Stylistic Analysis of Poems - Essay Example

Stylistic Analysis of Poems Stylistic Analysis of Poems Poetry is a form of literature in a metrical form. Many poets make use of figurative language to express their ideas. Some exhibit preference for complex vocabulary and sophisticated syntax to help them write in accuratenessand in the creation of certain effects. For a reader to comprehend the poem, they should understand the content of the poem, the form and appreciate the stylistic devices used. The reader should be able to examine the way the poet conveys their content and form in order to bring out the overall meaning of the poem. Maya Angelou is one of renowned poets, who exhibit a unique writing style, and her poems have been appreciated by many analysts on the globe. One of her famous poems titled ‘Iknow why the caged bird sings’ will be analysed in this essay, analysing her expertise in the use of stylistic devices. In addition, the essay will critically evaluate the use of stylistic devices in the poem titled ‘Stopping by the woods on a snowy evening’ by Robert Frost (Angelou & Braxton, 1999). One of the outstanding features of the two poets Maya Angelou and Robert Frost is their use of simple language in poetry. However, such simplicity of language does not compromise the poems’ wealth of stylistic devices. Stylistic devices of “I know why the caged birds sing” by Maya Angelou This is one of Maya Angelou’s poems that have earned her an esteemed reputation because of her expertise in expressing ideas. The poem bares a similar title with her autograph about the caged bird. This implies that she associated herself closely with the caged bird she refers to in the poem. Notably, Maya Angelou is an African American poet whose life depicts a close resemblance to that of the bird she describes in her poem. Born in an era of racial discrimination, Angelou was well aware of how it feels to lack freedom yet wanting it so much. Therefore, she expressed her feelings about lacking freedom through this poem. According to her poem, there are two types of birds, the free bird that has a chance of flying and reaching out for opportunities and the caged bird whose realms are limited. A close analysis of the poem reveals that the free bird represents the white race that enjoyed freedom while the caged bird represented the African Americans that suffered the misfortunes resulting from racial segregation and slavery (Bloom, 2009). Maya Angelou’s use of stylistic devices Angelou is a renowned poet whose use of stylistic devices to bring out a meaning cannot receive any form of underestimation. She exhibits a high level of expertise in the way she uses different devices to convey the meaning of her poems and other works. Through her use of simple words, coupled with appropriate stylistic devices, she manages to communicate to the reader vividly. Although the poem “I know why the caged bird sings,” has been described for its outstanding use of imagery, Maya Angelou also employs other devices to convey her meaning to her audience. Remarkably, Maya Angeloue makes use of sound devices to complement the figurative language used in her poem. From the first stanza, the reader is able to recognize her ability to put sound devices into use. But a BIRD that stalks down his narrow cage Can seldom see through his bars of rage His wings are clipped and his feet are tied So he opens his throat to sing(Angelou, 1969). In this stanza, Angelou makes use of alliteration to place emphasize on the idea that she introduces her poem with. In the initial two sentences, the reader can note an evident repetitionof sounds and consonants. In line two of the second stanza, the “s” in repeated in the words “Seldom” and “See” (Angelou, 1969). The repetition of the sound “s” serves to place emphasize on the idea that caged birds a metaphor for African Americans usually lack the chance to express their autonomy and freedom. Although many analysts may view it as a simple style, it has immense effects in enhancing the meaning of her imagery in the poem. In addition to alliteration, the author exhibits the capacity to use multiple repetitions of vowels in order to emphasize the caged bird. The repetition of vowels in a non-rhyming pattern has been described by experts as assonance. This sound device also serves to complement the conveyed meaning in any poem. In the case of Angelou’s poem, she depicts the use of assonance in the first stanza when she says, “In the orange sun’s rays…And dares to claim the sky.” Evidently, these sentences have the vowel sound “a” repeated