Transition from childhood to adulthood is a major element in our lives and to many individuals this can be a daunting experience. The poem ‘Black Box’, by John McAuliffe, portrays this change from the perspective of an individual who is resistant to the development from childhood to maturity. This essay will critically examine the way this interpretation is formed by following the model established by I.A.Richards and critics of the New School. The aim of this model is to construct an understanding of a text “by isolating the text from history and context.” (Barry, 2009, p.15) In terms of poetry, the model focuses on the way literary techniques, structure and form contribute to the meaning of a poem. This essay is divided into three sections; in the first section I will focus on the way literary techniques, such as language, syntax and symbolism, enhance the meaning of the poem. The second section will assess the way the poet embodies transition in the structure of the poem. In the final section I will analyse how the form of the poem augments the speaker’s attitude to the issue of transition.
The poet employs the use of literary techniques to support the meaning of the poem. Such techniques include language, syntax and symbolism. The way language strengthens the subject of the poem is that the poet reveals the speakers attitude to transition through the use of concrete words. On a literal level, concrete poetry is when “the meaning or effect is conveyed...by visual means”. (Oxford Dictionaries, 2010) An example of this is in stanza two when the speaker mentions “the wet yard’s muddy gravel” (11). The gravel is wet and muddy possibly because of the rain or a liquid substance on the gravel. However, on a literal level the gravel...
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...nto practice to form the interpretation that the poem is about an individual who is resistant to the transition from childhood to adolescence. The model does provide the basic methods to devise an interpretation from a poem; however, this does not mean every interpretation will be the same. This is because the way an individual understands a poem will result in varied responses and interpretations. Therefore the model merely provides an outline as to what to consider when forming an interpretation.
Works Cited
Barry, P. (2009) Theory before ‘theory’ – liberal humanism. In: (3rd edn.) Beginning Theory: An introduction to literary and cultural theory. Manchester: Manchester University Press. P15.
Oxford Dictionaries (2010) concrete poetry. Available at: http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/concrete%2Bpoetry?q=concrete+poetry (Accessed: 22nd December 2011)
Barry, Peter. Beginning Theory: An Introduction to Literary and Cultural Theory. 2nd ed. Manchester: Manchester UP, 1995. 158-168. Print.
For example, in “We Are Not Responsible,” a poem written by Harryette Mullen, the narrator is an employee on a plane, who is speaking over a loudspeaker. This is all a metaphor and the poem is really a social commentary addressing the problems with racial stereotypes. Mullen could have wrote a paragraph in prose, but instead chose to write a more ambiguous poem, requiring the reader to think about the subject. That being said, in my opinion, great poems use concise and understandable language to best communicate their message. Poetry is often synonymous with unnecessary and outdated language, but this does not have to be the case. The poem “Weep,” written by George Moses Horton, gives a comprehensible description of the Civil War and its effects. Good poetry uses metaphor and complex language when a subject can not be described in a universally
Humor and Irony are a unique combinations Collins displays in many of his poems, challenging the readers to interpret his work in different perspectives. In “Introduction to Poetry,” Collins offers a witty comparison between the definition of poetry and various other experiments. He asks the reader to “hold [the poem] up to the light/ like a color slide” (1-3), “press an ear against its hive” (4), “drop a mouse into a poem” (5), “walk inside the poem's room” (7), and “waterski across the surface of a poem” (9-10). Rather than stiffly explaining the definition of a poem, he finds creative and humorous approaches to explain his methods of enjoying the poems, and promote the readers’ interest towards discovering the true meaning of poetry. Just as the surrounding would seem different through color slides, he asks the readers to see the world in diverse viewpoints while reading and writing poems. Moreover, by listening to poem’s hive, dropping a mouse, and walking inside its room, Collins encourages readers to discover the concealed depth of poetry. He comments ...
Therefore, Oliver’s incorporation of imagery, setting, and mood to control the perspective of her own poem, as well as to further build the contrast she establishes through the speaker, serves a critical role in creating the lesson of the work. Oliver’s poem essentially gives the poet an ultimatum; either he can go to the “cave behind all that / jubilation” (10-11) produced by a waterfall to “drip with despair” (14) without disturbing the world with his misery, or, instead, he can mimic the thrush who sings its poetry from a “green branch” (15) on which the “passing foil of the water” (16) gently brushes its feathers. The contrast between these two images is quite pronounced, and the intention of such description is to persuade the audience by setting their mood towards the two poets to match that of the speaker. The most apparent difference between these two depictions is the gracelessness of the first versus the gracefulness of the second. Within the poem’s content, the setting has been skillfully intertwined with both imagery and mood to create an understanding of the two poets, whose surroundings characterize them. The poet stands alone in a cave “to cry aloud for [his] / mistakes” while the thrush shares its beautiful and lovely music with the world (1-2). As such, the overall function of these three elements within the poem is to portray the
“Poe’s Theory of Poetry.” The Big Read. Handout One. N.d.. 16. Web. 19 April 2014.
