How to Analyze Poetry英美文学.docx
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How to Analyze Poetry英美文学.docx
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HowtoAnalyzePoetry英美文学
HowtoAnalyzePoetry
AmericanPoetsofthe20thCentury
Poetryisacompactlanguagethatexpressescomplexfeelings.Tounderstandthemultiplemeaningsofapoem,readersmustexamineitswordsandphrasingfromtheperspectivesofrhythm,sound,images,obviousmeaning,andimpliedmeaning.Readersthenneedtoorganizeresponsestotheverseintoalogical,point-by-pointexplanation.Agoodbeginninginvolvesaskingquestionsthatapplytomostpoetry.
ContextofthePoem
Clearanswerstothefollowingquestionscanhelpestablishthecontextofapoemandformthefoundationofunderstanding:
∙Whowrotethepoem?
Doesthepoet'slifesuggestanyspecialpointofview,suchasapoliticalaffiliation(联系),religioussect,careerinterest,musicaltalent,familyorpersonalproblems,travel,orhandicap—forexample,H.D.'sfeminism,AmiriBaraka'sradicalism,T.S.Eliot'sconversiontoAnglicanism,WilliamCarlosWilliams'careerasaphysician,A.R.Ammons'traininginchemistry,AmyLowell'saristocraticbackground,JohnBerryman'salcoholism,orHartCrane'shomosexuality?
∙Whenwasthepoemwrittenandinwhatcountry?
Knowingsomethingaboutthepoet'slife,times,andculturehelpsreadersunderstandwhat'sinapoemandwhy.
∙Doesthepoemappearintheoriginallanguage?
Ifnot,readersshouldconsiderthattranslationcanalterthelanguageandmeaningofapoem.
∙Isthepoempartofaspecialcollectionorseries?
ExamplesofsuchseriesandcollectionsincludeEdnaSt.VincentMillay'ssonnets,CarlSandburg'sChicagoPoems,orRitaDove'striad,"Adolescence—I,II,andIII."
∙Doesthepoembelongtoaparticularperiodorliterarymovement?
Forexample,doesthepoemrelatetoimagism,confessionalverse,theBeatmovement,theHarlemRenaissance,theCivilRightsera,theAmericanIndianrenaissance,orfeminism?
StyleofthePoem
Intowhatcategorydoesthepoemfit—forexample,CarlSandburg'simagismin"Fog"orGwendolynBrooks'epic"TheAnniad"?
Readersshouldapplydefinitionsofthemanycategoriestodeterminewhichdescribesthepoem'slengthandstyle:
∙Isitanepic,alongpoemaboutagreatpersonornationalhero?
∙Isitalyric,ashort,musicalverse?
∙Isitanarrative,apoemthattellsastory?
∙Isitahaiku(三行俳句诗),anintense,lyricalthree-lineverseofseventeensyllables?
∙Isitconfessional?
Forexample,doesitexaminepersonalmemoriesandexperiences?
TitleofthePoem
∙Isthetitle'smeaningobvious?
Forexample,doesitmentionasinglesettingandaction,suchasW.S.Merwin's"TheDrunkintheFurnace"orJamesA.Wright's"AutumnBeginsinMartinsFerry,Ohio"?
∙Doesitimplymultiplepossibilities?
Forexample,JeanToomer's"GeorgiaDusk,"whichreferstoatimeofdayaswellastodark-skinnedpeople.
∙Doesitstrikeabalance,asinRitaDove's"BeulahandThomas"?
∙Isthereanobviousantithesis,aswithRobertFrost's"FireandIce"?
∙Istherehistoricalsignificancetothetitle?
Forexample,RobertLowell's"TheQuakerGraveyardinNantucket."
RepetitioninthePoem
Readersshouldreadthroughapoemseveraltimes,atleastoncealoud.Ifitisalongpoem,suchasAllenGinsberg'sHowlorHartCrane'sTheBridge,readersshouldconcentrateonkeypassagesandlookforrepetitionofspecificwords,phrases,orversesinthepoem.
