Techniques of Appreciating Poetry What is poetry? * Poetry is the creativity of a person's imagination. * It is nothing but rhythmical, imaginative language expressing the invention, taste, thought, passion, and insight of the human soul.
* Like any other literary work, poetry needs to be understood to be appreciated. * The writer writes for a reason. * The purpose may be to evoke emotion, inform, define, represent something of the world or life, and to entertain. * Whatever the case, a poem is unique to its writer. And each poem can be analyzed to be appreciated.
Here are some general ideas that may help one to acknowledge the beauty of the poem: Techniques of Poetry Appreciation: 1. Subject Matter * What is the poem about? * It talks about the general outline of the poetry. * It could be a person, an object, a place, an event, a situation or an experience. * What does the poet want you to focus on, in the poem or in each stanza? Answer: It is a dedication to the humble tomato, which is readily available to us at the grocery store or in our refridgerator. 2. Theme Once you have identified the subject of the poem, try and figure out what the poet wants to tell you.
Look at the following: * the poet's message * his purpose * the ideas that he is conveying * the title; * What was the poet’s purpose or motive writing the poem? * What is the central idea of the poem? Always remember that feeling and tone work hand-in-hand with the subject & theme. Answer: * The theme of this poem is that you must learn to embrace the usual things in life that are often seen as dull, and find the beauty within them. * People must respect everything in life, no matter how insignificant it may seem * Pablo expresses his love towards tomatoes. The title of this poem is “Ode to Tomatoes” which is a dedication to the underappreciated but beautiful things throughout life. 3. Moods, Emotions and Experiences * What is the predominating mood of the poem? * Is it the poet flippant, sad, happy, dignified, angry, contemplative, or satirical? * Does the mood change? Answer: The poet changes the subject when speaking about different types of food: first tomatoes, then parsley, and oil.
The poet changes the mood as he talks about different occasions: Summer feeling (mild, intense) Weddings (happy, bright) * What are some of the feelings expressed by the poet? What feelings does the poet arouse in you? * Does the poet succeed in conveying his emotions in you? Answer: * Man & Nature- This poem describes the relationship between man and a tomato. * Man v/s Man- This poem also describes societies view on mundane things. The tomatoes can be seen as representing people. It shows people’s different opinions and perspectives of others. 4.
Language * Are the poet’s words appropriate and valid? * What emotions are built up around certain words? The words that are used and the way they are placed can enhance the power of the poet's creativity. Answer: Red viscera" = Guts (Violent). "Fiery colour" = Vibrant, passionate. "Bubble vigorously" = Aggressive, Enthusiasm.
"Hemispheres" = Makes a tomato seem large and monumental. 5. Imagery There are various ways to paint a picture in the reader's mind through the use of words. * What are the symbolic or figurative devices used in the poem? * What effect is produced by the use of various figures of speech---metaphors, similes, personification? * Are the images visual, auditory, kinesthetic, tactile, olfactory or gustatory. Answer: "Summer light is halved like a tomato" = Day parted in half, it is noon. Summer- light is halved like a tomato” is a simile comparing the time of day to a tomatoes half, meaning that it is noon.
"Tomato invades the kitchen" = Tomatoes are everywhere. “Tomato invades kitchen” is a personification. A tomato cannot physically invade and seize a kitchen; it is meant to show just how abundant the tomatoes are throughout the kitchen. "It sheds its own light" = Tomatoes radiate with beauty. “It sheds its own light, benign majesty” is a metaphor comparing the beauty the writer sees in the tomato to a wonderful light.
He is saying that the tomatoes is brilliant and gorgeous; it stands out when he looks at it. "We must murder it" = Exaggerating the slicing of tomatoes. “We must murder it” is a hyperbole, exaggerating how we cut up the tomato. "It is wed to the clear onion" = It complements the taste of onions nicely.
“It is wed to the clear onion” is a personification that shows how well the taste of tomatoes and onions complement each other. Pausing and punctuation have an effect on the structure, rhythm and rhyme of a poem. 6. Sounds * What about the sounds in the poem? Are the sounds in harmony with the thought and imagery? * Do the sounds suggest pictures, arouse emotions or bring out quality of the character? * What is the effect produced by the poet’s use of: alliteration, assonance, onomatopoeia and metre? * Are the musical qualities of the poem outstanding? * Is rhyme used for emphasis? 7. Rhyme * Does the poem have a set rhyme scheme? * How it is used in the poem? Is the movement slow, steady, or fast? OR Is the rhyme constant or varying? * Does the poet emphasize words or the message by means of the rhyme scheme? What is the purpose and effect of the rhyme scheme? 8.
Form/ Structure * How is the poem structured? * How are the stanzas organised? * Is the structure itself convention? The form of the poem is very important. You should know what kind of poem you are dealing with: e. g. ballad, epic, ode, sonnet, dramatic monologue, elegy, etc. Answer: It is an Ode Its written to show reverence to the most ordinary things in life – claiming to have an extraordinary worth or value. Merits| Demerits| 1.
Enriches learning of poetry| 1. Time consuming| 2. Add value to the text| | 3.Inculcates scientific temper and a spirit of inquiry. | | 4. Allows critical evaluation| | ‘Ode to Tomatoes’ by Pablo Neruda The street filled with tomatoes midday, summer, light is halved like a tomato, its juice runs through the streets.
In December, unabated, the tomato invades the kitchen, it enters at lunchtime, takes its ease on countertops, among glasses, butter dishes, blue salt cellars. It sheds its own light, benign majesty. Unfortunately, we must murder it: the knife sinks into living flesh, red-viscera, a cool sun, profound, inexhaustible, populates the salads of Chile, happily, t is wed to the clear onion, and to celebrate the union we pour oil, essential child of the olive, onto its halved hemispheres, pepper adds its fragrance, salt, its magnetism; it is the wedding of the day, parsley hoists its flag, potatoes bubble vigorously, the aroma of the roast knocks at the door, it's time! come on! and, on the table, at the midpoint of summer, the tomato, star of earth, recurrent and fertile star, displays its convolutions, its canals, its remarkable amplitude and abundance, no pit, no husk, no leaves or thorns, the tomato offers its gift of fiery color and cool completeness.
