{"id":2176,"date":"2021-08-19T16:46:23","date_gmt":"2021-08-19T16:46:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/wm-englishcomp2\/?post_type=chapter&#038;p=2176"},"modified":"2021-10-13T02:57:43","modified_gmt":"2021-10-13T02:57:43","slug":"introduction-to-reading-literature-poetry","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/wm-englishcomp2\/chapter\/introduction-to-reading-literature-poetry\/","title":{"raw":"Introduction to Reading Literature: Poetry","rendered":"Introduction to Reading Literature: Poetry"},"content":{"raw":"But let\u2019s put you in this very concrete situation: You\u2019re sitting down in front of a poem you\u2019ve been asked to write about for this class. What do you do?\r\n\r\nLearning to read a new poem is like learning to play\u00a0a new song on a guitar. So try this:\u00a0<strong>Decide before you begin that you are going to read every poem\u00a0<em>at least three times<\/em>.<\/strong>\u00a0It\u2019s important no matter how long the poem is.\r\n\r\n<strong>Reading poems out loud is best<\/strong>. Read the poem the first time straight through, pronouncing each word. You\u2019re not looking for meaning or sounds. You\u2019re just familiarizing yourself with the words, allowing them to bend back the grass in your brain so that they\u2019ll be easier to walk through the next time.\r\n\r\n<strong>Read the second time for sound<\/strong>. Concentrate on how the sounds fall. Hit the rhymes, pick up on the rhythms, notice (but don\u2019t dwell on) any interesting use of sounds in the poem.\r\n\r\n<strong>Read slowly and smoothly<\/strong>. If you stumble through the poem the second time, read it again and again until you\u00a0<strong>get to the point where you no longer stumble over sound<\/strong>.\r\n\r\n<strong>Read<\/strong>\u00a0the poem the\u00a0<strong>third time for meaning<\/strong>. When you are reading for meaning,\u00a0<strong>keep in mind two things<\/strong>.\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li><strong>First<\/strong>\u00a0(we say it again), the\u00a0<strong>vast majority of poems are written in grammatically correct sentences<\/strong>. It will help you a lot if you know how to recognize a verb, a noun, and how to find them. And, if you know how to distinguish a subject from an object, you\u2019re well on your way. If you go through the sentence from beginning to end and don\u2019t understand it, look for the verb, find its subject and its object. Don\u2019t confuse line ends with sentence ends or even with natural pauses. You\u2019ll be tempted to pause at line endings. Realize that the pause may not come where it would come if the same sentence were presented as prose. Often the sense keeps going past the end of lines. It\u2019s good practice to try to paraphrase the sentences of the poem one at a time.<\/li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Second,<\/strong>\u00a0it\u2019s nearly always possible to see the\u00a0<strong>poem as a story<\/strong>. So look for it. Even poems not generally considered to be narrative poems tell or suggest a story. Most poems have at least some of the basic elements of a story:\u00a0<strong>characters, dramatic situation, setting, action<\/strong>. Ask yourself\u00a0<strong>what story the poem seems to tell.\u00a0<\/strong>As with most stories, a poem is likely to come to us in two distinct voices: the voice of the poet and the voice of the speaker of the poem (when we are talking about fiction, we use the terms \u201cauthor\u201d and \u201cnarrator\u201d). Most students do not realize that the speaker of the poem is not the same as the author of the poem. And sometimes it\u2019s true that this distinction does not matter. But in most cases, a poem is spoken by an unnamed \u201cvoice\u201d created by the author for the particular purpose of the poem. The easiest way to show this is with an example.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\nLook at these stanzas from a poem about discovering a snake in the grass:\r\n\r\nA narrow fellow in the grass\r\nOccasionally rides;\r\nYou may have met him\u2014did you not\r\nHis notice sudden is,\r\n\r\nHe likes a boggy acre,\r\nA floor too cool for corn,\r\n<em>But when a boy and barefoot<\/em>,\r\nI more than once at noon\r\n\r\nHave passed, I thought, a whiplash,\r\nUnbraiding in the sun,\r\nWhen stooping to secure it,\r\nIt wrinkled and was gone.\r\n\r\nI\u2019ve never met this fellow,\r\nAttended or alone,\r\nWithout a tighter breathing,\r\nAnd zero at the bone.[footnote]We\u2019ve cut out about half the poem to make the point more obvious. If you want to read the whole poem, you can find it here:\u00a0http:\/\/www.poetryfoundation.org\/poem\/180204[\/footnote]\r\n\r\nThis poem, by Emily Dickinson, relays the experience of a boy who was scared when he stooped down to pick up what he thought was the lash of a whip only to see it slither away<strong>.