PARTIII

WritingaboutLiterature
C H A P T E R7

Analysisof a Poem
a s s i g n m e n tfso l l o w p a r t i c u l a r
w r i t i n g i s a v e r Y g e n e r a lt e r m . l n d i v i d u a lt y p e s o f w r i t i n g
i n p u p . t t i s j u d g e d b o t h o n i t s c o n t e n ta n d o n i t s
f o r m a t s .a n d t h e o o r k i o u m u s t p r o d u c e , v o u r
r e s e a r c hp a p e r .
p r e s e n t a t i o nA. n e s s a 1l s, n o t a n a n a l l , s i sa; n a n a l l , s i si s n o t a
i s n o t u n l i k e s u b j e c t i n ga n y t h i n gel s et o a n a l - " - s i s '
S u b j e c t i n ga p r e c eo f l i t e r a t u r et o a n a l y s i s
c o m p o n e n t a
s n d s e e h o w t h e y w o r k t o g e t h e r( o r f a i l t o
I n a n a n a l y s l s y, o u c o n s i d e ra n e n t i t y ' s
i s a w h o l e 'I n t h e c a s eo f
w o r k r o g e t h e r )T . h e s u c c e s s f uml e r g i n go f t h e a p p r o p r i a t ec o m p o n e n t s
a p i e c eo f l i t e r a t u r et.h e w h o l ei s c o m p r i s e o d f e l e m e n tw s h i c ha c t b o t ho b j e c t i v e lay n d s u b j e c t i v e 'l y
t r a i t s w i t h i n a s i n g l ep e r s o n '
T h e c o m p l e x i t yo f t h i s i n t e r a c t i o nl.i k e t h e c o m p l e x i t yo f c h a r a c t e -
elicitsboth intellectualand emotionalresponses. You, as a readerof a literary piece,must consider
i t s s t i m u l i a n d t h e m e a n sb l w h i c h t h e y 'e v o k e e s p o n s e s '
r
Y o u a r e a s k e dt o * r i t e a n a n a l y s i so f a p i e c eo f l i t e r a t u r e a : p o e m 'a p l a y ' a s h o r t s t o r y 'c r
lo analyse and to r+'rile Beforeattemptingvour first
a novel.Your assignment,then, is twofold:
t h e w h o l eb e f o r ey o u f o c u so n t h e
t a s k ,a n a l y s r sy, o u m u s t r e a l i z es o m e t h i n gy: o u m u s t c o n s i d e r
w e l l . H o w i s i t p o s s i b l et o c o n s i d e r
p a r t s . Y o u c a n n o t a n a l y s ea n y t h i n g i f y o u - d o n o t k n o w i t ,
i n d i v i d u a le l e m e n t sw i t h o u t t r , i n ti n g o f t h e m i n t h e c o n t e x to f t h e w h o l e ?N o e l e m e n te x i s t si n
figuresof speech'images'rhyme'
a vacuum; nothing does.ln the casi o[ a poem, for example'
a r e e l e m e n t ws h i c h ,w h e np u t t o g e t h e irn a p a r t i c u l a r
a n d m e t r ea r e n o t i n d e p e n d e netn t i t i e st;h e y
way, comprisea ParticularPoem'
you ma) find yourself
lf you try ro attack a poem head-onwithout proper consideration'
producingsomethingsimilar to what this student had to say:
who uses
The topic assignedis ro analyse rhispoem v'hich is a sonnetb1'shakespeare
schemev'hich he invented to suit what he
fourteen tinesand a Shakespearean'rh1'me isn't'
real speech but
wanted to sayand th, penri^eter line v'hich soundedlike
thoughts' It is all right if your
Pull yourself together.Mangled presentationsreffectincoherent
they appearin your final draft'
thoughtsare a jumble initialiy, but they must be organizedbefore
How do you order your thoughtsabout a poem?

