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UNDERSTANDING POETRY (BEGE 106)

(Revised)
Programme : BDP
Course Code: BEGE-106/TMA/Ast. 2016-17

Maximum Marks: 100

Note: Students of Understanding Poetry (EEG-06) will answer the old assignment of
201415.

Answer, questions 1, 2 and 3 and any two of the remaining questions.

1. A Scan the following passages and comment on their prosodic features: 5+5=10

i Confusion shame remorse despair,

At once his bosom swelled,
The damps of death bedewed his brow,
He shook, he groaned, he fell.

ii One more unfortunate

Weary of breath
Rashly importunate
Gone to her death.

B. Write short notes on any two of the following: 5+5=10

a. Eye rhyme b. Ode

c. Metaphor d. Rogatio

e. Terza Rima

2. Explain any four of the following passages with reference to their contexts supplying brief
critical comments where necessary: 8x4=32

a. Yet in these thoughts my self almost despising,

Haply I think on thee, and then my state,
Like to the lark at break of day arising
From sullen earth, sings hymns at heavens gate:

b. For Gold his Sword the Hireling Ruffian draws,

For Gold the hireling Judge distorts the Laws,
Wealth heapd on Wealth, nor Truth nor Safety buys,
The Dangers gather as the Treasures rise.

c. Love, we are in Gods hand.

How strange now, looks the life he makes us lead;
So free we seem, so fettered fast we are!

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d. The sun is behind me,

Nothing has changed since I began,
My eye has permitted no change,
I am going to keep things like this.

e. Bulkeley, Hunt, Willard, Hosmer, Meriam, Flint ,

Possessed the land which rendered to their toil,
Hay, corn, roots, hemp, flax, apples, wool, and wood.

3. Do you like reading poetry? give your reasons for doing so. 16

4. Write a critique of either P.B. Shelley or Allen Ginsberg as a poet. 16

5. Give an account of High Modernism in either English or American poetry. How were the
High Modernists different from the Post Modernist poets? 16

6. Appreciate critically, in your own words one of the following poems: 16

a. Ode to a Nightingale

b. The Emperor of Ice Cream

c. The light of Birds Breaks the Lunatics Sleep

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UNDERSTANDING POETRY (BEGE 106)

(Revised)
Programme : BDP
Course Code: BEGE-106/TMA/Ast. 2016-17

Maximum Marks: 100

Answer, questions 1, 2 and 3 and any two of the remaining questions.

1. A Scan the following passages and comment on their prosodic features: 5+5=10

i Confusion shame remorse despair,

At once his bosom swelled,
The damps of death bedewed his brow,
He shook, he groaned, he fell.

Ans1 a (i) The given passage is taken from a poem of Lord Byron in it he state about a
person, as the stanza he suggests that the man is in despairing mood. Because he might have
committed some kind of misdeed for which he is remorseful. His remorse and sadness is
described with exaggeration. In the third line we can see a metaphoric personification. Where
death sprinkles water on his brow. In this stanza the prosodic feature we found or we can say
that the poet use trochee meter as prosody because at the starting of each line the words we
can see that the meters are high and then low of each of the words in each of the line for
example the first word of the first line is 'confusion' as COn_fu_SION here we can see the
word starts with a stress and last word of the first line 'despair' as DIS_pair which end with
unstressed so as we know a line of the poem which is start with stress and end with
unstressed is trochee type of procidi and each line of the given stanza we found this feature.

ii One more unfortunate

Weary of breath
Rashly importunate
Gone to her death.

Ans 1 a (ii) The above stanza is taken from "Bridge of Sigs" by the famous poet Tomas hood
in its lines death scene of a girl is described in the dramatic way where the girl is tired of
taking breath so the relent less pressure of death take her away from life. In these lines we
fined contradictory words used in alien to emphasis the grandness of death. 'Weary' and
'importunate' are used as figure of speech oxymoral. The poet used or we can say that Tomas
hood use iambic as a prosodic feature because each line of the given poem is start with
faded sound or word and ends with stress which shows a 'iambic' meter as a prosodic feature.