\u00a0<\/strong>Dickinson was never a boy and may never have had the experience she writes about. Why she decided to narrate the poem from a boy\u2019s point of view is something we can discuss. When we discuss the poem, we typically refer to the poet or voice(s) as the\u00a0<em>speaker or narrator in the poem.<\/em>\r\n\r\nHowever, what she\u00a0<em>does<\/em>\u00a0<em>shows<\/em>\u00a0us is\u00a0<strong>that we should not automatically assume that a<\/strong>\u00a0<strong>poem or the facts it contains are autobiographical<\/strong>. If there is more than one speaker or voice in a poem then it\u2019s important to hear all the voices.\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>If you think the poem is a story and recognize the\u00a0<strong>speaker (or narrator<\/strong>), and if you can paraphrase each of the sentences, you\u2019ll have a very good handle on the verbal meaning of a poem.<\/li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Don\u2019t panic if this doesn\u2019t work<\/strong>. Perhaps you\u2019ve missed something\u2014like an obscure meaning of a word, and the issue may not be yours at all. It may be that the poem resists this approach. This is when you need a guide.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Poems were originally intended as communal, not individual, objects. And they are still best read in a community. If you don't understand something, chances are your classmates don't either. Speak up or write a discussion post!<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\nRemember, while meaning (in the ordinary sense) is hardly ever the primary element in strong poetry, it\u2019s always there. Any poem that simply puts the music at the service of the meaning is likely to be inferior for that reason. Language in which meaning is primary is plentiful enough. It\u2019s simply not the case with poetry.\u00a0<strong>In poetry the music itself is inseparable from the meaning.<\/strong>\r\n\r\nVerbal meaning is important, and often is necessary for a reader to be able to paraphrase a poem. But\u00a0<strong>verbal meaning is never the whole<\/strong>. In good poems, musical meaning is not secondary. And poems exist that cannot be paraphrased. So when we think about what a poem is doing, we need to think about the music in addition to (or as part of) the meaning of a poem.\r\n\r\nThis really is not a strange concept. If I scream \u201cI love you\u201d through gritted teeth, the words won\u2019t mean the same thing they mean if I say them softly on my knees handing you flowers. The meaning is not in the words alone.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;","rendered":"<p>But let\u2019s put you in this very concrete situation: You\u2019re sitting down in front of a poem you\u2019ve been asked to write about for this class. What do you do?<\/p>\n<p>Learning to read a new poem is like learning to play\u00a0a new song on a guitar. So try this:\u00a0<strong>Decide before you begin that you are going to read every poem\u00a0<em>at least three times<\/em>.<\/strong>\u00a0It\u2019s important no matter how long the poem is.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Reading poems out loud is best<\/strong>. Read the poem the first time straight through, pronouncing each word. You\u2019re not looking for meaning or sounds. You\u2019re just familiarizing yourself with the words, allowing them to bend back the grass in your brain so that they\u2019ll be easier to walk through the next time.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Read the second time for sound<\/strong>. Concentrate on how the sounds fall. Hit the rhymes, pick up on the rhythms, notice (but don\u2019t dwell on) any interesting use of sounds in the poem.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Read slowly and smoothly<\/strong>. If you stumble through the poem the second time, read it again and again until you\u00a0<strong>get to the point where you no longer stumble over sound<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Read<\/strong>\u00a0the poem the\u00a0<strong>third time for meaning<\/strong>. When you are reading for meaning,\u00a0<strong>keep in mind two things<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>First<\/strong>\u00a0(we say it again), the\u00a0<strong>vast majority of poems are written in grammatically correct sentences<\/strong>. It will help you a lot if you know how to recognize a verb, a noun, and how to find them. And, if you know how to distinguish a subject from an object, you\u2019re well on your way. If you go through the sentence from beginning to end and don\u2019t understand it, look for the verb, find its subject and its object. Don\u2019t confuse line ends with sentence ends or even with natural pauses. You\u2019ll be tempted to pause at line endings. Realize that the pause may not come where it would come if the same sentence were presented as prose. Often the sense keeps going past the end of lines. It\u2019s good practice to try to paraphrase the sentences of the poem one at a time.