Why talk about the form/structure of a poem?

The architecture of the poem is designed to echo its themes - to highlight certain ideas by pushing them into positions of prominence: like at the end of lines or the end of stanzas. If it's built like a hymn, or a nursery rhyme, with refrains and repetition, think about why the poet has used this. Balance can be used to echo a balanced, orderly life, or to tightly control an unbalanced one, like the mind of a murderer, where mad logic rules.

Question: Write about each poem (Rejection and Years Ago) separately and make comparisons where appropriate. You may wish to include some or all of these points: The content of the poems The ideas the poets may have wanted us to think about The mood or atmosphere of the poems How they are written words/phrases you find interesting, the way they are organised Your responses to the poems including how they are similar and different Years Ago Elizabeth Jennings content- shows what they didn't do whilst being together ideas- how love has changed to "possession, passion and betrayal" mood or atmosphere- perfection of each description could show how they wanted the relationship to be how they are written- the enjambment could be used to show the blurring of memories during their relationship response- shows how perfect love and relationships used to be so tells the reader that they can bring that kind of love back Rejection Jenny Sullivan content- shares how difficult rejection can be, speaker feels slightly leftover ideas- how difficult rejection can be and how spiteful people can be mood or atmosphere- sad because the reader feels a part of them is missing and others are whispering about them how they are written- feels like a curled sandwich, suggesting they feel stale and leftover which no one wants to pick, feels like parts of them are missing response- sympathy because they have such strong feelings shown through each piece of metaphorical language, imagine how harsh rejection can feel and "scraping of fingernails on a blackboard" shows how unbearable and horrific the speakers feelings are *Enjambment the continuation of meaning, without pause or break, from one line of poetry to the next

Rejection is a poem that describes the harsh reality of what it feels and means to be rejected. The bitter and dark mood of the poem is a contrast to the nostalgic and wistful one used in Years Ago, which describes the forgotten memories of the love that the narrator knew long ago. It is apparent that both poems share the common theme of loss, albeit expressed from different perspectives. To explore the underlying meanings and their effects, this essay will compare and contrast both poems in terms of language, content and structure. The poem Rejection evokes a thoughtful feeling, emphasised by the short sentences which produce a slow pace. The short sentences may be reflecting the nature of memories, as they often tend to involve fleeting thoughts and disjointed, yet vivid emotions i.e. Acrid, bitter. This is further supported as Sullivan uses strong sensory similes to describe the narrators emotions such as, like the whisper of voices, like the scraping of fingernails and like having a layer of skin missing. Sullivans similes enable us to relate better to the narrators feelings and also presents powerful imagery. For example like the last, curled sandwich depicts a strong tone and image of loneliness, where the narrator felt stale, discarded and suggests a part of them is missing. This is another reason why short sentences were used the technique is effective in inducing a sad and thoughtful mood, where the poet is clearly reflecting on their harsh experience of rejection. Rejection makes use of its irregular structure to create a short, sharp tone. The poet uses a short, simple clause to start, i.e. 'Rejection is orange, and the irregular structure and short line length gives an abrupt, hacked up feel to the poem which mirrors the subject matter. Years ago uses longer, more complex sentences to narrate an endless summer. In contrast to Rejection which states definitely what rejection is, Years Ago starts with a negation: a story of what did not happen, in which the no markers creates a mysterious and ambiguous atmosphere. The regular stanzas and longer line length create a measured, controlled feel, in contrast to the very short lines used in Rejection, which are used to emphasise violent words and ideas, especially in the second stanza ashes, bitter, pain and skin missing. Compared to Rejection, Years Ago paints an almost idyllic and lighthearted picture. The poet uses many words relating to nature and light such as summer, hot, river and grass, thereby inspiring a positive and warm mood. This relaxed atmosphere is maintained throughout the poem, further emphasised by the words laze, threw time and Idly until the very last sentence Before possession, passion, and betrayal. The effect of the last line is immediate because it is strong, dark and negative which is a stark contrast to the rest of the poem. It is successful in increasing the mystery as it forces us to stop and consider what might have happened to cause such a drastic change in the narrators experience.

Other than loss, both poems also share the theme of love and relationship. In Rejection, like a cigarette the simile tastes like ashes suggests the narrators love burnt out leaving only tainted memories. The word ashes also holds connotations of death and listlessness. The emptiness and loneliness is emphasised in the last stanza as Sullivan states, when all the guests / Have gone. We also notice the repetition of He. The effect of this repetition implies that it was not the narrators decision to stop the relationship, suggesting conflict and a lack of control on the narrators side. The poet clearly describes other feelings that are associated with rejection such as inferiority and worthlessness, as supported by this quote, he doesnt want you. Shame is another reaction that the narrator acknowledges i.e. a coat of shame. The whisper of voices behind my back suggests the narrator felt humiliated because their rejection was exposed. This is further highlighted when the words He didnt want you/ he dumped her are placed in direct speech marks as way to demonstrate these whispers of voices. This increases the vividness of the sounds and visual imagery. The brutal sting of rejection is explicit when the narrator mentions feeling like a layer of skin is missing. The gory image serves to enhance the narrators unbearable and miserable feelings. More importantly, compared to the lengthy time invested to form a relationship, the simile provide us with a strong sensation of the narrators pain in having it end abruptly. The theme of love in Years Ago is made especially apparent towards the end when the narrator admits that the memorable summer were memories of a love that they knew long ago. The carefree, idyllic atmosphere can be considered to reflect the innocence of love. Furthermore, since the narrator recalls fondly of these memories for example nothing was elegiac, it is likely they perceive this type of love as ideal and desirable. Compared to Rejection, which tends to focus on specific emotions and imagery, Years Ago highlights its title by making several references to the concept of time such as every day, day after day, evening after evening, sometimes and day entered evening. Unlike the intense, disjointed memories expressed in Rejection, Years Ago describes various memories that span across an entire summer. This adds to the nostalgic feeling present in the poem and suggests they are positive memories to look back on, whereas Rejection appears to be a memory the narrator is trying to oppress, as embodied by the fragmented sentences and use of enjambment. It differs from Years Ago as it centres on the pain of love rather than the joys of it. To conclude, Rejection represents the loss of love whereas Years Ago is more concerned with the loss of what love used to be. There is an uncomfortable realisation of change, both of which poems view as a negative. The poems also prompt much debate on the nature of love, given that Rejection relates to a bitter experience and Years Ago reflects on the innocence and carefree quality of love.