65
 Writing aboutLiterature

KNOW THE POEM a

A poemis a work of riterary
art. It is an entity, rike a tapestry*lovely
individualstrandsare woventogether as a whole.The
to make" tr,ing;ri;;r.
but theyare truly effectiveont/*r,"i fi strandsmay be remarkabre,
*o""n^tog3tr,*.a p""ili;;.l",
mustseethe wholepiecebeforeyou unifyingthreads,but you
unr"u"i'it.,vour"""r;;;;i;;
poeminvorves unraveringthe
tr'.n'r'o*ingio",r,"y.",. *oi,* rr.,ii, Donotsimpry
#;1i:',:::J:*":,""9 unraver
the
i-"g_", r"ir""?"rv
",h;;;"',,i..fi;:'l*j'r",jil:11ji.#"11 """r,
ti,'.ii'rl'*o,a,
"n
It is much easierto.put a jigsaw
priri" togetherwhenyou
r work' rt is much ""ti"r ioln"i;;;; havea compretepicturefrom
;il:l *",n when you r,"u.-tr," compretedpiece
in your

WHAT IS AN ANALYSIS?

:#i:ffi'ilIT"l;:Tl,::l;:,ii*":j-i":"..i:_"'r:i sashowhe
orshe
issaying
;:tr;;"'li:ffJLHIllf
ffi':';lj*f:,:,r,p-,:TlT;cf
i
:,:i:"riii#:ilrl;".*r';:,:?,[$:T"iffJi:';:
T*;;"ur,;"HJilTKJn"":l'
lHi:'1*::ili"'1""ffi:::i::;i':l;F;il:ff';'Jll1i:'i:*T,:,:"i:':?ii.i::.'::l
merely a "translation"
v_^._.:_- .,
: ' rvr Jt'vPrrr I
analysisis not
ot lmages to layman,s terms.
tfirffii';.i::1"ff:Tll. *r"l-",'psofauthepoetic
,"o,k:n;;;li. devices
thatmake
the

PENCIL IN HAND
Reading the poem, even four
l*1i,*'"i,uni.-"iing
. or five tin
with
r.91,r"""gi
;i:',;?lfilff ;nffi l:H:T,,l'*fl
kind' Explorethe poem,pencir
in t"ni
c"rry on a discussion
with the poet
*T:Ji;
throughmarginal
l'"i?"",:#ITil:1|;!lf,,ip;f ;,n;n:i'.T:F;,t.'.o,i*iil;;;;i'd;iouwi,rr
what areyourookingt:il" ,t""*ri
movement oi.*"rr;, ;;,,," andmetreare
of thepiece'Forfull "ppt""i"tion importantfor the
of its pace;il;; readthepoemaroud.whire
a careiur ;;;;;;"" "r,r," ""ri,"p*., p"*i.ularly
:flil:L|.l::l:fl:"*'mit if theanarysis
i,,"g,,r",iti".;;;.ili:;#;;rJ-*lffi
worthymetrical ,?n'ilj"1,J'1":m*mllliB*il:iii:J
is
devices
th"t u"'y " ""ii"* *vr[:t.
effectiveabout the metre or format oiii" isunusuar
orparticurarry
*o*, butry;ilni*nll
do not beradur the obvious.Regular
;li""ii,I'fiil',ff:i,i::
n*iir;:::*tr ;;,d;; ri;;", me,re,
bu,
do
metre
no,
spend
. Adiscussion
or',o,o" uy.o,n*n.
*i*T::r"Hnill1:,tr;lT:lTl""
inexpericncedstudent who qrcns
;;;;;"" " po". *iir,
* ..tight,
o,*,"""..,0"
rhvthm"'or somethin
g simirat, -9r ,l-r"..n* to the skipping
h"; il;;;;uiriivr,iii;d##"ph.
Avoidquicksand.
Tark
;fil^"i:l'iilli"|lldilr;;'1ilffi:isT.' ,r,"Appendix ro,"ii,"u,sion
ormetre
andthe
consider the structureof the poem.
the same,similar,different? Is it written in stanzas?Is thc prosody
rr ,r, ft- of cach stanza
" ,onnr,,an odc,a ryric?Doesthe
subjcctmatterdictate
Analysisof a Poem "
,
the structure?What is the rhymescheme?Again,noteirregularities,but do not spendtime and
space"reciting" a regularrhymescheme.
Figuresof speech,images,and symbolsare of prime importancein a poem.These,along
with prosody,are the focal pointsfor your analysis.The implicationsof poeticdevicesand their
are thejoining threadsin the tapestryof poetry.Note devicesas you readthe poem
relationships
aloud.Work out your own form of shorthand(for example,underlineimagesand symbols;circle
figuresof speech).Once you have established that thesedevicesexist in the work, you must
considerwfty they exist.