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Second,<\/strong>\u00a0it\u2019s nearly always possible to see the\u00a0<strong>poem as a story<\/strong>. So look for it. Even poems not generally considered to be narrative poems tell or suggest a story. Most poems have at least some of the basic elements of a story:\u00a0<strong>characters, dramatic situation, setting, action<\/strong>. Ask yourself\u00a0<strong>what story the poem seems to tell.\u00a0<\/strong>As with most stories, a poem is likely to come to us in two distinct voices: the voice of the poet and the voice of the speaker of the poem (when we are talking about fiction, we use the terms \u201cauthor\u201d and \u201cnarrator\u201d). Most students do not realize that the speaker of the poem is not the same as the author of the poem. And sometimes it\u2019s true that this distinction does not matter. But in most cases, a poem is spoken by an unnamed \u201cvoice\u201d created by the author for the particular purpose of the poem. The easiest way to show this is with an example.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Look at these stanzas from a poem about discovering a snake in the grass:<\/p>\n<p>A narrow fellow in the grass<br \/>\nOccasionally rides;<br \/>\nYou may have met him\u2014did you not<br \/>\nHis notice sudden is,<\/p>\n<p>He likes a boggy acre,<br \/>\nA floor too cool for corn,<br \/>\n<em>But when a boy and barefoot<\/em>,<br \/>\nI more than once at noon<\/p>\n<p>Have passed, I thought, a whiplash,<br \/>\nUnbraiding in the sun,<br \/>\nWhen stooping to secure it,<br \/>\nIt wrinkled and was gone.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019ve never met this fellow,<br \/>\nAttended or alone,<br \/>\nWithout a tighter breathing,<br \/>\nAnd zero at the bone.<a class=\"footnote\" title=\"We\u2019ve cut out about half the poem to make the point more obvious. If you want to read the whole poem, you can find it here:\u00a0http:\/\/www.poetryfoundation.org\/poem\/180204\" id=\"return-footnote-2176-1\" href=\"#footnote-2176-1\" aria-label=\"Footnote 1\"><sup class=\"footnote\">[1]<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n<p>This poem, by Emily Dickinson, relays the experience of a boy who was scared when he stooped down to pick up what he thought was the lash of a whip only to see it slither away<strong>.\u00a0<\/strong>Dickinson was never a boy and may never have had the experience she writes about. Why she decided to narrate the poem from a boy\u2019s point of view is something we can discuss. When we discuss the poem, we typically refer to the poet or voice(s) as the\u00a0<em>speaker or narrator in the poem.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>However, what she\u00a0<em>does<\/em>\u00a0<em>shows<\/em>\u00a0us is\u00a0<strong>that we should not automatically assume that a<\/strong>\u00a0<strong>poem or the facts it contains are autobiographical<\/strong>. If there is more than one speaker or voice in a poem then it\u2019s important to hear all the voices.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>If you think the poem is a story and recognize the\u00a0<strong>speaker (or narrator<\/strong>), and if you can paraphrase each of the sentences, you\u2019ll have a very good handle on the verbal meaning of a poem.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Don\u2019t panic if this doesn\u2019t work<\/strong>. Perhaps you\u2019ve missed something\u2014like an obscure meaning of a word, and the issue may not be yours at all. It may be that the poem resists this approach. This is when you need a guide.<\/li>\n<li>Poems were originally intended as communal, not individual, objects. And they are still best read in a community. If you don&#8217;t understand something, chances are your classmates don&#8217;t either. Speak up or write a discussion post!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Remember, while meaning (in the ordinary sense) is hardly ever the primary element in strong poetry, it\u2019s always there. Any poem that simply puts the music at the service of the meaning is likely to be inferior for that reason. Language in which meaning is primary is plentiful enough. It\u2019s simply not the case with poetry.