in three words, namely, “Orange”, Rays”and“Dares” (Angelou, 1969) The use of assonance in this sentence serves to emphasize the potential of the free bird to explore different opportunities, introducing a stack contrast between the free bird and the caged bird. According to many literary analysts, the use of both assonance and alliteration present a poem with a high level of flexibility and smoothness in flow. The use of these sound devices helps the poet Angelou to introduce a flexible flow in her poem. Sound devices serve as powerful ornaments to any poem. Maya Angelou also makes use of rhyme in her poem. Rhyme denotes the appearance of similar sounds at the end of two or more words. In her poem Angelou uses different words to illustrate her competitive use of rhymes in her poetry. The following are some of the examples of rhymes as it is used in the poem. “The caged bird sings with a fearful trill Of things unknown but longed for still” “But a BIRD that stalks down his narrow cage Can seldom see through his bars of rage” “But a caged BIRD stands on the grave of dreams His shadow shouts on a nightmare scream” (Angelou, 1969). In the last example of rhymes presented above, Angelou succeeds in her use of rhyme to enhance the meaning of her poem when she says that the caged bird faces a dead end of its dreams she follows up to elaborate the scream that results from the shadows of its dreams. The use of rhyme here, notably “dreams” and “scream” serve to augment the theme of the poem. The emphasis placed by these rhymes on the idea she conveys makes her poetry an outstanding piece. In her other poems, Angelou makes use of a regular meter to enhance her meaning. The term meter denotes the established use of stressed and unstressed syllables to bring out the musicality in poetry. In the case of this poem, Angelou uses an irregular scheme of rhyme because she relies on different words to bring out a specific rhythm. Although the entire poem has sets of rhythmic lines, they exhibit a high level of diversity, a factor that characterizes irregular rhyme schemes. Concerning meter, analysts have highlighted that this poem lacks an identifiable meter. However, despite its lack of meter and a regular scheme of rhyme, the poet succeeds in the use of alliteration, assonance and simple words to persuade the reader to understand her conveyed meaning (Bloom, 2009). A strong imagery that arouses the thought of being remanded strongly come with the spirit of the free bird. “Leaps on the back of the wind” and “dips his wings in the orange sun rays” are some examples that Maya Angelou uses in her poem to stir the reader’s consciousness to reflect on the idea of being free and alive. Maya writes in such a demoralizing and an unmitigated voice with images that are completely contrary to those on the first stanza. “Narrow cage” and “Wings are clipped” are expressions of terror and fear (Bloom, 2009). The irony in this stanza is influenced by the beautiful use of imagery in the previous stanza. Maya Angelou has used “Bars of range” to metaphorically to represent the innocent slavery in history. Maya Angelou exploits her expertise in poetry by using the descriptions of the caged bird as a metaphor to personify it to express feelings, sympathy and emotions. She further uses physical objects like the “Sky” and “Sun” as metaphors as well as a form of personification to bring out the semantic understanding of the poem. Angelous’s makes use of “Caged bird” and “Free bird” to bring out the parallel description of the black race and the white race (Angelou, 1969). Maya Angelou creates the element of oxymoron through the use of the word “sing” which relates to happiness and joy, but in this poem, Maya uses it to describe the cry of anguish and the call for freedom. In addition, Angelou uses different sounds to help the reader connect with the feelings of the caged bird. The sound devices serve to present the reader with an elaborate and vivid picture of the circumstances defining the life of the caged bird. The uses of the above sound devices explain the feelings of the poet and those of the caged bird. From the poem, it is easy to assert that Maya Angelou is disturbed by the lack of freedom experienced by the caged bird. However, her use of sound devices helps the reader recognize that there is a realm of hope that the caged bird will be free. In addition to the described sound devices, Angelou uses both connotation and denotation in a bid to convey her message to the reader. One example of connotation and denotation is the use of the word “cage” which