B. Write short notes on any two of the following: 5+5=10

a. Eye rhyme

Ans1 b (i) An eye rhyme, also called a visual rhyme or a sight rhyme, is a rhyme in which
two words are spelled similarly but pronounced differently. An example is the name of
English actor Sean Bean, whose name based on its visual aspect looks like it should be
pronounced "Seen Been", but when spoken, there is no rhyming quality. Many older English
poems, particularly those written in Middle English or written in the Renaissance, contain
rhymes that were originally true or full rhymes, but as read by modern readers, they are now
eye rhymes because of shifts in pronunciation, especially the Great Vowel Shift. These are
called historic rhymes.

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b. Ode

Ans1 b (ii) Ode- A long lyric poem that is serious in subject and treatment elevated in a style
and elaborate in its stanziac structure. Norman Maclean said that the term now calls to mind a
lyric which is massive, public in its proclamations and Pindaric in its classical prototype.

c. Metaphor

Ans1 b (iii) A metaphor is a figure of speech that refers, for rhetorical effect, to one thing by
mentioning another thing. It may provide clarity or identify hidden similarities between two
ideas. Antithesis, hyperbole, metonymy and simile are all types of metaphor. One of the most
commonly cited examples of a metaphor in English literature is the "All the world's a stage"
monologue from As You Like It:

All the world's a stage,

And all the men and women merely players;
They have their exits and their entrances

William Shakespeare, As You Like It,

This quotation expresses a metaphor because the world is not literally a stage. By asserting
that the world is a stage, Shakespeare uses points of comparison between the world and a
stage to convey an understanding about the mechanics of the world and the behavior of the
people within it.

d. Rogatio

Ans1 (iv) In Roman constitutional law, rogatio is the term (from Latin rogo, "ask, place a
question before") for a legislative bill placed before an Assembly of the People in ancient
Rome. The rogatio procedure underscores the fact that the Roman senate could issue decrees,
but was not a legislative or parliamentarian body. This style become a rhetorical figure in
which a question is posed and then answered by the same speaker or writer in a poem, as in
Mr. Chadband's speeches in Charles Dickens's Bleak House: What is peace? Is it war? No. Is
it strife? No.

e. Terza Rima

Ans1 (v) A terza rima is an Italian form of poetry first used by Dante Alighieri. A terza rima
consists of stanzas of three lines (or tercets) usually in iambic pentameter. It follows an
interlocking rhyming scheme, or chain rhyme. This is where the middle of each stanza
rhymes with the first and last line of the following stanza. There is no set length to this form,
as long as it follows the pattern as follows:

ABA
BCB
CDC
DED

With the last stanza as a couplet rhyming with the middle line of the previous stanza. In this
case, EE.

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2. Explain any four of the following passages with reference to their contexts supplying brief
critical comments where necessary: 8x4=32

a. Yet in these thoughts myself almost despising,

Haply I think on thee, and then my state,
Like to the lark at break of day arising
From sullen earth, sings hymns at heavens gate:

Ans 2 (a) The given are taken from Shakespeares Sonet 29. We can see a revival of sprit
comes faster in this sonet. Specially the third quatrain reverse the melancholic atmosphere of
the foregoing quatrain. Here Shakespeare tell his reader that while he is despising himself on
several counts he remember his friend, i.e. Southampton, when his 'state' or body sing.
Shakespeare has used an epic simile in a lyric and an extremely fresh and rejuvenating one.
The poets gloom was like the darkness of night, like the solidness, sullenness and
miserableness of the dark earth but the lark symbolize joy and light just like the 'break of day'
and it rises from the sullen earth carrying with it earth's music in the form of 'hymns, at
heavens gate', Sonet 29 is on the theme of memory and rich in passion. They unobtrusively
enrich the texture of the poem and enrich our aesthetic experience.

b. For Gold his Sword the Hireling Ruffian draws,

For Gold the hireling Judge distorts the Laws,
Wealth heapd on Wealth, nor Truth nor Safety buys,
The Dangers gather as the Treasures rise.

