Poetry 2: Life, Birth and Death

Imagery and Metaphor;

Rhyme and Rhythm

Outline• Introduction: Theme and Literary Techniques:

Figures of Speech, Rhyme and Rhythm

• Poems • "Days“

• “Sestina“

• "Metaphors“

• “Because I could not stop for Death--"

• “Do Not Go Gentle into that Good Night”

• For Pleasure: • “Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone”

• "Ironic“

Annotation 2 and Journal 3

General Questions

• Life – Sunrise, sunset, what are days for?

How do you divide life into different stages? Are we always losing or gaining?

• Pregnancy & Birth – What changes does it bring to the pregnant woman?

• Death – What will we feel when we die? Why do poets write about death?

[Quiz 1] Which of the following interpretations is WRONG?

1. The following lines have regular iambic (抑揚 ) feet in the first line: I’m a mean, a stage, a cow in calf. I’ve eaten a bag of green apples, Boarded the train there’s no getting off.

2. There are internal rhymes in the following lines:Though wise men at their end know dark is right,Because their words had forked no lightning theyDo not go gentle into that good night.

3. Free verse like the one below has its own regularity or pattern: A noiseless patient spider,I marked where on a little promontory it stood isolated,Marked how to explore the vacant vast surrounding,

[Review] Literary Techniques (1): Rhyme

1. [usually] End Rhyme: the repetition of the final syllable (vowel and consonant sounds) in the last words of poetic lines.

Different positions:  2. internal rhyme: rhymes within the lines.

Sound Patterns:1. Consonance –repetition of consonants2. Assonance -- repetition of vowel sounds3. Alliteration -- repetition of the first consonant (or

syllables)

Different Kinds of Rhyme: Exact rhyme vs. slant (false) rhyme (“room” & “Storm”), feminine rhyme (of unstressed syllables)

Literary Techniques (2): Rhythm & scanning a poem

Rhythm (音韻 ) refers to the stressed and unstressed syllables in a poem. (Like 平仄 in Chinese poems.)

Meter (格律 )-- the pattern found among stressed and unstressed syllables in a poem. E.g. iambic ( 抑揚 ) trochaic ( 揚抑 )

scansion --the analysis of stressed and unstressed syllables in a poem.Steps:

1) Mark the syllables 音節2) Mark the feet. 音步 (2 to 3 syllables e.g. iambic 抑揚 )3) Mark the caesuras (noticeable pause in a line of poetry)

Scanning -- Do not go Scanning -- Do not go gentle into that good nightgentle into that good night

Do not go gentle into that Do not go gentle into that good nightgood night,, Old age Old age should burn and rave at close of day; should burn and rave at close of day; Rage, rageRage, rage against the dying of the light. against the dying of the light.

Though Though wise menwise men at their end knowat their end know dark is right dark is right, , Because their words had forked no lightning they Because their words had forked no lightning they Do not go gentle into that good Do not go gentle into that good nightnight. .

Good menGood men, , the last wave bythe last wave by, crying how , crying how brightbright Their frail deeds might have danced in a Their frail deeds might have danced in a green baygreen bay, , Rage, rage against the dying of the lightRage, rage against the dying of the light. .

command

action

spondee

Scanning

He was my North, my South, my East and West,

My working week and my Sunday rest,

My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song;

I thought that love would last for ever: I was wrong.

Philip Larkin

"Days"

What are days for?Days are where we live.They come, they wake usTime and time over.They are to be happy in:Where can we live but days?

Ah, solving that questionBrings the priest and the doctorIn their long coatsRunning over the fields.

1. Q 2’s meaning?2. The contrast between stanzas 1 and 2?

Your Interpretation• After the first question being answered, here

comes another question from the curious asker. I think the answer of the second question makes a contrast between that of the first one because he/she depicts a scene which is full of priests and doctors running across; and that might suggest "death." Therefore, I think the aswerer is trying to say that, apart from days, where we can live in is death. The tone here turns passive but realistic.

Ref. “Days” (for Philip Larkin, who didn't answer the

question fully.) by Felix Cheong

What are days?They are dumb routines of work and playquietly trapping us between dawn and dust.