Both Snyder and Stone make use of strong concrete images in their poems. In “The Bath” Snyder appeals to almost all of the senses by talking about the “crackle of waterdrops” and “the scent of cedar” and his wife entering the sauna, “letting in cool air.” In “Simplicity” Stone’s intense use of adjectives and figurative language creates strong images in the reader’s mind. She describes her surroundings as “wrinkled skin on a cup of boiled milk” an describes “the water’s muscular flow.”
The fear of reading literature and not being able to comprehend the ideas presented forces readers to create a deeper meaning through annotations, as expressed through Billy Collins’ use of comparative imagery and aggressive diction in “Marginalia” and “Introduction to Poetry.” Collins’ choice to
One example of analyzing the poem is how the lines stop in random places. This can also be called, enjambment. The poem is describing a fight. When fights happen, they are fast and quick and intense, the author tries to recreate the chaos and speed of the fight by using enjambment. The second example of analyzing the poem is that the stanzas are broken up into four lines. The only lines that are not broken up into four lines are the last ones, which are broken up into couplets. The third example of analyzing this poem, is that there are a lot of metaphors that bring out the intense and vehement emotion, such as, “A wall of fire sethes…”. This brings out all the emotions in the air, and what the angry parents feel like, even though the author doesn’t say that they were mad, you can guess how much anger and tension is in the
Concrete poetry presents its readers with a unique and often confounding situation. In addition to using language or parts of language in non-traditional ways, concrete poetry also uses elements that are more commonly associated with visual art. However, concrete poetry is not visual art. It is still concerned, primarily, with the use of language, generally to communicate some meaning to the reader in a way that is undeniably linguistic in nature. Concrete poetry is therefore an especially unique genre that draws upon and incorporates many different concepts from a variety of disciplines in order to fill in the gaps left when traditional grammar and syntax are eschewed.
looks at the time and how the poet's father has lack of control of the
The speaker reflects on the teenage girl’s childhood as she recalls the girl played with “dolls that did pee-pee” (2). This childish description allows the speaker to explain the innocence of the little girl. As a result, the reader immediately feels connected to this cute and innocent young girl. However, the speaker’s diction evolves as the girl grew into a teenager as she proclaims: “She was healthy, tested intelligent, / possessed strong arms and back, / abundant sexual drive and manual dexterity” (7-9). The speaker applies polished language to illustrate the teen. This causes the reader not only to see the girl as an adult, but also to begin to grasp the importance of her situation. The speaker expresses what the bullies told this girl as she explains: “She was advised to play coy, / exhorted to come on hearty” (12-13). The sophisticated diction shifts towards the girl’s oppressors and their cruel demands of her. Because of this, the reader is aware of the extent of the girl’s abuse. The speaker utilizes an intriguing simile as she announces: “Her good nature wore out / like a fan belt” (15-16). The maturity of the speaker’s word choice becomes evident as she uses a simile a young reader would not understand. This keeps the mature reader focused and allows him to fully understand the somberness of this poem. The speaker concludes the poem as she depicts the teenage girl’s appearance at her funeral: “In the casket displayed on satin she lay / with the undertaker’s cosmetics painted on” (19-20). The speaker elects not to describe the dead girl in an unclear and ingenuous manner. Rather, she is very clear and
In every poem, there are feelings and emotions that are brought forth in a very a few number of words. The three elements of a poem, speaker, imagery, and listener, help to make a poetic story. The speaker; the voice of the poem, conveys the feelings. Poetic words and metaphors create the imagery around the story. The way the poem is read and understood by the listener can have different meanings and effects on people. These aren’t always clearly defined. So how exactly does one understand a poem and the elements within it?
Barry, P. (2009) Beginning theory: An introduction to literary and cultural theory. 3rd edn. Manchester: Manchester University Press. pp. 216.
The New Critics, just like Wimsatt and Beardsley put forward in their essay, also believed in the ‘organicity’ of the text. In the essay, they write, “A poem should not mean but be.” And, since the meaning of the poem or the text is the medium through which it can exist, and words, in turn, is the medium through which the meaning is expressed, the poem or the text b...
... since it deals with the growth of the mind. Therefore, the poet uses syntax and form to emphasize on the important matters that occurred in each stanza.