∙WhyistherearepeatedreferencetotheseainRobinsonJeffers'spoetry?
∙Whydoesthepronoun"we"recurinGwendolynBrooks'"WeRealCool"?
∙WhydoesEdgarLeeMastersreprise重复epitaphsforSpoonRiverAnthology?
Ifreadersnoterepetitioninthepoem,theyshoulddecidewhycertaininformationseemstodeservetherepetition.
OpeningandClosingLinesofthePoem
∙Doesthepoetplacesignificantinformationoremotionintheseplaces?
Forexample,whenreadingMarianneMoore's"Poetry,"readersmayquestionthenegativestanceintheopeninglines.
∙Doesthepoetintendtoleavealastingimpressionbyclosingwithaparticularthought?
Forexample,whydoesLangstonHughes'"Harlem"leadtotheword"explode"?
PassageofTimeinthePoem
∙Canreaderspindownatimeframe?
Whatdetailsspecifytime?
∙Doesthepoetnameaparticularmonthorseason,aswithAmyLowell's"Patterns"?
∙Isthereaclearpassageoftime,aswiththedeclineofthedeceasedwomaninDeniseLevertov's"DeathinMexico"?
∙Howlongistheperiodoftime?
Aretheregaps?
SpeakerofthePoem
∙Whoisthespeaker?
Isthepersonmaleorfemale?
∙Doesthevoicespeakinfirstperson(I,me,my,mine),forexample,JohnBerryman's"HuffyHenry"?
∙Doesthespeakertalkdirectlytoasecondperson,aswithAdrienneRich's"DivingintotheWreck"?
∙Isthevoicemeanttobeuniversal—forexample,applicabletoeithersexatanytimeorplace?
NamesofCharacters
∙Doesthenameofacharactersuggestextrameaning,suchasEbenFlood(analcoholic)inEdwinArlingtonRobinson's"Mr.Flood'sParty"andT.S.Eliot'sprissyprotagonistin"TheLoveSongofJ.AlfredPrufrock"?
BasicDetailsofthePoem
∙Isthepoetdeliberatelyconcealinginformationfromthereaders,aswiththesourceofdepressioninRobertLowell's"SkunkHour"?
∙Whydoesthepoetleaveout(省略)significantfacts?
Arereaderssupposedtofillintheblanks,forexample,therelationshipbetweenmotheranddaughterinCathySong's"TheWhitePorch"ortheperplexityofamoderntouristinAllenTate's"OdetotheUnionDead"?
Culture
∙Doesthepoemstressculturaldetails,suchasthebehavior,dress,orspeechhabitsofaparticulargrouporahistoricalperiodorevent—forinstance,thedeathofanairlinestewardessinJamesDickey's"Falling"?
∙Areanysectionswrittenindialect,slang,orforeignwords,aswiththeDeepSouthpatoisofSterlingBrown's"MaRainey"?
FantasyversusReality
∙Isthepoemanobviousfantasy,asisthecasewiththeintenseconfrontationinSylviaPlath's"Daddy"andthesettingofRitaDove's"Geometry"?
MoodandToneofthePoem
∙Whatisthemoodofthepoem?
Isitcheerfulorjollylikelimericks(五行打油诗)?
Isitmysterious,provocative,zany(滑稽的,荒唐的),ominous,festive,fearful,orbrooding(沉思的),aswithRandallJarrell's"SadHeartattheSupermarket"?
Doesthemoodchangewithinthebodyofthework,aswithJoyHarjo's"TheWomanHangingfromtheThirteenthFloorWindow"?
Whydoesthemoodshift?
Wheredoestheshiftbegin?
∙Whatisthepoet'stone?
Isitsatiric,serious,mockserious,playful,somber,brash(粗鲁而自信的,自以为是的),orteasinglyhumorous,aswithRobertFrost's"Departmental:
TheEndofMyAntJerry"?