ANALYSETHE WORK
Onceyou haveestablished a familiaritywith the poemto the pointthat you knowit, you can
exploreit. You are now ready to discoverthe specialconfigurations of the pieceyou areanalysing.
You know the poem when you are fully aware of what its individual components are and why
they work. You must notewhat movement there is in the poem in terms of themes, symbols, and
images.Figuresof speech are the vehicles for much of this movement. Remember-these are the
threads.In isolating them, you have started to unravel the poem. This unravelling should not end
with merelya list of imagesand figuresof speech.A list may help you get everythingyou want
from the supermarket,but it will not tell you anythingabout a poem'
The "imagelisters"are an unfortunatelot in any literaturecourse.Their essays mentionthe
alliteration in line l; hyperbole in line 2; personification in line 3; onomatopoeia in line 4; metaphor
in line 5;. . . . The result,of course, is a badly dissected poem. It has been pulled apart haphaz-
ardly and left to die.
Certainly,in studyinga pocm,the individualaskswhat devicesexistin eachline. However,
listingthemis onlyonestepin a complexprocess. How andwhy do thedevices work?Shakespeare's
deviceswork; Mr. X's do not. They may be the same devices. The image of the roseis not new.
Somepoetshaveusedit successfully; others have not. Why? The image is an integralpart of the
wholein a good poem, but, in a bad poem, it is superffuous or unrelated.
Onceyou haveunravelledthe poemin termsof its devices,you must showhow the poetwove
the threadstogether.If you stopat the unravelling,you are only half done.

REWEAVETHE THREADS
The preparatoryorganizationand the actual writing of the analysisare the next, final, and
important stepsin doing your analysis.You must indicatethc validity of the Poemin terms of
whetheror not its componcntparts work togetheras a whole. Here your list of symbols,devices
and noteworthyprosodyplays an important part.
Considerthe followingquestions:
l. What is the dominant mood or theme?Is it consistentthroughoutthe poem?If not, why
not?
2. How docsthe poet createthe moodand atmosphere?
3. Do the imagesand figuresof speechwork? How? Why?
4. How do the unifying threadsunify?
to thcsequestionscompriseyour analysis.
Your responses

J
68 Writing about Lidrature

EXAMPLE
Considerthe followingpoemby ArchibaldLampman.Readit aloud.Notice
its mood,pace,
and theme.Lampmanis discussing heat.Why is hii discussion a poemand not a chapterof a
physicstextbook?Is physicalheat the subject,or is it a metaphor
for somethingot'herthan
temperature?
You shouldread the poemcarefully at leasttwo or three times beforeyou try
to analyseit.
"Heattt

From plainsthat reel to southward,dim,

The road runsby me white and barc:
Up the steephill it seemsto swim
Beyond,and melt into the glare.
Upwardhalf-way,or it may be
Nearerthe summit,slowlysteals
A hay-cart,movingdustily
With idly clackingwheels.
By his cart'ssidethe wagoner
Is slouchingslowlyat his ease,
Half-hiddenin the windlessblur
Of white dust puffingto his knees.
This wagonon the heightabove,
From sky to sky on either hand,
Is the solething that seemsto move
In all the heat-heldland.
Beyondme in the fieldsthe sun
Soaksin thc grassand hath his wiil;
I count the margueritesonc by one;
Eventhe buttercupsare still.
On the brook yondernot a breath
Disturbsthc spidcror thc midge.
The water-bugsdraw closebeneath
The coolglmm of the bridge.
Where thc far elm-treeshadowsflmd
Dark patchesin the burninggrass,
The cows,eachwith her peaccfulcud,
-' Lic waitingfor the heatto pass.
From somewhcreon the slopenear by
Into the paledepthof the noon
A wandcringthrushslidesleisurely
His thin revolvingtune.
 Analysisof a Pocm

In intervalsof dreamsI hear

The cricketfrom the droughtyground;
The grasshoppers spininto mineear
A small innumerable sound.
I lift mine eyessometimes to gaze:
The burningsky-lineblindsmy sight:
The woodsfar off are bluewith haze:
The hills are drenchedin light.
And yet to me not this or that
Is alwayssharpor alwayssweet;
In the slopedshadowof my hat
I leanat rest,and drain the heat:
Nay, more,I think someblessed power
Hath broughtme wanderingidly here:
In the full furnaceof his hour
My thoughtsgrow kccnand clear.

