poems

Overview of Poetic Structures

  • Introduction to Poetic Forms

    • Focus on end stop lines and enjambment.

    • Example from John Donne's poem, "Batter my heart, three-person God."

Analysis of Donne's Sonnet "Batter my heart, three-person God"

  • Text Reading

    • "Batter my heart, three-person God, for you as yet but not breathe, shine, and seek to mend, that I may rise and stand over that."

    • Use of Apostrophe: Addressing a three-person God.

  • Key Characteristics

    • Enjambment: Lines run into each other without punctuation, necessitating no pause.

    • Example: "Batter my heart, three-person God, for you as yet but not breathe…"

    • Important Pause: The pause occurs at the end of the second line due to lack of punctuation.

  • Themes and Structure

    • The speaker expresses a desire for transformation and acknowledges conflict between love and enslavement to sin.

    • Directions to the god suggest turmoil and struggle: "Overthrow me and bend, your voice, your force to break, blow, burn, and make me new."

Comparison with Other Poetic Works

  • Transition from Donne to Ozymandias by Percy Bysshe Shelley.

  • Reading of Ozymandias

    • "I met a traveler from an antique land who said: Two vast trunkless legs of stone stand in the desert…"

    • Shifts from 17th-century language to 19th-century English.

  • Differences in Poetic Form

    • More conversational tone in Ozymandias compared to the formality in Donne's sonnet.

    • Importance of punctuation in reading: Ozymandias uses end-stopped lines, whereas Donne utilizes enjambment.

Poetic Meter

  • Definition of Meter

    • Meter refers to the rhythm of a poem, comprising stresses and unstressed syllables.

    • Important for varying speech and maintaining reader interest.

  • Types of Meter

    • Iambic Pentameter: The most common meter consisting of five feet.

    • Definition of Iambic: An iamb consists of an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable (e.g., do not).

    • Pentameter Explanation:

    • "Penta" means five, indicating five feet in a line.

  • Examples of Meter Analysis

    • "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?" as an example of iambic pentameter.

Importance of Meter in Poetry

  • Shift of meter can enhance meaning and impact of specific words or themes.

  • Authors manipulate meter to emphasize shifts in tone or emotion.

Practical Considerations: Earthquake Preparation

  • Review of earthquake drills as they relate to students' experiences.

  • Importance of understanding preparedness for international students unfamiliar with earthquakes.

  • Reiterating practice protocols for earthquake situations in the classroom setting.

Conclusion

  • Recap of significance in understanding form (enjambment vs. end-stopping).

  • Importance of meter in enhancing poetic reading and interpretation.

  • Engaging students in practical discussions about poetry and real-world applications (earthquake preparedness).