Poetry Comparison

placesMeaning Is each poem straightforward or ambiguous in meaning? What do you think it means?Fairly clear move from optimism to pessimism – blackberry picking as a metaphor for other thingsLess obvious – subject changes from hay-cutting, to wounded mouse, to worries about childrenVery straightforward – nature is shown as powerful and majesticMoves from description of wonders of nature to reflection on why we need to preserve itViewpoint What is the viewpoint?Adult recalls childhood experienceParent concerned for childrenObserver filled with aweObserver filled with wonderTone and mood Comment on each poem’s tone and mood. Does either poem make any use of humour or irony?Reflective and philosophicalHighly serious and concernedExhilarated – the poem is full of raw natural energyShares Whitman’s awe but in a more delighted way – a much more joyful experience of natureInteresting details Comment on any details which you find interesting in the poemsBluebeard – a sinister reference, since his hands were sticky with the blood of his wivesReference to news – war in Europe (Yugoslavia) makes poet fearful and sympatheticImages are all literal – they may be symbolic of other things but are not metaphorsThe poet captures and exploits the local words for natural featuresStructure and form Describe the structure and form of the poems – look at such things as rhyme, metre/rhythm, stanza formTwo halves correspond to ideas of hope and disappointmentThree stanzas correspond to sequence of ideasLoose iambic metreNo set metre but a pattern of stresses – which Hopkins also doesThree stanzas of description and one pleading for saving the wilderness. Anapaestic metre and alliterationKey images Look for the key images in each poem. In each case say ∙1        what the image is ∙2        what it means∙3        how it works in the poemDifferent kinds of blackberries and the juice – leading to “rat-grey fungus”.“Bones brittle as mouse ribs”“Neighbour turned stranger”“Dim weird forms”“Weeds and…wilderness” sum up all the other imagesOther technical features Are there any other features, such as sound FX, contrast, colloquialism or wordplay?Lots of monosyllables, especially nouns (clot, blob, knot, boots) often at the end of a lineNone reallyEvery line ends with a present participle verb (“-ing” word)Lots of sound FX and wordplayPersonal response Give your own response to the poems, with reasons This poem speaks the truth about things not living up to hopesGives an older person’s viewpoint – appeals to feminine sideQuite easy to read but it’s not much  more than a list of verbsCould be an advert for the Scottish Tourist Board http://www.universalteacher.org.uk/                 © ZigZag Education, 2002