POETRY (Literature in English)

POETRY (Literature in English) APPROACHING UNSEEN POEMS 1) OVERALL MEANING - Subject Matter - Style of Writing - General Mood 2) DETAILED ANALYSIS — Literary Techniques - Diction - Imagery - Sound Devices - Rhythm, Rhyme, Repetition - Form & Structure - and more… 3) DETAILED ANALYSIS - Message - Mood - Persona’s or Poet’s Attitude 4) PERSONAL RESPONSE - How literary techniques add to poem’s meaning (link 2 & 3) - What is the effect on reader

LOCAL / SINGAPORE POEMS In addition to the above, do bring in your background knowledge of local events, language, places and cultural and social issues to your reading of the local / Singapore poems in order to offer deeper insights. To do so, pay attention to: 1) ALLUSION — references to names of people, places, things, titles of texts, historical events - Literal significance or extended meaning - Relation to theme or conflict in the poem - How the allusion (character / thing / event) is represented 2) VOICE — the use of local / Singlish, vernacular terms, local inflections of the speaker or characters in the poem. - Profile of the character & their concerns - Purpose of the use of the voice - Effect of the use on reader 3) THEME — themes that connect to the Singapore context. (e.g: social issues, local culture) Find Singaporean poems: https://www.poetry.sg

QUESTION TYPES (NOT JUST POETRY) THEME: In what way does (writer) make ( theme ) so ___ ? TWEDYA (To what extent do you)

COMMON ADJECTIVES STRIKING - Definition: very unusual or easily noticed, and therefore attracting a lot of attention - What makes the subject of the question stand out from the norm? - What traits make the subject pop out? Common devices: Imagery, Juxtaposition, Contrast, Diction DISTURBING - Definition: making you feel worried or upset - What causes the subject of the question to make you (the readers) feel uncomfortable, anxious, or alarming? DRAMATIC - Definition: very sudden or noticeable, or full of action and excitement: - What makes the subject of the question so thrilling, gripping or vibrant? Common devices: Irony, Imagery, Repetition MOVING - Definition: causing strong feelings of sadness or sympathy; - What makes the subject of the question so stirring, inspiring or touching? Usually its relationship / passage / specific stanzas that may be moving to the reader.

LITERARY DEVICES ! Irony: a situation in which something which was intended to have a particular result has the opposite or a very different result. - Dramatic irony, situational irony… Juxtaposition: the fact of puttin