Unit 2: Understanding and Writing about Poetry 낱말 카드 | Quizlet

What is "form" in poetry?

Form refers to a poem's external shape, including line length, stanza grouping, and end-rhyme patterns.

What is "structure" in poetry?

Structure refers to the internal arrangement of a poem's parts, including its images, symbols, and thematic organization.

How are form and structure related in poetry?

Form and structure work together organically to create a unified, living entity where external shape supports internal meaning.

What is the "organic view" of poetry?

The organic view sees a poem as a living entity where form and structure arise naturally from an emotional impulse.

Quote from Robert Frost explaining how a poem begins.

"A poem begins as a lump in the throat, a sense of wrong, a homesickness, a lovesickness."

Quote from Denise Levertov on poetic creation.

"First there must be an experience... felt by the poet intensely enough to demand their equivalent in words."

Define "stanza."

A unit of lines in a poem separated by white space, such as a couplet (2 lines) or quatrain (4 lines).

What are "fixed forms" in poetry?

Traditional patterns like the sonnet or villanelle that follow strict rules of structure and rhyme.

Give an example of a "fixed form" poem.

Italian sonnet, French villanelle, haiku, or limerick.

What is the structure of a traditional Italian sonnet?

An octave (8 lines) and a sestet (6 lines) often with a rhyme scheme like abbaabba cdecde.

How many lines does a sonnet typically have?

14 lines.

What is significant about the form of Yeats' "Leda and the Swan"?

It uses the sonnet form but breaks tradition by splitting line 11, enhancing its violent content.

What myth is explored in "Leda and the Swan"?

Zeus' rape of Leda, leading to the Trojan War.

How does Yeats' broken line in "Leda and the Swan" symbolize deeper meaning?

It parallels the violent rupture of Leda's innocence and the broader destruction caused by male lust.

What is a "villanelle"?

A 19-line fixed form poem consisting of five tercets and a quatrain, using only two rhymes throughout.

What is the rhyme scheme of a villanelle?

aba / aba / aba / aba / aba / abaa.

What famous villanelle did Dylan Thomas write?

"Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night."

What is the main theme of "Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night"?

Rage against death and the struggle to affirm life.

How does Thomas' use of villanelle form enhance his poem's message?

The strict form contrasts with the intense emotion, offering structure and consolation against chaos and death.

What are the two refrain lines repeated in Thomas' villanelle?

"Do not go gentle into that good night" and "Rage, rage against the dying of the light."

What formal element adds a chanting or prayer-like quality to Thomas' poem?

Systematic repetition of lines and rhymes.

How does Thomas' pun on "good night" deepen the poem's meaning?

It layers the ideas of a peaceful farewell and the acceptance of death's inevitability.

What form does Sylvia Plath's "Metaphors" use to reinforce meaning?

Fixed nine lines, nine syllables each, with nine metaphors about pregnancy.

What is "free verse"?

Non-metrical poetry that organizes rhythm by syllables rather than traditional feet, often without strict rhyme.

Example of a poet using free verse.

William Carlos Williams in "The Red Wheelbarrow."

What does "structure" specifically organize inside a poem?

Images, metaphors, symbols, figures of speech, and larger thematic patterns.

What does Dylan Thomas suggest about the mystery of poetry?

Poems leave "holes" or "gaps" so that new meaning can "creep" or "flash" into them, making poems alive.

What is "organic form" in poetry?

The idea that a poem grows naturally, like a living organism, where every part contributes to meaning.

How does reader response factor into poetic meaning?

Readers' imaginations actively interpret the living poem, causing meaning to evolve over time.

Why does meaning in poetry remain dynamic and not fixed?

Language, cultural contexts, and reader interpretations change, keeping poetry alive and evolving.

What is "explication" in literary analysis?

A detailed, close analysis that explains how a poem reveals its meaning through language, structure, and imagery.

What is the "linear approach" to explication?

