Poetry Explication
Source: uwp.duke.edu
Topic: Poetry
Sort Desciption: An explication is a close reading of a single poem or passage of poetry. ... Walcott’s poetry might contain explications of four or five poems as evidence ...
Content Inside: h t t p : / / u w p . a a s . d u k e . e d u / w s t u d i o Poetry Explication Definition of genre An explication is a close reading of a single poem or passage of poetry. The purpose of this exercise—originally a staple of French literary training from secondary school onward—is to talk about the meaning(s) of the poem primarily in terms of how the poem works—that is, through diction, stanza and line structure, meter, rhythm and imagery. X.J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia explain, “Not intent on ripping a poem to pieces, the author of a useful explication instead tries to show how each part contributes to the whole.” 1 A good explication requires some basic familiarity with the language of poetry. An explication can either be an assignment unto itself or part of a larger assignment that asks for broader analysis and argument. For example, a ten-page paper on imagery of the sea in Derek Walcott’s poetry might contain explications of four or five poems as evidence for the essay’s claims. An explication on its own is a set of “microstatements” about the inner workings of the poem, typically giving equal weight to each word, line and stanza. You’ll still be formulating a strong argument in an explication, but your primary task is to let the text guide you to that argument rather than to come into the poem with a preconceived agenda. Questions to ask About the poem as a whole • Who is the speaker? • What is the structure of the poem? Two of the most important features to note here are stanza and meter form. • Does the poem fall into an identifiable subgenre—for example, is it a sonnet, ballad, haiku, or dramatic monologue? • What, primarily, is the poem about, and how do you know that? About specific parts of the poem (stanzas, couplets, lines or even individual words) • Diction (word choice): Why has the poet chosen these particular words? What words might she have used instead, and why were they rejected in favor of others? ...
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