral prior to his death. In 1945, Mistral became the first Latin American writer to receive the Nobel Prize for literature. Langston Hughes: Man of the People Langston Hughes was a central figure of the Harlem Renaissance, a cultural movement of the 1920s and 1930s celebrating AfricanAmerican artistic expression. He was one Langston Hughes of the first to champion 1902–1967 the artistry of blues songs, which he called music from “black, beaten, but unbeatable throats.” Blues songs, and the “low-down folks” who sang them, were a lifelong inspiration to Hughes, who drew on their rhythms, motifs, and themes in his poems, short stories, essays, and novels.

more about the author

Speaker’s English

Standard English

What gat ye to your dinner?

What did you eat?

For more on these poets, visit the Literature Center at ClassZone.com.

735

ANALYZE VISUALS Which character in “Lord Randall” might this image represent? Cite details that support your answer.

Lord Randall Anonymous

“Oh where ha’e ye1 been, Lord Randall my son? O where ha’e ye been, my handsome young man?” “I ha’e been to the wild wood: mother, make my bed soon, For I’m weary wi’2 hunting, and fain3 wald4 lie down.” a 5

10

15

20

5

“Where gat ye your dinner, Lord Randall my son? Where gat ye your dinner, my handsome young man?” “I dined wi’ my true love: mother, make my bed soon, For I’m weary wi’ hunting, and fain wald lie down.”

a DIALECT

Reread the first stanza. What words capture the qualities of spoken language?

“What gat ye to your dinner, Lord Randall my son? What gat ye to your dinner, my handsome young man?” “I gat eels boiled in broo: 6 mother, make my bed soon, For I’m weary wi’ hunting and fain wald lie down.” “What became of your bloodhounds, Lord Randall my son? What became of your bloodhounds, my handsome young man?” “O they swelled and they died: mother, make my bed soon, For I’m weary wi’ hunting and fain wald lie down.” “O I fear ye are poisoned, Lord Randall my son! O I fear ye are poisoned, my handsome young man!” “Oh yes, I am poisoned: mother, make my bed soon, For I’m sick at the heart, and I fain wald lie down.” b

b BALL AD

How does the ballad’s pattern of repetition change in this stanza?

1. ha’e ye (hAP yCP): have you. 2. wi’ (wG): with. 3. fain (fAn): gladly, eagerly. 4. wald (wBld): would. 5. gat ye (gBt yC): did you get. 6. broo (brL): brew, broth.

736

unit 7: the language of poetry

The Vitriol Thrower (1894), Eugene Grasset. Color lithograph. Cecil Higgins Art Gallery, Bedford, Bedfordshire, United Kingdom. Photo © Bridgeman Art Library.

Gabriela Mistral

5

10

15

20

He passed by with another; I saw him pass by. The wind ever sweet and the path full of peace. And these eyes of mine, wretched, saw him pass by! He goes loving another over the earth in bloom. The hawthorn1 is flowering and a song wafts by. He goes loving another over the earth in bloom! c He kissed the other by the shores of the sea. The orange-blossom moon skimmed over the waves. And my heart’s blood did not taint2 the expanse of the sea! He will go with another through eternity. Sweet skies will shine. (God wills to keep silent.) And he will go with another through eternity! Translated by Doris Dana

1. hawthorn: a spring-flowering shrub. 2. taint (tAnt): contaminate.

738

unit 7: the language of poetry

c BALL AD

Reread stanzas 1 and 2. What patterns of repetition can you identify?

Gabriela Mistral

5

10

15

20

El pasó con otra; yo le vi pasar. Siempre dulce el viento y el camino en paz. ¡Y estos ojos míseros le vieron pasar! El va amando a otra por la tierra en flor. Ha abierto el espino; pasa una canción. ¡Y él va amando a otra por la tierra en flor! El besó a la otra a orillas del mar; resbaló en las olas la luna de azahar. ¡Y no untó mi sangre la extensión del mar! El irá con otra por la eternidad Habrá cielos dulces. (Dios quiere callar.) ¡Y él irá con otra por la eternidad!

Melancholy, Edvard Munch. National Gallery, Oslo, Norway. © 2008 The Munch Museum/The Munch-Ellingsen Group/ Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Photo © Scala/Art Resource, New York.

ballad / balada

739

Midwinter

Blu Blues llues ues

Graffiti Divas (2003), Jen Thario. Spray paint on paper, 22˝ × 22˝. © Jen Thario.

