Appreciation
Appreciating something doesn't have to mean that you like it. Appreciating something also means noticing or recognising something. So poetry appreciation is really all about just that, recognising and noticing things about poems.
The Rules of the Game - Things You Can Do With Words
There are no rules to this game. Poetry isn't any one thing; there are many ways to write it, and many ways to read it. Poetry is simply 'Things You Can Do With Words' - and there are lots of things that you can do with words.
Impressions and Feelings
Poems are written to convey (communicate) impressions and feelings. Poems can make you feel sad, angry, calm, amused, inspired, reassured or even make you feel numb. Also, most poems are written to be at least a bit mysterious, so if some do leave you a bit confused it's probably half the point! Just tell your reader or listener what your impressions are, and where in the poem you got them. You might find words to do with colour, or sound or sense for example.
To convey your impressions, start off with:
"It is as if…."
"I get the impression…."
"It seems to me…."
"It reminds me of…."
Questions
Few poems make strict sense, so most will leave you with questions. Let these questions in your mind lead your curiosity. Investigate the poem in any way you can and see what you discover. Also, don't stop looking because you can't make something out. Look instead at something else. Your questions should be a starting point for study, not where you end up.
You can put questions to the examiner in you answers as long as you attempt to answer them. Speculate!
Try starting a sentence with:
"I wonder if…."
"Could it be that…."
"Is it possible that…."
What if…."
Be Confident
Many people fear looking stupid in poetry lessons, but it is a free topic so allow yourself the freedom to explore you thoughts. Don't worry too much about right and wrong; instead, trust your instincts - you have something worthwhile to say.
Try not to end up thinking to yourself:
"I thought of that but didn't think I should say it."
The Elements
The elements of poetry are meaning, sound and structure, and each plays a part in how a poem "feels." Consider all three and how they relate. Often you will find that they are linked in some way.
Vocabulary and Definitions
Pupils sometimes lack the words that they need to express the feelings and impressions that they get from reading poems. To make matters worse, there are a great deal of specialised terms and you'll need to learn enough of these to say what you want to say. Poetry tests your wordpower, so pick up marks for good use of vocabulary! Impress the examiner with abstract nouns and lots of juicy adjectives.
REMEMBER - More abstract nouns make you more able to form your ideas.
Abstract nouns - love, anger, hate, fear, etc.
(Nouns which refer to abstract ideas are those that denote a quality or condition or intangible thing rather than a concrete object.)
REMEMBER - More adjectives make you more able to describe.
Adjectives - words that describe nouns e.g.
"The new hat."
"The newer hat."
"The newest hat"
(Where the word hat, is the noun.)
Culture, Tradition and History
There are a great deal of old sayings, children's rhymes, word associations, phrases, fables and so on that are unique to the English language. Poems are sometimes based on these sayings and develop the ideas that these sayings create. Many stem from Christianity and characters and events in English history, so poetry can be hard if your cultural background isn't the same as that of the poet or the subject. This is where research and study comes into its own, find out all that you can!
Common Mistakes
Common mistakes in poetry appreciation:
- Making statements of fact about poetry when you are really making statements of opinion or just speculating.
- Not writing about the impressions or feelings you get from poetry.
- Writing about rhyme scheme or some other technique without mentioning its contribution to the poem as a whole.
- Calling verses 'chapters,' calling verses 'paragraphs,' calling the poet 'the author,' calling the poem 'the book.'