What are days for?They are for nights to restbefore unleashing the darkfrom unknown places in the heart.

Where do days go?They go the wayof spent happiness and unwanted grieftrailing the wake of a silent breeze.

Examples?

“Days” (for Philip Larkin)

• What do days mean?Answering this questionsends the poet to his penand raises the prophet to his feet--

both scurrying to their graves across the field,armed with words and gods.

Why not doctor and priest?

[Quiz 2] What are the missing words (from “Days” (for Philip Larkin, who didn't answer the question fully.) )?

• What do days mean?Answering this questionsends the __(1)__ to his penand raises the _(2)___ to his feet--

both scurrying to their graves across the field,armed with words and gods.

1.(1) Doctor and (2) priest

2.(1) lawyer and (2) doctor

3.(1) poet and (2) prophet

Elizabeth Bishop

Literary Techniques (4): Poetic Form--Sestina

1. a highly structured poem consisting of six six-line stanzas followed by a tercet. (6 x 6 + 3)

2. The same set of six words(house, grandmother, child, stove, almanac, tears) ends the lines of each of the six-line stanzas, but in a different order each time.

3 These six words then appear in the tercet as well.

reference

September rain falls on the house.

In the failing light, the old grandmother

sits in the kitchen with the child

beside the Little Marvel Stove,

reading the jokes from the almanac,

laughing and talking to hide her tears.

 

She thinks that her equinoctial ( 春 ( 秋 ) 分時的 ) tears

and the rain that beats on the roof of the house

were both foretold by the almanac,

but only known to a grandmother.

The iron kettle sings on the stove.

She cuts some bread and says to the child,

 

Sestina

Red—sadnessBlue--acceptance

SestinaIt's time for tea now; but the child

is watching the teakettle's small hard tears

dance like mad on the hot black stove,

the way the rain must dance on the house.

Tidying up, the old grandmother

hangs up the clever almanac

on its string. Birdlike, the almanac

hovers half open above the child,

hovers above the old grandmother

and her teacup full of dark brown tears.

She shivers and says she thinks the house

feels chilly, and puts more wood in the stove.

 

 

 

SestinaIt was to be, says the Marvel Stove.

I know what I know, says the almanac.

With crayons the child draws a rigid house

and a winding pathway. Then the child

puts in a man with buttons like tears

and shows it proudly to the grandmother.

 

But secretly, while the grandmother

busies herself about the stove,

the little moons fall down like tears

from between the pages of the almanac

into the flower bed the child

has carefully placed in the front of the house.

 

Time to plant tears, says the almanac.

The grandmother sings to the marvelous stove

and the child draws another inscrutable house.

 

 

 

[Quiz 3] What are the missing words (from “Sestina”)?

It was to be, says the Marvel Stove.

I know what I know, says the almanac.

With crayons the child draws a ___ house

and a winding pathway. Then the child

puts in a man with buttons like tears

and shows it proudly to the grandmother.

1. broken

2. inscrutable

3. fallen

4.  rigid 

Tell the story. What happened?

Is it a sad story or a story of survival?

SestinaGrandmother Housekeeping, hide her tears

Takes care of the child sings to the marvelous stove

Marvel Stove and Almanac

Reality: 1.daily routines and temporal (daily and seasonal) changes2.The kettle sings and the rain dances produce tears3. “plant” tears

Child Rigid house + winding path Flower bed Inscrutable house

Home?Where are the parents?

Sylvia Plath

Metaphors Sylvia Plath (1960)

I'm a riddle in nine syllables, An elephant, a ponderous house, A melon strolling on two tendrils. O red fruit, ivory, fine timbers! This loaf's big with its yeasty rising. Money's new-minted in this fat purse. I‘m a means, a stage, a cow in calf. ( 懷孕的母牛 )

I've eaten a bag of green apples, Boarded the train there's no getting off.

Different kinds of metaphors?Anything in common?