In this poem,Archibald Lampman has integratedand fuseda numberof poetic

deviccsto
createa whole.Likc all poets,he hasincorporated rhyme,metre,symbols,imagis,and figuresof
speech.They work for Lampmanbecause he successfullyintegratesihe dcvices.iou "r" to-analyse
his poem.To do this, you must seewhat devicesrampman nas usedand recognize
the unifying
elements.
Read the poem,aloud, pencil in hand. You havealreadyread it a coupleof times
without
touchingit. Now you can carry on a marginaldialoguewith the poet,and the poetic
deviceshe
has usedshouldbecomeapparcntto you. They are moreapt to do so if you readthe poem
aloud,
because,if you do not seea device,you may hear one.In readingaloud, you
cannot miss the
aural devicessuchas onomatopocia,alliteration,assonance, and rh-yme.
Notice the stanzaicformat. Are thc stanzasregular?Is the rhyme schemeconsistent
in each
stanza?Are the links betweenstanzaschronological, causeand effect,variationson a theme?
Each stanzashouldprepareyou for the next one,sinccthcy are the building
blocksof the whole
poem.Each of thesestanzasis end-stopped.Is there a r"aron for
the last line of cvery stanza,s
beingtrimeter, while the first sevenin eachblock are tctramcter?
what symbolsdo wc find in the poem?Predictably,hcat is a major symbol.
That is evidcnt
from the title. Howcver,we must isolatethe qualities,,our""r, and cffectsof
n""t as prcsentedby
the poet. Is heat relatedto, comparedwith, or contrastedwith any other images
or symbols?As
we analysethe poem,we answerthesequestions.
What is the atmosphereor mood of the poem?What is its pacc?How are thcy
cxprcssed
and maintained?Do you fcel the heat the speakerin the pocm is dcscribing?
Why? Notice thc
slow paceof the pocm' The wordsin the poemare generaliymonosyllabic;
they plod. Thc rhyme
is-masculine,heavy,strong.Note the sustained*n*n"nt or lonjvowcts in ini rhymc sounds.
There are vcry few light fect.
 Writing aboutLitcrature

asyou analysethe poem'

Considerthe treatmentof heat.Underlineandmakemarginalnotes
changelfom stanzato
Note the recurring referencesto heat' Doesthe level of thesereferenccs
within eachstanzanecessary? Establishthe scorched,arid, dusty,quiet
stanza?Is eachreference
"in the heatheld-land."But is this all? Do we haveto contendonly with heat?Notice
landscape
Why? While the sunprovidcsheatto the landscape, it also
1r,",,r,. a.ynessis offsetwith wetness.
..drenches,, to swim-and melt' obviously'
it in light. The road, in the openingstanza,seems
Continuethroughthe
there is a balancedtensionhere that the poet has carefullyengineered'
poem.Your marginalnotesmay look like the following:

Fromprains southwarfHm
that@slto 4W
Ptr^hy,V,
The&badouns ;;;"ii\^,,,il;i^fri-,-';';/'{&,*!*^.,,,
Jit;ffi
il:h'"llfibyme andb^r";6btunrtifr';:;A'{il'
white -
''iry/ry^-..,
Sb Albul, fu/
albul, I
the6teep
Up the6teephill it(pemstdfuim Auarn-unpv
Auarn-unpv I|
"ni
n.yona,
Beyond, melt
ani melt inio.
intothe giare.
glare. /'rW-
/t4i'fu- ffi
(r:,""!l.*;li!tiiji;"iffiW,
TUpward l;alf-waY,.or it maY be
HH:P:i',tiifffi-i,frii#*
W,AID,.
II