Ans 2 (b) The stanza given here is a part of the poem named "The vanity of Human Wishes"
by famous poet Samuel Johnson. In this he describe about the endless and unsatisfiable desire
and wishes of human being which make them greedy and force them to make crime and do
misdeed and sinful works to satisfy their endless desire by any cost. Here the poet get into
talking about that gold stuff; loot, cheddar, dollar, dollar bills all, money. He says that
everyone is corrupted by the desire for money. Using another metaphor, the poet links money
to "a pest" that takes over human society and leads to many crimes. People hire themselves
out and commit crimes for money. Judges twist the law for money. The poet also say that no
matter how rich we are , we cannot buy truth or safety. On the contrary: more wealth brings
with more danger.

c. Love, we are in Gods hand.

How strange now, looks the life he makes us lead;
So free we seem, so fettered fast we are!

Ans 2 (c) The given stanza here is Robert Brownings poem Andrea Del Sarto repeatedly
references the hand, and his various references display the narrators layers of identity. The
first few instances in the poem where the narrator mentions the hand is in reference to his
lover, Lucrezia, to whom the entire account of the poem is addressed. Love is heavy on the
mind and heart of the poet as he expresses his desires again and again to hold hands with and
spend time with his love. Later in the poem, the poet says, Love, we are in Gods hand. /
How strange now looks the life he makes us lead; / So free we seem, so fettered fast we are! /
I feel he laid the fetter: let it lie! (lines 49-53). The poets acknowledgement of a higher
power that really controls his destiny exhibits that the narrator believes he has limited ability
to determine his own identity because he feels he is fettered by Gods determination of his
life.

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d. The sun is behind me,

Nothing has changed since I began,
My eye has permitted no change,
I am going to keep things like this.

Ans 2 (d) Here is a poem by Ted Hughes called Hawk Roosting. It is a dramatic monologue
of a Hawk, a real bird of prey which feeds on preying smaller birds and animals. It is a poem
based on the hawks eye' view of the world. This poem here, is written as a dramatic
monologue and is told from the point of view of a hawk. The hawk details all the things in
nature that are available to him. The hawk serves as the speaker of this poem; his tone is
confident and almost haughty at times, although his belief in his superiority appears to be
more steeped in honesty than it does in false bravado. The hawk continuously uses the
pronoun I throughout the course of the work. Another interesting fact to note about the
poem is that Hughes has written it entirely in the present tense, which adds to the sense that
the hawk has always been and be, at the top of food chain. The poem consists of six stanzas,
each containing four lines. There is no set rhyme scheme to the poem, and Hughes relies on
free verse in order to convey his themes to his readers. The hawk claims that the world has
not changed since he was created. Since then, it has been perfect and permanent. He says it
has not changed because he has not allowed it to do so.

3. Do you like reading poetry? give your reasons for doing so. 16

Ans3 I love poetry and can read good prose for hours on end, but I just get little or no
enjoyment from most poetry (and I've tried reading a lot). It brings to the fore issues that are
of great importance besides taking us into a world created by the poet. Poem is like a looking
glass where each person sees their own reflection. Poems often have hidden meanings and
depth and unlocking the layers of a poem is very satisfying. It appeals to the reader's heart.
Poetry used to be very meaningful, it inspire me, and we get to know about the story of life.
By reading poem we can just imagine of those feelings which the poet had at that time. It is a
work which could be done to relax ourselves and to develop the spiritual feelings and
thoughts in us. A poem is just not intended to be a creation it is created to teach the beautiful
lessons of life. Poetry gives a treasure box of New ideas to my mind. By reading poetry we
can get to know about the different rhyming words which we cannot remember easily. In
poetry you can find those values and messages or thoughts which we even cannot get in
books or something else. Whenever I read a poetry whatever lesson or inspiration I get from
it I copy down them in my notebook and they even came in use of me every time. By writing
a poetry you can explain your those thoughts which came to your mind easily.