\u00a0<strong>In poetry the music itself is inseparable from the meaning.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Verbal meaning is important, and often is necessary for a reader to be able to paraphrase a poem. But\u00a0<strong>verbal meaning is never the whole<\/strong>. In good poems, musical meaning is not secondary. And poems exist that cannot be paraphrased. So when we think about what a poem is doing, we need to think about the music in addition to (or as part of) the meaning of a poem.<\/p>\n<p>This really is not a strange concept. If I scream \u201cI love you\u201d through gritted teeth, the words won\u2019t mean the same thing they mean if I say them softly on my knees handing you flowers. The meaning is not in the words alone.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t <section class=\"citations-section\" role=\"contentinfo\">\n\t\t\t <h3>Candela Citations<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t <div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t <div id=\"citation-list-2176\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <div class=\"licensing\"><div class=\"license-attribution-dropdown-subheading\">CC licensed content, Shared previously<\/div><ul class=\"citation-list\"><li>How to Read Poetry. <strong>Authored by<\/strong>: Alan Lindsay, PhD and Candace Bergstrom, MFA. <strong>Located at<\/strong>: <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/introtopoetry2019.pressbooks.com\/chapter\/chapter2\/\">https:\/\/introtopoetry2019.pressbooks.com\/chapter\/chapter2\/<\/a>. <strong>License<\/strong>: <em><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"license\" href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/\">CC BY: Attribution<\/a><\/em><\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t <\/div>\n\t\t\t <\/section><hr class=\"before-footnotes clear\" \/><div class=\"footnotes\"><ol><li id=\"footnote-2176-1\">We\u2019ve cut out about half the poem to make the point more obvious. If you want to read the whole poem, you can find it here:\u00a0http:\/\/www.poetryfoundation.org\/poem\/180204 <a href=\"#return-footnote-2176-1\" class=\"return-footnote\" aria-label=\"Return to footnote 1\">&crarr;<\/a><\/li><\/ol><\/div>","protected":false},"author":161083,"menu_order":6,"template":"","meta":{"_candela_citation":"[{\"type\":\"cc\",\"description\":\"How to Read Poetry\",\"author\":\"Alan Lindsay, PhD and Candace Bergstrom, MFA\",\"organization\":\"\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/introtopoetry2019.pressbooks.com\/chapter\/chapter2\/\",\"project\":\"\",\"license\":\"cc-by\",\"license_terms\":\"\"}]","CANDELA_OUTCOMES_GUID":"fd48436b-86f8-41ac-b411-51310219f5f2","pb_show_title":"on","pb_short_title":"","pb_subtitle":"","pb_authors":[],"pb_section_license":""},"chapter-type":[],"contributor":[],"license":[],"class_list":["post-2176","chapter","type-chapter","status-publish","hentry"],"part":91,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/wm-englishcomp2\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/2176","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/wm-englishcomp2\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/wm-englishcomp2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/chapter"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/wm-englishcomp2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/161083"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/wm-englishcomp2\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/2176\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3168,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/wm-englishcomp2\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/2176\/revisions\/3168"}],"part":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/wm-englishcomp2\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/parts\/91"}],"metadata":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/wm-englishcomp2\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/2176\/metadata\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/wm-englishcomp2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2176"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"chapter-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/wm-englishcomp2\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapter-type?post=2176"},{"taxonomy":"contributor","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/wm-englishcomp2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/contributor?post=2176"},{"taxonomy":"license","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/wm-englishcomp2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/license?post=2176"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}