Lan gst on Hu Langston Hughes gh es

5

10

15

20

740

In the middle of the winter, Snow all over the ground. In the middle of the winter, Snow all over the ground— ’Twas the night befo’ Christmas My good man turned me down.

d

Don’t know’s I’d mind his goin’ But he left me when the coal was low. Don’t know’s I’d mind his goin’ But he left when the coal was low. Now, if a man loves a woman That ain’t no time to go. e He told me that he loved me But he must a been tellin’ a lie. He told me that he loved me. He must a been tellin’ a lie. But he’s the only man I’ll Love till the day I die. I’m gonna buy me a rose bud An’ plant it at my back door, Buy me a rose bud, Plant it at my back door, So when I’m dead they won’t need No flowers from the store.

unit 7: the language of poetry

d BALL AD

Compare this opening stanza with that of “Lord Randall.” What qualities do the poems share?

e DIALECT

Based on the dialect used in this poem, what do you learn about the speaker’s identity?

After Reading

Comprehension 1. Recall Where has Lord Randall been, and what has happened to him? 2. Clarify Why is the speaker of “Ballad” so distressed? 3. Summarize In “Midwinter Blues,” what is the speaker’s situation?

Literary Analysis 4. Identify Ballad Reread “Lord Randall” and “Ballad.” Using a chart like the one shown, compare how the elements of the traditional ballad are used in both poems. How does Mistral’s poem depart from a traditional ballad? Ballad Characteristics

Examples from “Lord Randall”

Examples from “Ballad”

Single tragic incident Repetition Dialogue Four-line stanzas Regular rhyme and meter

5. Analyze Dialect Review your dialect chart. How does dialect help establish the voices of the speakers in “Lord Randall” and “Midwinter Blues”? 6. Contrast Speakers Contrast the attitudes of the speakers in “Ballad” and “Midwinter Blues.” How does the language used in each poem communicate the speaker’s emotional state? 7. Compare Styles Consider qualities that make a poem musical. How do poems based on song forms differ from others you have read?

Reading-Writing Connection writing prompt

self-check

Extended Response: Support an Opinion

A successful response will . . .

Compare and contrast the experiences of each speaker. What do their experiences suggest about the nature of romantic love? Support your argument with details from the poems in a three-to five-paragraph response.

• point out similarities and differences between the speakers’ experiences • formulate a conclusion that is supported by details

lord r andall / ballad / midwinter blues

741

i

Reading for Information !.!,9:%ß6)35!,3 RDß 7HICHßCHARACTERßINß±,O AGEß 2ANDALL²ßMIGHTßTHISßIM ß REPRESENTßß#ITEßDETAILS ER THATßSUPPORTßYOURßANSW

,ORDß2ANDALL

from

Blues Poems

Essay by Kevin Young

What’s the Connection?

ßßßßßßßßßßßß!NONYMOUS

LMYSON h/HWHEREHAEYE BEEN ,ORD2ANDAL OUNGMANv /WHEREHAEYEBEEN MYHANDSOMEY MAKEMYBEDSOON WILDWOODMOTHER h)HAEBEENTOTHE  WALDLIEDOWNv A  &OR)MWEARYWI HUNTING ANDFAIN 



2ANDALLMYSON  h7HEREGATYE YOURDINNER ,ORD EYOUNGMANv 7HEREGATYEYOURDINNER MYHANDSOMEMYBEDSOON h)DINEDWIMYTRUELOVEMOTHER MAK LDLIEDOWNv &OR)MWEARYWIHUNTING ANDFAINWA

A ß$)!,%#4 ßß 2EREADßTHEßFIRSTßSTANZA 7HATßWORDSßCAPTUREß ß THEßQUALITIESßOFßSPOKEN LANGUAGE

NDALLMYSON h7HATGATYETOYOURDINNER ,ORD2A OMEYOUNGMANv RDINNER MYHANDS  7HATGATYETOYOU  MOTHER MAKEMYBEDSOON h)GATEELSBOILEDINBROO LDLIEDOWNv &OR)MWEARYWIHUNTINGANDFAINWA



ORD2ANDALLMYSON h7HATBECAMEOFYOURBLOODHOUNDS ,YHANDSOMEYOUNGMANv 7HATBECAMEOFYOURBLOODHOUNDS MR MAKEMYBEDSOON h/THEYSWELLEDANDTHEYDIEDMOTHE LDLIEDOWNv &OR)MWEARYWIHUNTINGANDFAINWA



LLMYSON
h/)FEARYEAREPOISONED ,ORD2ANDA EYOUNGMAN
v /)FEARYEAREPOISONED MYHANDSOM MYBEDSOON h/HYES )AMPOISONEDMOTHER MAKELDLIEDOWNv B &OR)MSICKATTHEHEART AND)FAINWA ß ß HA´EßYEßU6Ff8FßHAVEßYOU

%UGENE 4HE6ITRIOL4HROWER ECIL 'RASSET#OLORLITHOGRAPH# (IGGINS!RT'ALLERY "EDFORD M "EDFORDSHIRE 5NITED+INGDO RARY 0HOTOÚ"RIDGEMAN!RT,IB

ß ß WI´ßd