4. Write a critique of either P.B. Shelley or Allen Ginsberg as a poet. 16

Ans 4 P.B. Shelley being one of the greatest romantic poets of early nineteenth century was
an uncompromising rebel. He continued his struggle for the cause of individual liberty, social
justice and peace. He wished to bring social reforms by his inspiring and courageous works
of literature. He dreamt of an ideal society in which there should be no slavery and no
exploitation. In this poem 'To a Skylark' he has addressed a skylark (a little bird) that soars up
at a great height and sings so sweetly that the world is enchanted and bewitched by its
sweetness. This poem is one of the best lyrics of P. B. Shelley. It has a tragic feeling in it.
The line, Our sweetest songs are those that tell of saddest thought is very meaningful. It
tells the philosophy of Shelleys life. Though the songs of Skylark are the sweetest yet they
express saddest and most tragic thought. Some critics say that P.B Shelley was not a practical
man. He was far away from realism. So his Skylark always flew higher and higher and did
not come back to the earth, like the Skylark of Wordsworth. On the whole, this poem is
Shelleys one of the finest creations. The flow of art, the similes, the flight of imagination and
lyrical quality make this poem unparallel in romantic literature.

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5. Give an account of High Modernism in either English or American poetry. How were the
High Modernists different from the Post-Modernist poets? 16

Ans 5 "Modernism" is that idea that humans are really great and smart and we are just getting
greater and smarter. Humans have created Technology and Science which will allow us to do
nearly anything and know nearly everything. We have tones of potential. Our minds are able
to fit everything in to structures that make sense and figure everything out. Modernism is a
general term for the movement encompassing art, literature, architecture, music, etc. Starting
around 1850 and lasting for about a century. It's very vague, and there's a lot of debate about
who might or might not be modernist. Is Henrik Ibsen modernist? How about Samuel
Beckett? No one really knows. They both have modernist tendencies. "High Modernism" is
considered the full expression of the modernist movement, and is generally limited to those
artists and authors whose work is unambiguously modernist. People like Piet Mondrian,
James Joyce, Arnold Schnberg, etc. We could say that many modernists cultivated the
notion of an artistic-literary priesthood, which was opposed to the dominant culture, intent on
forming some kind of formal and conceptual revolution. High modernism is pretty much that
idea; a new priesthood. It's a little like the difference between high and low churches. Hart
Crane's impact on the modernist movement and on American culture is difficult to interpret. I
think that his most important achievement is as a counterpoint to T.S. Elliot; without Hart
Crane, Elliot's "The Wasteland" would be the uncontested poetic narrative of the modernist
movement. Crane's epic, "The Bridge," is enormously important, in that it offers a different
perspective on the same cultural moment. Hart Crane's vision is ultimately richer than
Elliot's, I think, but also more difficult.

6. Appreciate critically, in your own words one of the following poems: 16

a. Ode to a Nightingale

Ans 6 (a). "Ode to a Nightingale" is a poem by John Keats written either in the garden of the
Spaniards Inn, Hampstead, London or, according to Keats' friend Charles Armitage Brown,
under a plum tree in the garden of Keats' house at Wentworth Place, also in Hampstead.
According to Brown, a nightingale had built its nest near the house Keats and Brown shared
in the spring of 1819. Inspired by the bird's song, Keats composed the poem in one day. It
soon became one of his 1819 odes and was first published in Annals of the Fine Arts the
following July. The poem is one of the most frequently anthologized in the English language.
"Ode to a Nightingale" is a personal poem that describes Keats's journey into the state of
negative capability. The tone of the poem rejects the optimistic pursuit of pleasure found
within Keats's earlier poems and, rather, explores the themes of nature, transience and
mortality, the latter being particularly personal to Keats. The nightingale described within the
poem experiences a type of death but does not actually die. Instead, the songbird is capable of
living through its song, which is a fate that humans cannot expect. The poem ends with an
acceptance that pleasure cannot last and that death is an inevitable part of life. In the poem,
Keats imagines the loss of the physical world and sees himself deadas a "sod" over which
the nightingale sings. The contrast between the immortal nightingale and mortal man sitting
in his garden, is made all the more acute by an effort of the imagination. The presence of
weather is noticeable in the poem, as spring came early in 1819, bringing nightingales all
over the heath.

b. The Emperor of Ice Cream

Ans 6 (b). "The Emperor of Ice-Cream" is a celebrated poem from Wallace Stevens first
collection of poetry, Harmonium. It was first published in 1922, and is in the public domain.
The poem "wears a deliberately commonplace costume", he wrote in a letter, "and yet seems
to me to contain something of the essential gaudiness of poetry;

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