Analysis of Poems
1. Theme: Poetry often conveys a message through figurative language.
The central idea and the subject matter can reveal the underlying theme
of a poem. The theme of City Planners is, “society”, “control”, and
“the future.”
2. Language: From word choice to imagery, language creates the
mood and tone of a poem. The way language is arranged also impacts
the rhythm of a poem.
3. Sound and rhythm: The syllabic patterns and stresses create the
metrical pattern of a poem.
4. Structure: The framework of a poem’s structure affects how it is meant
to be read. A poet sculpts their story around stanzas, line breaks, rhyme
patterns, punctuation, and pauses.
Poetic Devices:
1. Simile. A simile is a figure of speech that compares two separate
concepts through the use of a clear connecting word such as “like” or
“as.” Examples of simile are phrases such as “He was wily as a fox,”
or “I slept like a piece of wood.”
2. Metaphor. A metaphor is like a simile, but without connecting words.
It simply posits that two separate things are the same. For example,
“He was a cunny fox,” or “She cried a river of tears.”
3. Indirect metaphor. Metaphor takes a few different forms. Sometimes
the object of comparison is purely implied rather than directly
referenced, such as in the phrase, “He barked commands at the team,”
which implies comparison to a dog.
4. Personification. Personification projects human qualities onto
inanimate objects, or perhaps animals or natural elements. “The wind
howled,” “The words leapt off the page,” and “Time marches on” are
all examples of personification.
5. Hyperbole. Hyperbole is extravagant, intentional exaggeration. “I have
a million things to do today”, is a common example of hyperbole.
6. Allusion. Allusion is when a text references another external text—or
maybe a person, place or event. It can be either explicit or implicit.
“We’ve entered a Garden of Eden” is an allusion to the biblical place,
for instance.
7. Idiom. Idioms are non-literal turns of phrase so common that most
people who speak the same language know them. English examples
include, “He stole her thunder”, “A perfect storm”, “Add insult to
injury”, and “Actions speak louder than words”.
8. Pun. A pun is a play on words. It exploits the different meanings of a
word or its homonyms, usually to humorous effect. A well-worn
example of a pun is: “Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a
banana.”, and “The two pianists had a good marriage. They always
were in a chord.”
9. Onomatopoeia. In onomatopoeia, words sound like the thing they
describe. Sound effects like “tick-tock” and “ding-dong” are everyday
examples, as well as words like “zap” and “hiccup.” Sometimes
individual words are not onomatopoeic, but they will become so in the
context of the words around them, as in Edgar Allan Poe’s “suddenly
there came a tapping, as of someone gently rapping, rapping at my
chamber door.”
10.
Alliteration. Many experts also consider alliteration an example
of figurative language, even though it does not involve figures of
speech. Rather, alliteration is a sound device that layers some
additional meaning on top of the literal language of the text. It occurs
when a series of words start with the same letter sound, such as “wicked
witch” or “Peter Piper Picked a Peck of Pickled Peppers.” This can
help build imagery or mood, hence the connection to figurative
language.
11.
Juxtaposition. Juxtaposition is a literary device that implies
comparison or contrast. Writers create juxtaposition by placing two
entities side by side to create dramatic or ironic contrast. Juxtaposition
is a form of implied comparison in that there is no overt comparison or
inference on the part of the writer. Examples include, “All's fair in love
and war”, “Better late than never” and “Beggars can't be choosers.”
12.
Enjambment. When a poet uses enjambment, he or she continues
a sentence beyond the end of the line into a subsequent line or lines.
'The enjambment of lines 12 to 13, successful in its matching the sense,
introduces a further rhythmic variation due to the unusual length of the
vowel in 'over-poise'. An example is, “No shouting here, or / shatter
of glass.”
Analysis of Short Stories
1. Setting. The setting is the physical location of the story, and it can
heavily inform a story’s mood. For instance, a story set during a sunny
day will be predisposed to a happy or carefree mood, while a story set
in a haunted house will be predisposed to a sense of tension or fear.
2. Tone. Tone and mood can be easily mistaken for another, but they’re
slightly different things. While mood has to do with the feelings
evoked in the reader, tone has nothing to do with the reader and
everything to do with the point-of-view character (either first person or
third person) of the story. Some words that can describe the mood of a
poem might be: romantic, realistic, optimistic, pessimistic, gloomy,
mournful, and sorrowful. Some words that can describe the tone of a
poem might be: serious, humorous, amused, angry, playful, cheerful,
sad, and gloomy. In short, tone is the narrator’s attitude toward the
events taking place. Tone can contribute to the mood of a story by
helping evoke feelings in readers—for instance, a rude, sarcastic
narrator may create a funny tone for a story, and a cheerful mood.
3. Word choice. The choice of words for a story can help establish its
mood. If a writer wants to create a jarring or frustrating mood, they can
choose specific words that are harsh and staccato-sounding; if they
want to create a dark mood, they can use words with negative
connotations to conjure brooding feelings.
4. Theme. Mood isn’t established only by the way a writer writes—it is
also determined by the subject matter the author uses. For instance, a
story that talks a lot about death may be trying to create a sad mood,
while a story whose theme centers around birthdays may have a more
positive and upbeat mood.