A line-by-line or stanza-by-stanza analysis from the beginning to the end of the poem.

What is the "discovery approach" to explication?

Analyzing a poem by identifying central symbols, motifs, or images, and radiating meaning outward from these cores.

When is the linear approach most useful?

For short poems or poems with a clear chronological narrative.

When is the discovery approach most useful?

For longer poems rich in imagery, symbolism, or abstract structure, where a thematic or symbolic center is key.

Example of a poem suitable for linear explication.

W. H. Auden's "Musée des Beaux Arts."

Example of a poem suitable for discovery explication.

Sylvia Plath's "Tulips."

What painting inspired Auden's "Musée des Beaux Arts"?

Pieter Brueghel's "Landscape with the Fall of Icarus."

How does Auden's poem reflect human indifference to suffering?

By showing everyday life continuing while Icarus falls unnoticed.

What literary device strengthens the theme of resignation in "Musée des Beaux Arts"?

Parallel structure beginning with "how" and unobtrusive, occasional rhymes.

How does Auden's diction impact the tone of "Musée des Beaux Arts"?

Colloquial phrases undermine high events like martyrdom, creating ironic distance.

What motif is reinforced by the "innocent behind" of the horse in Auden's poem?

The ironic innocence motif highlighting passive acceptance of suffering.

What rhyme scheme is used in the second stanza of "Musée des Beaux Arts"?

aabcddbc.

Define "motif" in poetry.

A recurring image, symbol, or theme that supports the poem's structure and meaning.

What is the "literal situation" in Plath's "Tulips"?

A woman lies in a hospital bed recovering from surgery and reflects on life and death.

What central symbol dominates Plath's "Tulips"?

The tulips, representing life, vitality, and intrusions into the speaker's desire for oblivion.

What is a "thesis" in an explication essay?

A specific, arguable statement that guides the essay's focus and organization.

What is a poor thesis: statement of taste?

A claim based on personal opinion, like "This poem is too pessimistic to be good."

What is a poor thesis: obvious claim?

A simple factual summary of the poem, like "The speaker lies in a hospital bed."

What is a poor thesis: truism?

A cliché applied to the text, such as "You shouldn't reject gifts."

What is a poor thesis: insupportable claim?

A statement based on speculation or biographical information irrelevant to the poem.

How do you create a strong thesis for explication?

By making an arguable claim that requires textual evidence and close reading.

Example of a strong thesis about "Tulips."

In "Tulips," Plath uses the imagery of flowers to symbolize the speaker's conflicted longing for life despite her yearning for death.

What motifs are important in "Tulips"?

Water imagery, eye imagery, religious symbols, death motifs, and life motifs.

What emotion dominates the early stanzas of "Tulips"?

A desire for emptiness, peace, and escape from worldly obligations.

How does Plath's use of color imagery in "Tulips" enhance meaning?

The vibrant red of the tulips contrasts with the sterile hospital whiteness, symbolizing the intrusion of life.

Why is paraphrasing sometimes essential in explication?

It helps clarify complex or abstract meanings before deeper analysis.

What risk does strict linear explication pose for longer poems?

Repetition and an overly lengthy, unwieldy essay.

What is the benefit of discovery explication for symbolism-heavy poems?

It organizes the analysis around central images, avoiding redundancy and revealing deeper themes.

What is the ultimate goal of explication?

To show how all elements of a poem—language, structure, imagery—work together to create unified meaning.

What does Denise Levertov mean by "Form is never more than a revelation of content"?

Levertov suggests that a poem's shape and structure naturally emerge from the meaning and emotions it conveys.

How does the organic view of poetry contrast with the mechanical view?

The organic view sees form and structure arising naturally from content, while the mechanical view imposes a pre-existing structure on the content.

What is a "couplet" in poetry?

A stanza of two lines, usually with end-rhyme.

What is a "quatrain" in poetry?

A stanza consisting of four lines, often with alternating rhymes.