Doesthepoetadmire,agreewith,ridicule,orcondemnthespeaker,asinthetouchofmockheroicinRichardWilbur's"TheDeathofaToad(蟾蜍)"?
Isthereanobviousreasonforthepoet'sattitude,assuggestedbythesufferinginJamesDickey's"Angina"?
Doesthepoetwithholdjudgment,asisthecasewiththeepitaphsofEdgarLeeMasters'SpoonRiverAnthology?
ThemesofthePoem
Locatingandidentifyingthemeiscrucialtounderstandingdominantideas;themeisthepoem'sessence.
∙Isthesubjectyouth,loss,renewal,patriotism,nature,love?
Arethereseveralthemes?
Howdothesethemesrelatetoeachother?
∙Isthepoetmerelyteasingorentertainingortryingtoteachalesson,asdoRobinsonJeffers'"HurtHawks"andMarianneMoore's"TheMindIsanEnchantedThing"?
∙Doesthepoetemphasizethethemebymeansofonomatopoeia,personification,orcontrollingimages?
RhythmofthePoem
∙Isthereadominantrhythm?
Doesitdance,frolic(嬉戏),meander(缓慢而弯曲地流动),slither(蜿蜒滑行),ormarch?
Isitconversational,likeascenefromadrama?
Isitadroning(声音低沉单调的)monologue,asfoundinajournal,diary,orconfessional?
∙Doestherhythmrelatetotheprevalentthemeofthepoem?
Ordoesitseematoddswith(不一致)thetheme?
∙Doestherhythmincreaseordecreaseinspeed,asdoesEzraPound'sHughSelwynMauberley:
LifeandContacts?
Why?
UseoftheSensesinthePoem
∙Doesthepoemstresssenseimpressions—forexample,taste,touch,smell,sound,orsight?
Aretheseimpressionspleasant,unpleasant,orneutral?
∙Doesthepoetconcentrateonasinglesenseoraburstofsensation,asinWallaceStevens's"PeterQuinceattheClavier"orElizabethBishop's"TheFish"?
ImageryinthePoem
∙Arethereconcreteimagesorpicturesthatthepoetwantsreaderstosee?
∙Arethepicturescreatedbymeansofcomparisons—forinstance,metaphororsimile?
Doinanimateobjectstakeonhumantraits(personification)?
Doesthespeakertalktoinanimateobjectsortosuchabstractideasasfreedom?
LanguageofthePoem
∙Doesthepoetstresscertainsounds,suchaspleasantsounds(euphony谐音)orharshlettercombinations(cacophony刺耳的声音),asdemonstratedbyWendyRose'stitle"AcademicSquaw"?
∙Arecertainsoundsrepeated(alliteration,sibilance齿擦音性),asintheinsistentasoundsinAmiriBaraka's"APoemforWillieBest"?
∙Arewordslinkedbyapproximaterhyme,like"seem/freeze,"orbyrealrhyme,suchas"least/feast"?
Istherearhymeschemeorsoundpatternattheendsoflines,aswiththeinterlockingrhymesofRobertFrost's"StoppingbyWoodsonaSnowyEvening"?
Doesrhymingoccurwithinaline(internalrhyme),asin"blackflak"inRandallJarrell's"TheDeathoftheBallTurretGunner"?
Isthereonomatopoeia,orwordsthatmakeasoundthatimitatestheirmeaning,suchasswoosh(嗖),pingpong,ricochet(弹飞,跳射),clangor(叮当声、铿锵),plash(泼溅),wheeze(喘息,呼哧呼哧地响),clack(发出咔嗒声),boom(隆隆声),tingle(刺痛),slip,fumble(摸索;支吾,笨拙地处理),orclip-clop(马蹄声),aswiththeverb"soar"(.翱翔,高飞,猛增,高涨,高耸)inEdnaSt.VincentMillay's"OnThoughtinHarness"?
SupplementalMaterials
∙Hastheeditorincludedanypreface,explanatorynotes,orconcludingcommentsandquestions;forexample,T.S.
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