literally denotes a bar or a trap. In her poem, though, the word “cage” refers to any form of confinement or imprisonment. An additional illustration of the use of this device is in the term “Scream” as used in the poem. In normal usage, the verb denotes the act of producing a piercing cry (Angelou, 1969). However, in Maya’s poem, it denotes the agony suffered by the caged bird. Stylistic analysis of “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” by Robert Frost As highlighted above, Robert Frost is an American poet and author whose reputation became esteemed after the world war when people’s appreciation for poetry was ignited. He spent time both in England and also in his home country, factors of his personal life that emerged in his poetry. In 1922, he authored the poem titled, “Stopping by the woods on a snowy evening.” This poem has earned itself a positive criticism from many analysts because of its outstanding simplicity yet conveying a deep meaning (University Microfilms, 2005). Robert Frost revealed that he wrote the poem in a single night seating yet the use of literary devices in the poem highlight his expertise in poetry. Different interpretation of the poem exist with some people adopting the literal meaning that focuses on nature while others have insinuated that Robert Frost referred to death in his poem. Without doubt, the simple poem is rich in literary devices and meaning (Research and Education Association, 2007). The most significant semantic feature in this poem is the metaphor. Frost has used common simple words to bring out the intended meaning of the poem. For example, the use of “woods” implies “Nature”, “village” suggests “real world” while the owner of the “house” represents the “human in society”. The choice of the word “darkest” does not convey the literal meaning but an exegerated confusion. Frost has further emphasized on the use of hyperbaton so as to stress the role played by the word “woods” in the entire poem. For example, the first line in stanza one, “whose woods these are I think I know”. In addition to that, Frost provides some kind of ambiguity while using a form of refrain in order to stress the significance of his duties. Such examples are in lines 15 and 16, “And miles to go before I sleep” “And miles to go before I sleep” Furthermore, frost had used poetic lexical features to further enhance his style in poetry. For instance, through out the poem, the pronoun “I” is coherent. The use of such pronouns in poetry make a situation factual and intense to the reader. An example is in line one of the first stanza, “Whose woods theseare I think I know”. Similar to Maya Angelou, Robert Frost uses sound devices to enhance the reader’s understanding of his meaning. One of the outstanding devices that he uses is alliteration. A clear illustration of the use of alliteration in Robert Frost’s poem is in the first stanza, line four; “To watch his woods fill up with snow.” In this line, the sound /w/ appears in all the highlighted syllables that Robert Frost intended to stress. Robert Frost also makes use of alliteration in both lines one and three in the third stanza of his poem to enhance his meaning (Research and Education Association. 2007). In line one, the consonant sound /h/ while in line three he uses the sound /s/. In line, Robert Frost intended to stress that the harness belongs to his horse. In line three, the use of alliteration helps the reader notice that the stop by the woods was silent except for the “sweep.” “He gives his harness bells a shake To ask if there is some mistake. The only other sounds the sweep” Moreover, Robert Frost uses assonance to create the outstanding rhythm in his poem. In the third line of the first stanza, “He will not see me stopping here,”Robert Frost has used assonance with a vivid emphasis on words such as ‘he’ ‘see’ and ‘me’(Frost, 1922). In addition, Robert Frost uses assonance to emphasize on the urge to be alone for the uncertain. Robert Frost’s poem has a regular structure with four stanzas, and each stanza has four lines. As illustrated below, Robert Frost made use of rhymes to construct a lyrical flow of his poem (Logan, Logan, & Paterson, 2002). A close analysis of the stanzas reveals that a regular rhyme scheme does exist. This regular scheme is denoted by a a b a in stanza one, b b c b in stanza two, c c d c in stanza three and finally d d d d in the fourth stanza From this rhyme structure, it is evident that Robert Frost made use of interlocking rhymes to create a smooth flow of the poem. In the interlocking rhyme structure, an unrhymed