Define "prosody."

The patterns of rhythm, sound, and meter that shape a poem's form.

What is the role of "white space" in poetry form?

White space visually separates stanzas and emphasizes shifts in tone or thought.

How does breaking traditional form create meaning in poetry?

Breaking form (like Yeats' split line) draws attention to content shifts or emotional climaxes.

What is the effect of the strict villanelle form in Thomas' "Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night"?

It creates a rhythmic, hypnotic reinforcement of grief, rage, and acceptance of mortality.

What is a "fixed form" poem often compared to in mechanical thinking?

A machine or pre-set container into which content is poured.

How does Sylvia Plath's "Metaphors" use numerical form to mirror content?

The nine lines, nine syllables, and nine metaphors reflect the nine months of pregnancy.

Why is free verse dominant in twentieth-century poetry?

Free verse allows greater flexibility in expressing individual, modern experiences without the constraints of traditional meter.

Define "iambic pentameter."

A meter consisting of five iambs (unstressed-stressed syllables) per line.

What does internal organization in poetry refer to?

The arrangement of a poem's content through motifs, imagery, patterns, and symbolism.

According to Dylan Thomas, why must poems leave "gaps" or "holes"?

To allow the living force of emotion and mystery to enter the poem beyond what is written.

Why is meaning in poetry never completely fixed?

Because the reader's interpretation, changing language, and evolving culture continuously renew the poem's significance.

What is a sonnet?

A lyric poem of 14 iambic pentameter lines linked by a specific rhyme scheme.

What are the two main types of sonnets in English literature?

Italian (Petrarchan) sonnet and English (Shakespearean) sonnet.

What is the rhyme scheme of the Italian (Petrarchan) sonnet?

abbaabba for the octave, and cdecde or variants like cdccdc for the sestet.

Who introduced the Petrarchan sonnet form into English?

Sir Thomas Wyatt.

What was the typical theme of early Petrarchan sonnets?

The adoration and suffering of a male lover.

What poets used the Petrarchan sonnet beyond love themes?

Milton, Wordsworth, Christina Rossetti, D. G. Rossetti.

Why was it difficult to maintain strict Petrarchan rhymes in English?

English has fewer natural rhymes compared to Italian.

What is the structure of the English (Shakespearean) sonnet?

Three quatrains and a final couplet: abab cdcd efef gg.

Who is the most famous practitioner of the English sonnet?

William Shakespeare.

What is the Spenserian sonnet?

A variant linking each quatrain through rhyme: abab bcbc cdcd ee.

Who developed the Spenserian sonnet?

Edmund Spenser.

What thematic change did John Donne bring to sonnets?

Introduced religious themes in his Holy Sonnets.

How did John Milton innovate the sonnet form?

Addressed political, religious, and personal issues.

What happened to the sonnet form during the English Neoclassic period?

It declined in popularity.

Which 19th-century poets revived the sonnet form?

Wordsworth, Keats, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Christina Rossetti.

Which 20th-century poets contributed to the sonnet tradition?

W.B. Yeats, Robert Frost, W.H. Auden, Dylan Thomas.

What is a typical use of the octave in a Petrarchan sonnet?

To present a problem, situation, or incident.

What is the purpose of the sestet in a Petrarchan sonnet?

To offer a resolution or counterpoint.

What role does the couplet play in the English sonnet?

It delivers a final epigrammatic or surprising twist.

What is a famous example of emotional reversal in a sonnet?

Drayton's "Since there's no help, come let us kiss and part."

What is a sonnet sequence?

A collection of sonnets linked by theme or story.

Name an example of a famous sonnet sequence.

Astrophel and Stella by Sir Philip Sidney.

What is a stanza?

A grouped set of lines in a poem, often separated by a space.

What is the origin of the word "stanza"?

Italian for "stopping place."

What distinguishes stanzaic poetry?

Regular patterns of rhyme and line length.