Metaphors Sylvia Plath (1960) • A Pregnant woman = riddle = Metaphors:

– Physical: Large and eating: An elephant, a ponderous house, a melon strolling on two tendrils. (a loaf , fat purse, a cow, eaten a bag of green apples)

– Serving as a house: red fruit(biblical allusion to "fruit of thy womb“), ivory, fine timbers

– Productive (child, money): money new-minted, a cow in calf, fat purse

– Serving as a means to an end: a means, a stage, a cow in calf

– Metaphysical -- The unknown: a riddle, boarded the train there's no getting off

– But then is the riddle really solved or fully understood?

Because I could not stop for Death

Emily Dickinson

Scanning “Because I could not stop for Death”

Because I could not stop for Death--

He kindly stopped for me--

The carriage held but just ourselves--

And Immortality.

We slowly drove--he knew no haste,

And I had put away

My labor, and my leisure too,

For His Civility–

We passed the school, where children strove  

At Recess--in the Ring--

We passed the Fields of Gazing Grain--

We passed the Setting Sun--

 

TetrameterTrimeterThe others:

pentameter, bimeter…

Iambic ( ﹀ /) -- suggestTrochaic (/ ﹀ ) -- doubleDactylic (/ ﹀﹀ ) -- credibleAnapaestic ( ﹀﹀ /) – at recess

Because I could not stop for Death

Or rather--he passed Us--

The Dews grew quivering and chill--

For only Gossamer my Gown--

My Tippet--only Tulle ( 薄紗 )--

 

We paused before a House that seemed

A Swelling of the Ground--

The Roof was scarcely visible--

The Cornice--in the Ground--

 

Since then-- 'tis Centuries--and yet each

Feels shorter than the day

I first surmised the Horses' Heads

Were toward Eternity--

Because I could not stop for Death

Because I could not stop for Death--

He kindly stopped for me--

The carriage held but just ourselves--

And Immortality.

We slowly drove--he knew no haste,

And I had put away

My labor, and my leisure too,

For His Civility–

We passed the school, where children strove  

At Recess--in the Ring--

We passed the Fields of Gazing Grain--

We passed the Setting Sun--

 

Personified as a gentleman

Symbolic of 1.Learning2.Harvesting3. aging

Because I could not stop for Death

Or rather--he passed Us--

The Dews grew quivering and chill--

For only Gossamer my Gown--

My Tippet--only Tulle ( 薄紗 )--

 

We paused before a House that seemed

A Swelling of the Ground--

The Roof was scarcely visible–

The Cornice( 簷口 )--in the Ground--

 

Since then-- 'tis Centuries--and yet each

Feels shorter than the day

I first surmised the Horses' Heads

Were toward Eternity--

personified

Extended metaphor

Extended metaphor: life after death as a journey

[Quiz 4] Which of the following underlined words suggest death as

a journey? Or rather--he passed Us--

The Dews grew quivering and chill--

For only -

My Tippet--only Tulle ( 薄紗 )—(1) Gossamer my Gown-

 

We paused before a (2) House that seemed

A Swelling of the Ground--

The Roof was scarcely visible–

The Cornice( 簷口 )--in the Ground--

 

Since then-- 'tis Centuries--and yet each

Feels shorter than the day

I first surmised (3) the Horses' Heads

Were toward Eternity--

From “Because I could not stop for Death”

[Quiz 5] Which of the following is NOT a major turning point in “Because I could

not stop for Death”?

1. from “passing” different objects in life to being “passed” over by the Sun,

2. When the speaker put away her labor and leisure for Death

3. from her use of the past tense, to the present tense (“Since then 'tis centuries, and yet each/Feels shorter than the day”).

4. When Death stops for the speaker.

Do not go gentle into that Do not go gentle into that good nightgood night

Dylan Thomas

http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/15377

Do not go gentle into that good Do not go gentle into that good nightnight

Do not go gentle into that good night,Do not go gentle into that good night, Old age should burn and rave at close of day; Old age should burn and rave at close of day; Rage, rage against the dying of the lightRage, rage against the dying of the light. .

Though Though wise menwise men at their end know at their end know dark is right dark is right, , Because their words had forked no lightning they Because their words had forked no lightning they Do not go gentle into that good night. Do not go gentle into that good night.

Good menGood men, , the last wave bythe last wave by, crying how bright , crying how bright Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay, Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay, Rage, rage against the dying of the lightRage, rage against the dying of the light. .

