How to Write a Critical Appreciation of a Poem:
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Critical appreciation of a poem is defined as the critical reading of a poem. The meaning of its words, its rhyme, scheme, the speaker, figures of speech, the references to other works (intertextuality), the style of language, the general writing style of the poet ( if mentioned), the genre, the context, the tone of the speaker and such other elements make up the critical reading or appreciation. It does not mean criticising the poem. A critical appreciation helps in a better understanding of the verse.
Meaning- Read the poem more than once to get a clear idea of what the speaker is trying to say. Look up the meanings of difficult or unusual words in a thesaurus. The title of the poem is a key to the general meaning and summary of the thought presented. A poem might be about lost love, 'Lucy' (Wordsworth).
Rhyme Scheme- Find the rhyming words. These occur at the end of each line. Rhyming words might be present in the middle of the line also. Mark the rhyme scheme. For example, if rhyming words occur at the end of each line alternatively in a poem of 4 lines, the rhyme scheme will be 'a b a b'. In the poem, 'Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening' by Robert Frost, the second stanza goes like this:
"My little horse must think it queer
"My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year... "
In these lines, the rhyme scheme is 'a a b b'
In several poems, there are no rhymes. Such a poem is called a blank verse.
Speaker- Identify the speaker of the poem. It can be a child, an elderly, a shepherd, a swordsman, a student, a milkmaid, a sailor, an animal or even an object like a chair or a place like a house or a mountain. Each Speaker will speak differently.
Setting- Every poem has a specific setting. It might be a ship or a modern condominium. The setting is the background of the poem and contributes to its meaning. For example, the setting of a pastoral is very likely to be a grazing ground for a flock of ship. The setting of Eliot's 'Preludes' is a modern city with its people leading a mechanical life. The words also convey the same sense.
"And short square fingers stuffing pies,
"And short square fingers stuffing pies,
And evening newspapers, and eyes,
Assured of certain certainties... "
Context- The context gives us the time and location of the poem. It is what prompted the poem. The context might be an event of great political significance like the French Revolution. It prompted P.B. Shelley's famous, "Ode to the West Wind." The poem beautifully upholds the spirit of the revolution and heralded the dawn of a new age.
Language- The language of a poem is the very vehicle of its thoughts and ideas. Study the language in terms of the use of figures of speech, its tone, use of loan words or archaic words, length of sentences, the rhythm (meters- iambic, Trochaic or any other), number of lines etc. Note the introduction of new ideas and mark the place where it occurs. For example, in the poem, 'The lamb' by William Blake, the lamb refers to both the baby sheep, the little boy who is the speaker and the Lamb of God. Here the word, "lamb" is a metaphor.
Intertextuality- While writing the critical appreciation of a poem, we notice that another poem is alluded or looked back upon. This is called intertextuality or reference. For example, Chaucer's 'Canterbury Tales' allude to Boccaccio's 'Decameron' in its structure of people narrating stories during a journey.
Genre- Genre roughly means the category of the poem. Each genre has set rules and characteristics. For example, a very long narrative poem, running into a several thousands of lines, dealing with divine figures or demi-gods or great generals of the past and describing a terrible war or an incredible journey on which the fate of humanity rests can be termed as epic. For example, the 'Iliad' (Homer), 'Paradise Lost' (J. Milton) and such poems. A short poem of 14 lines expressing intimate emotions is a 'sonnet'. For example, 'Let me not to the marriage of true minds' (Shakespeare) is a sonnet extolling real love and devotion. There are several genre- satire, mock-epic, ballad, lyric, ode, parody etc.
8 easy-to-use steps to writing an effective critical appreciation for any given poem with lots of examples from well known poems to make things lucid and graspable. For the use of all English literature enthusiasts!
8 easy-to-use steps to writing an effective critical appreciation for any given poem with lots of examples from well known poems to make things lucid and graspable. For the use of all English literature enthusiasts!