I
i!ffi: M ffi-'#*' M'ln)
$lnfit#il ^I
;;;tu @ :vr'A"w
j*ib
'T,ffiffffi;
"',,,,'^tffi'll","ffi;":,ffiffi
By t*
his cart'ssidetfre6666666666666666@i
ffi
a't-oas ry ry
Half-hidden qfu-ry:ry,
intr,"s1a511g', :W'
4,rbt ' -
p+ffils.t:
or @'411-9935t el -W.'
his.knees. ffiafrPt;rO
This wagon on the height 4@ve'
Gt"- rr.v. sky)oneiihethand, arL- dtLcfuJ
to move
7Is the($le thing that(*ems-o'aa^vr,.anW- AI44P AfrP '
tln all theheat-held tili.

iiex
ffi ffiffi
dsrui"9;,:ff*'
'i
"^^'*
*un, th" gfgptjtcr oneby onef,/au*
Eve1
.th.q ttercu
u,u # 6it. 246--*,
ds) ;;;""d' 4 @
Oi tIe(Vook yondernot a(teath
s'ttt
Disturbsthe spider;;"';;;;-.' Q,'ittzuau'
Y&'tr-ffi-' -a,tun'ry
tr''ffi"1i;'"i:r':
G**
Wherethefar elm-tree shadows@[ ud'/1"-,Lfu'/4,A
D"it p"t"ft"r in the bg!4g Zrz{-^;ra^^tt kezleo{e
ThJco*s,eachwithherPeaceful +, qry
Lie waiting for the heat to Pass. - txiltil !"t"t
Fromsomewhere onth9slopcneartv ry*-ry fufa /r' /t"a9
p:Tiff
,?tHffi I'Ti*H*'ffi'r* -n''aA'
-""1*""n' ;n'
rcvXlvingtrfne.
His thi(
 Analysis of a Poem
7l

In intervals
of dream{l)hearruAl;oh/dttt*tw , tAX,phAon, fu}rrfr^nq, '
ThecricketfromtheArp,bryLgrpg{:A,aWtta,i,co,-h/Aur_drr,r/_r@);r;dNAn rrq

ff,"'finpflHrt,li:,g
, t
t*
$$$$$!ffi:*,j'l{?,,T:::;:nl -U
,d/"^)
Thewoodsfar off Arebluewith hLze:,Jrrurrln$V
:d^rr&;-:W,/rr/d,
rhehil/sareqc!6hedin--l-igfu --/'rt /Vi\fi,ne u'qtul-'
And yet to@not this or that /.6t putejv ,

i;tigffi;m;ffi,T*A'-fuYy'nmaqa'a/r/nnna*?trL'dL
Ilednit r'est,XnddhintKeh6,at: tttrr9-ntzr<--
ruT]/,, /v,q/da/L 7 /

U$ir#*'*i,ATm6rJ:r
ffi,ga
rnShe(ljl(lrnace o-fjris \6u:, .Atat tttne0- .Uri>,uat A /A/e u&u!2
#
Ivf-ythodghtsgYowke'enatd cl6a..
U
,",,,1],_Tlj::-:::iflL":_"
heat/cool-dampness
gl""tdeatwithwhich to*orr.voui^,"1;{^;;il{"Jori-
dichotomyin your marginalia.what elseis there to discuss?
This is th, ;i;
at which you isolateand arrange(perhapsin tist form) the
figuresof speech,symbols,images,
and noteworthyprosody.
l. Heat--{ryness-stillness--{uiet
"hay-cart
movingdustily"
"windless
blur"
"white
dust"
"heat
held land"
"burning grass"
"droughty
ground"
"full furnace
of this hour"
"burningskyline"-blinds
- (heat/light)
2. Wetness-humidity
"road
seemsto swim and melt"
"sgn g62155"-..hath
its will"
"brook"
"waterbugs"-..coot
gloom"
"shadows
flood"
"hills
are drenchedin light"
"drain
the heat"
Did you noticethe circleimagery?The cycleandthe cyclical
natureof the poemareunifying
threads.They weavetogetherthe otherimages:
"Plains
reel"
"Recl.
.roadruns"
alliteration-whirr of wheel
72 Writing abouttiterature

"idly
clacking wheels"
movement of poem, slow, idle
"from
sky to sky"-xra
"bridge"-arc
"thin revolvingtune"
"grasshoppersspin"
"marguerites"
"buttercups"

The circle completesand unifies.