Accepting death

Creates no impact

regret

sleep/restful death; metaphor

Do not go gentle into that good Do not go gentle into that good night (2)night (2)

Wild menWild men who who caught and sang the sun in flight, caught and sang the sun in flight, And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way, And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way, Do not go gentle into that good night. Do not go gentle into that good night.

Grave menGrave men, , near deathnear death, who see with blinding sight , who see with blinding sight Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay, Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay, Rage, rage against the dying of the lightRage, rage against the dying of the light. .

And you, my father, there on the sad height, And you, my father, there on the sad height, Curse, bless me now with your fierce tears, I pray. Curse, bless me now with your fierce tears, I pray. Do not go gentle into that good night. Do not go gentle into that good night. Rage, rage against the dying of the lightRage, rage against the dying of the light. .

Rush thru’ life wildly

[Quiz 6] Choose the right set of [Quiz 6] Choose the right set of answersanswers

__(1)__ __(1)__ whowho caught and sang the sun in flight, caught and sang the sun in flight, And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way, And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way, Do not go gentle into that good night. Do not go gentle into that good night.

__(2)____(2)__, , near deathnear death, who see with blinding sight , who see with blinding sight Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay, Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay, Rage, rage against the dying of the lightRage, rage against the dying of the light. .

1. (1) Wise men (2) Good men1. (1) Wise men (2) Good men2. (1) Wild men (2) Grave men2. (1) Wild men (2) Grave men3. (1) Grave men(2) Good men3. (1) Grave men(2) Good men4. (1) Wild men (2) Good men4. (1) Wild men (2) Good men

From “Do not go gentle into that From “Do not go gentle into that good night”good night”

Do not go gentle into that good nightQuestionsQuestions

Pattern and Overall Meaning: -- How is the speaker’s idea developed? What is view

of life presented? -- Do you find the poem passionate or hiding a great

sense of futility?

Response PatternsResponse Patterns

wise men

know dark is right

Because their words had forked no lightning

good men

crying how bright /Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay

wild men

learn too late, they grieved it[the sun] on its way

caught and sang the sun in flight

grave men

see with blinding sight

Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay

Wise Men, Good Men, Wild Man Wise Men, Good Men, Wild Man and Grave Man and Grave Man

Stanzas 2 and 3 deal with men who have failed to achieve the ends they "have aimed at.

-- "Because their words had forked no lightning" (5)-- “because their "frail deeds" never "danced" (8). Stanzas 4 and 5 deal with men who have achieved

their aims, but either regret their success or is losing it.

-- "Wild men," in their hedonist actions, regret "they grieved it on its way" (10-11).

--"Grave men," who may have spent their lives in the gloomy contemplation of life's sorrows, see the possibility of “gaiety“ (“blaze like meteors and be gay”) with blinding sight (about to lose it).

Father and Son: Father and Son: use of oxymoron use of oxymoron

And you, my father, there on the And you, my father, there on the sad sad heightheight, ,

Curse, Curse, blessbless me now with your fierce tears, I me now with your fierce tears, I pray. pray.

Do not go Do not go gentlegentle into that into that good nightgood night. . power power

Rage, rage against the dying of the Rage, rage against the dying of the lightlight. . futilityfutility

Literary Techniques (4): Poetic Form—Villanelle

A chiefly French verse form running on two rhymes and consisting typically of five tercets and a quatrain in which the first and third lines of the opening tercet recur alternately at the end of the other tercets and together as the last two lines of the quatrain. –line 1 = 6, 12, 18; line 3 = line 9, 15, 19.

一種源自法國的兩韻詩 ( 由五個三聯句 (tercet) 及一個四行詩 (quatrain) 組成；開頭三聯句的第一、三行輪流出現於其他三聯句的最後一行、再一起出現為四行詩的結尾兩行 ) 。

two rhyming sounds: aba aba aba aba aba abaa.

Literary Techniques (4): Poetic Form—Villanelle

The beauty of villanelle – ". . . the form [of villanelle] has remarkable unity of structure.  The echoing and reechoing of the refrains give the villanelle a plaintive, delicate beauty that some poets find irresistible."