Poetry Appreciation Methods
Critical Appreciation simply means to evaluate and analyze a poem in order to have its better understanding. It includes two steps:
Step 1
In order to write a critical analysis of a poem, one is required to first evaluate the poetic techniques used by the poet. It includes analysis of the genre: Genre simply means category. Every genre has its own distinct features. e.g. Sonnet has 14 lines divided into three quatrains and a couplet. Thus the poem could be a sonnet, ballad, elegy, ode, lyric, dramatic etc.
the rhyme scheme: It could either be abba, aabb, abab etc. However, some poems are blank verse as well i.e. without any rhyme scheme (Background, Casually by Nissim Eziekel)
the figures of speech: it includes imagery, simile, metaphor, personification, repetition, pun, oxymoron, alliteration etc.
the language style: It includes the use of figures of speech, rhythm, word length, number of lines, images, senses (e.g. in Happy Insensibility) etc.
the tone of the speaker: tone can be mysterious, provocative, ominous, festive, fearful, exuberant, hopeful etc.
the references to other works: it includes reference to works of other authors (like Eliot’s reference to Murry in his work The Function of Criticism)
Critical Appreciation simply means to evaluate and analyze a poem in order to have its better understanding. It includes two steps:
Step 1
In order to write a critical analysis of a poem, one is required to first evaluate the poetic techniques used by the poet. It includes analysis of the genre: Genre simply means category. Every genre has its own distinct features. e.g. Sonnet has 14 lines divided into three quatrains and a couplet. Thus the poem could be a sonnet, ballad, elegy, ode, lyric, dramatic etc.
the rhyme scheme: It could either be abba, aabb, abab etc. However, some poems are blank verse as well i.e. without any rhyme scheme (Background, Casually by Nissim Eziekel)
the figures of speech: it includes imagery, simile, metaphor, personification, repetition, pun, oxymoron, alliteration etc.
the language style: It includes the use of figures of speech, rhythm, word length, number of lines, images, senses (e.g. in Happy Insensibility) etc.
the tone of the speaker: tone can be mysterious, provocative, ominous, festive, fearful, exuberant, hopeful etc.
the references to other works: it includes reference to works of other authors (like Eliot’s reference to Murry in his work The Function of Criticism)
Step 2
Second, the reader should evaluate the meaning of the poem. It includes
Speaker: Speaker could be the poet himself (like Wordsworth) or a hero (as in the poems of Keats) or a shepherd etc. Knowing about the speaker is important as every speaker speaks differently.
Title: it includes the relevance of title, its historical significance, etc.
Denotation: the literal meaning of the words. It helps to get the basic idea of the poem. e.g. in the poem The Good Morrow by John Donne, the meaning of the words help to understand the diverse knowledge possessed by the Metaphysical Poets.
Connotations: the ideas invoked by the words i.e. deeper meaning-the message or universal truth it conveys. This helps to understand the central theme of the poem. e.g. in the poem Ode to Autumn, the central idea is quite different from what the words perceive.
Purpose of writing: The purpose of writing could be to inform with facts or to persuade with an appeal to reason or emotions or just to entertain the readers.
Movements: A reader is required to have information about the movements that were trending during the time of poet. The movements have a significant influence on the writing of a poet. e.g. Romantic Movement influenced the poets of the early 19th century.
Having done all the analysis and evaluation, the reader should first write a description of the poem and then its comprehensive interpretation in his own words.
Speaker: Speaker could be the poet himself (like Wordsworth) or a hero (as in the poems of Keats) or a shepherd etc. Knowing about the speaker is important as every speaker speaks differently.
Title: it includes the relevance of title, its historical significance, etc.
Denotation: the literal meaning of the words. It helps to get the basic idea of the poem. e.g. in the poem The Good Morrow by John Donne, the meaning of the words help to understand the diverse knowledge possessed by the Metaphysical Poets.
Connotations: the ideas invoked by the words i.e. deeper meaning-the message or universal truth it conveys. This helps to understand the central theme of the poem. e.g. in the poem Ode to Autumn, the central idea is quite different from what the words perceive.
Purpose of writing: The purpose of writing could be to inform with facts or to persuade with an appeal to reason or emotions or just to entertain the readers.
Movements: A reader is required to have information about the movements that were trending during the time of poet. The movements have a significant influence on the writing of a poet. e.g. Romantic Movement influenced the poets of the early 19th century.
Having done all the analysis and evaluation, the reader should first write a description of the poem and then its comprehensive interpretation in his own words.
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