Notice how the metrical elementsare consistentwith the imagery. While the prevalent foot
(iambic) need not be mentioned to excessin your analysis, it does establish a regular rhythm.
Metre becomesimportant in a poem when it results in an unexpecteddeparture from the estab-
lished rhythm, generally for a good reason. The iambic metre establishesregularity, circular
repetitionsconsistentwith the circle imagery.In addition,it establishes
an equilibrium consistent
with the stillnessof the atmosphere.Note effectiveexceptions:

Spondees(often coupled with assonance)

arrest motion-"cool gloom"
inertia-"heat-held land"
intensity-"full furnace"

Anapests(often coupledwith enjambement)

motion of quick movement
"wandering
thrush"
"grasshoppers
spin"
"into
mine ear"
"innumerable
sound"

A circular movement balancesthe stillness.

Who is the speakerin the poem? Do you know who the "me" of the poem is? What does he
do? He is a thinker. Ultimately his "thoughts grow keen and clear." Does the heat purify his
thoughts, burning off all sludge? Is this the ultimate purposeof heat?
Is there another character in the poem? What purpose does the wagoner serve? Is there
perhaps another dichotomy here?-the thinker and the worker, both drenched in heat? Think
about it. Can you developthis concept?
What are the predominant figures of speech?Of course,the onomatopoeiaof the clacking
wheels of the first stanza establishesa pace, especiallysince it follows the whirr of wheelsin the
alliterative r's of the first two lines. If the r's whirr. what do all the s's do? Don't the s's of the
first stanza slow down the pace set by the r's to culminate in idle clacking rather than whirring?
Continue to trace the s's. Oonsiderassonancealong with alliteration. You are collecting material
for your analysis.
 Analysis of a poem
73

PULL THE ptECES TOGETHEB

You know the poem'You haveconsidered ,
it as a wholeand then unravelledit.
backtogether'Illustratethe relaxed,rro*, Now put it
iJi" "t.osphere
and indicatehow it mergeswittr dampneo-co-n,"ng of the dm. Discussthe heatimagery
contradictoryelements'considerthe circles. "" ir,"'t'Js mergingof two seemingry
How do tt.y *o.t't rril your reader.who
in the poem?what do they signify? appears
wi"t po.ti. deviceshas Larnpmanused?
prosodysuit the subjectt"tt.r? wly How doesthe
ao", the poem*ortt oo"r-it "lor"
which it opened'or is theresome on the samenoteon
changeoimood or resorution of idea?
when you haveansweredtheseqi"rtionr,
you havcrewoventhe threadsof
written a successfut
poetryanalysis. the poemand

PITFALLSTO AVOID
l ' Your readerknowsthat the person
whowrote,1" po"-,nis a poet.It is not
him or her of this fact' Thus while you necessary to remind
must introducethe work_andwriter, you,
statementneednot be, ..In op"ninl
the poem,.Heat,,the poet,erciiUaii
2' Avoid tautologies. Lampman. .,,
Do not r"y, ':rt i, po"i' is aboutr,""t.,,
paraphrase n.rure your readercanreadand
or summarizethi content.
3. While poetry evokesboth intellec,u"t
"na emotionalreactions,your personal,
reactionto the work is nor suitabrein emotional
a formar"";tr; F;;;.on the emotions
arousesin every intelrigentreader. rhe poem
Be as a"t""n"J "nJ "i:*,* as your
possibre.
experiences on hot daysare-notsubjectmatter past
for a formal analysisof ..Heat.,,
4' An unraveiledpoem must be reassembleJ-
t".;; ffi;;lnarysis hanging.concrude
neatlyandpositivery. Avoid "I-hope-you agreewith methat ih, i, " goodpoem.,,
5' Avoid morarizing.Do.n9tproouce Beassertive.
f;;;; readera ..resson to ie t"a.neafrom this poem.,,
6. Proofreadvour anarvsis beioretuu,'iuing it
writing your analysis,why let a few "il ;;i;;; havespentarrangingand
+|*:
tyf'g."pl,i""l errorspull you down?