Difficulties of villanelle – "Since it has only two rhymed endings, the poem can easily become monotonous.  The risks of monotony is increased by the incessant appearance of the refrains that constitute eight of the poems' nineteen lines -- nearly half of the poem.  This skilled author of the villanelle, thus, is careful to achieve the maximum tonal range and to fit the refrains lines as naturally as possible into the logic of the poem" (The Heath Guide to Literature 637)  How do the two poems we read use the form of villanelle to enrich their meanings and avoid monotony?

Sound & Sense -- Do not go Sound & Sense -- Do not go gentle into that good nightgentle into that good night

Do not go gentle into that Do not go gentle into that good nightgood night,, Old age Old age should burn and rave at close of day; should burn and rave at close of day; Rage, rageRage, rage against the dying of the light. against the dying of the light.

Though Though wise menwise men at their end knowat their end know dark is right dark is right, , Because their words had forked no lightning they Because their words had forked no lightning they Do not go gentle into that good Do not go gentle into that good nightnight. .

Good menGood men, , the last wave bythe last wave by, crying how , crying how brightbright Their frail deeds might have danced in a Their frail deeds might have danced in a green baygreen bay, , Rage, rage against the dying of the lightRage, rage against the dying of the light. .

command

action

spondee

Scanning -- Do not go Scanning -- Do not go gentle into that good night (2)gentle into that good night (2)

Wild men Wild men whowho caught and sang the sun in flightcaught and sang the sun in flight, , And learn, too late, they grieved it on its And learn, too late, they grieved it on its wayway, , Do not go gentle into that good Do not go gentle into that good nightnight. .

Grave menGrave men, , near deathnear death, who see with blinding , who see with blinding sight sight Blind eyes Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be could blaze like meteors and be gaygay, , Rage, rageRage, rage against the dying of the against the dying of the light light. .

And you, my father, there on the And you, my father, there on the sad heightsad height, , Curse, bless me now with your fierce tearsCurse, bless me now with your fierce tears, I , I praypray. . Do not go gentle into that good Do not go gentle into that good nightnight. . Rage, rage against the dying of the lightRage, rage against the dying of the light. .

Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone

• Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone,Prevent the dog from barking with a juicy bone,Silence the pianos and with muffled drumBring out the coffin, let the mourners come.

Let aeroplanes circle moaning overheadScribbling on the sky the message He Is Dead,Put crepe bows round the white necks of the public doves,Let the traffic policemen wear black cotton gloves.

W. H. Auden

Four Weddings and a Funeral - "Funeral Blues"

12 syllables?

For respect?

Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone (cont’d)

He was my North, my South, my East and West,My working week and my Sunday rest,My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song;I thought that love would last for ever: I was wrong.

The stars are not wanted now: put out every one;Pack up the moon and dismantle the sun;Pour away the ocean and sweep up the wood.For nothing now can ever come to any good.

hyperbole

Scan this

Moment of Sadness

• Engrossing. One can be totally immersed in sadness, so that s/he commands all (ranging from small daily matters to the sun, sea, land and wood) to stop and to mourn for his/her dead lover.

• On the other hand, there are ways to put death in its context of life, and for us to survive this overwhelming moment of sadness. ( the poem, 11th of Auden’s "Twelve Songs”; Auden’s “Les musee des beaux arts”)

Possible Journal Topics• 1. Identity and Family Relations:

So far we have read a few poems where one’s family (background) influences one’s identity (“Those Winter Sundays,” “My Mother and the Bed” and “Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers”).

How do the speaker or aunt Jennifer respond to their family or family members?

How are the ideas conveyed through the poetic language and form?

Possible Journal Topics (2)

• 2. Children or Young People’s Views of their Society and Identity:

• In the texts narrated or spoken by a child or a teenager, how does their point of view influence their views of their society/world and their sense of identity? In what ways are they biased? Do they learn to change or correct their views in the text? Please choose one story and one poem/song from the following: “Araby,” “A&P,” “Fast Cars,” “We Real Cool.”

Possible Journal Topics (3)

• 2. on Life, Death and Birth -- Different Views on life, daily routine,

death, pregnancy and the other turning points in life (e.g. trauma).

