Unseen Poem Help

Unseen Poem – Some Interesting Bits to look out for.

Does the poem do any of these things? If so, write about them!

Language based points:-

Oxymoron – e.g., ‘The small giant of a man’. This is a type of image included to create a mental picture which stands out and is challenging for a reader. Usually used to emphasise how complex a character/issue is.

Juxtaposition – When two opposing ideas or themes are put next to each other to make the gap between them stand out. E.g.
The child played in his nursery,
Whilst his father lay dying in his trench.

Assonance – Where vowel sounds are repeated to create a ‘sound’ image in your head, or to add atmosphere. ‘The crowd howled loudly and frowned as the word was passed round.’

Alliteration – Similar to assonance, but repeating the consonant sounds instead.
E.g., ‘The gut-wrenching gale gripped her, gust by gust.’

Similes/Metaphors – Used to increase the effect of a mental image. Help us to visualise the ideas of the poet more easily.

Dehumanisation – When a person is described as being something other than a human ‘thing, wretch, creature’ – to show the lack of respect, perhaps, with which they are viewed.

Personification - Where something non-human is attributed human characteristics to add effect. E.g. The branches of the tress caressed them as they walked past.

Pathetic Fallacy – When the weather is used to reflect the mood or to help us predict what may come in the poem.





Structure based points:-

Enjambment – A structural device where the message of a line of a poem does not end when the line ends, but rather spills onto the next line. E.g.

I sat and watched as they operated on
My mother, willing them to stop.

This may be included to show that the issue is too complex to confine to the boundaries of regular poetry. In this case, the poet is trying to emphasise the sheer length of time that the surgery has gone on for, by spilling the description of it onto two lines.

Sonnet – 14 lines, ending with a rhyming couplet. Usually a structure reserved for love poetry. Sometimes used in tragic poetry to add an ironic effect.

Iambic pentameter – A common meter of poetry where a poem had 10 beats to every line. Another usual sign of love poetry.

Unusual or unpredictable structures often reflect what is happening within the poem. For example, an unstable political system, a volatile marriage etc.