Journal & Essay Question

• Suggested order of your answer--

• Specify a title/your choice, and then give a thesis statement as a direct answer to the topic/question.

• Support your thesis statement by giving specific examples from the text and analyzing them.

• In analyzing a text, you don't need to summarize the plot. Likewise, do not just paraphrase the poem stanza by stanza.

• you need to discuss how the theme you deal with develop in the different parts of the novel/poem, both in form and content.

• Conclude by summarizing your main points and discussing your thesis a bit more.

Reminder: Logic

• “Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night”-- most people reject the coming of the death, even wise men. “Rage against the dying of the light“ the sentence expresses a genuine thought in ordinary people’ s mind. Yes! Most people don’t want to surrender to death. In other words, they desire to be immortal to some degree.

Your Comparison (1): “Days” “Because I could not stop for death”

1. “Because I could not stop for death” describes death as a more optimistic way. She thinks that we can’t avoid the process of death, so we should accept it. Maybe it is because of her bad memory in her childhood (her cousin’s death), so she take death for granted. (?) Therefore, she can bravely face it.

2. Philip Larkin’s ‘’Days’’, it talks about the daily life. He seems to be tired of life; however, it couldn’t be changed, too. “Where do we live but days?” We can also attribute his fatigue to his background. He was a librarian for many years,…

3. The first poem has a more lively atmosphere and the second one is more helpless.(?)

By Melody

Your Comparison (1): “Days” “Because I could not stop for death”

0. Thesis: The differences between the two poems are only apparent; both show an awareness of mortality.

1. “Because I could not stop for death-- shows the readiness to accept death, but still reveals its emptiness.

2. Philip Larkin’s ‘’Days’’—shows merry procession of days in the first stanza, but then a sense of resignation about being held in it, as well as an awareness of death.

3. Both poems reveal their deeper meanings through a change of tones.

Suggestions

Your Comparison (2): • “Because I Could Not Stop For Death” -- the phases one

goes through and then eventually reaching death and then even further beyond: into eternity.

• “Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone” –the speaker is unwilling to face the death of a loved one and wants the whole world to go into mourning with him.

• The former sees death as something that goes on forever, almost as if it is simply a new chapter in life, a new beginning, whereas the latter thinks death to be an end. One is acknowledging and accepting death and the other, denial.

• Thesis: The two poems are very different in their views of death, which reflect the speakers’ different positions in relation to death. Death of one’s self (the speaker passive), of a lover (the speaker active in mourning)

By Susan

Your Comparison (3): “Sestina” and “Do not Go Gentle…”

• 1. the atmosphere of the two. In “Sestina,” the whole surrounding is gloomy and slow in pace, whereas there is still energy and hope of the future, mostly because of the child in this poem. If use color to describe the poem, it would turns out to be grey, however, there is still some pure white within.

• On the other hand, in Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night, the atmosphere is much more active and tried to confront with the reality, throughout the words that the speaker used on the poem. To describe this poem by color, it would be light red and combined with a little bit dark.

• The grandmother in Sestina and the image of the father in Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night can serve as a contrast to the child and the speaker. This is like passive vs, active, and also negative vs. positive. ...

By Joan

“Sestina” and “Do Not Go Gentle…”0. Thesis: both use strict poet form to convey some life

patterns – children’s survival trauma thru’ in daily life or the elderly striving for life on the stage of life

1. parent-child relation:

-- The grandmother: takes care of the child while hiding her sadness, while the child is quietly adapting to the loss.

-- The father: quiet, being urged on by the child.

2. Main purpose:-- “Sestina” – the child’s adapting to the loss thru’ art under

grandmother’s care – healing

-- “Do Not Go Gentle”-- a dying father’s being urged to stay active or energetic – energizing

3. the atmosphere of the two and their poetic form – a domestic setting vs. the setting of life– variation of the same elements

suggestions

Works Cites

• Kennedy, X.J. and Dana Gioia, eds. Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama. 7th ed. New York: Longman, 1999.

• Literary Terms: PowerPoint Presentation <http://www.clintweb.net/ctw/littermsppt.ppt>