syllable in one stanza rhymes with others in the next stanza. A clear illustration of this is the word “here” in the first stanza of Robert Frost’s poem does not rhyme with any other word in that stanza. However, it does rhyme with “queer”, “near”, and “year”(Frost, 1922). “Whose woods these are I think I know (a) His house is in the village though(a) He will not see me stopping here(b) To watch his woods fill up with snow (a) My little horse must think it queer(b) To stop without a farmhouse near(b) Between the woods and frozen lake(c) The darkest evening of the year(b) He gives his harness bells a shake(c) To ask if there is some mistake(c) The only other sounds the sweep(d) Of easy wind and downy flake(c) The woods are lovely, dark and deep(d) But I have promises to keep(d) And miles to go before I sleep(d) And miles to go before I sleep(d)” (Frost, 1922). It is evident from the lines of the poems above; there is a regular meter and feet. In each line, one can note four feet with each foot exhibiting both a non stressed syllable and a stressed one. The unstressed syllable precedes the stressed one forming an isiambic tetrameter. This meter and feet structure complements the regular rhyme used by Robert Frost in making the poem an outstanding piece of literature (Frost & Jeffers, 2004). Notably, Robert Frost also makes use of internal rhymes to enhance the meaning that is used to convey in the poem. Without doubt, the sound devices used in the poem presented with a remarkable level of continuity. In addition, Robert Frost uses a new form of rhyme involving the repletion of lines. For example, the last stanza ends with a line repeated twice as illustrated below. “The woods are lovely, dark and deep But I have promises to keep And miles to go before I sleep And miles to go before I sleep” (Frost, 1922). This form of rhyme that repeats an entire line serves to place emphasis on the idea conveyed. In the case of Robert Frost’s poem, he sought to emphasize the fact that the narrator of the poem wanted to attend to important matters a factor that proved enough reason for him to continue walking the remaining miles of the journey (Davis, 2004). The fact that the narrator highlighted he had “promises to keep” prior to the repeated line places emphasis on his need to walk the remaining miles before he slept so that he could attend to his other responsibilities. On interpretation of the poem, this rhyme scheme involving lines was used to enhance the poet’s meaning and thenarrator’s willingness to keep his promise (Subramanian, 2004). Analysts of this poem have highlighted that it is possible that Robert Frost was referring to the narrator’s adult responsibilities. Conclusion As highlighted above, different poets make use ofa diverse range of literary devices. Maya Angelou is one of renowned poets, who exhibit a unique writing style, and her poems have been appreciated by many analysts on the globe. Robert Frost also earned himself a remarkable reputation with his outstanding works. Both poets made have been described as experts in using sound devices in a bid to enhance the meaning they sought to convey. Both poets made use of alliteration, assonance, rhymes, and meter to convey their messages. References Angelou, M. (1969). I know why the caged bird sings. Retrieved on 11th April 2014 from http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/i-know-why-the-caged-bird-sings/ Angelou, M., & Braxton, J. M. (1999). Maya Angelous I know why the caged bird sings: A casebook. New York, NY [u.a.: Oxford Univ. Press. Bloom, H. (2009). Maya Angelous I know why the caged bird sings. New York: Blooms Literary Criticism. Davis, A. P. (2004). Maya Angelous I know why the caged bird sings. Piscataway, N.J: Research & Education Association. Frost, R. (1922). Stopping by the woods in a snowy evening. Retrieved on 11th April 2014 from http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/i-know-why-the-caged-bird-sings/ Logan, L. M., Logan, V. G., & Paterson, L. (2002). Creative communication; teaching the language arts. Toronto: McGraw-Hill Ryerson. Research and Education Association. (2007). The best teachers test preparation for the MTEL general curriculum (field 03). Pscataway, N.J: Research & Education Association. Robert Frost, Robert, & Jeffers, Susan. (2004). Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening. Diane Pub Co. Subramanian, N. (2004). Robert Robert Frost and Subramania Bharati. Madurai: Publications Division, Madurai Kamaraj University. University Microfilms. (2005). Dissertation abstracts. Ann Arbor, Mich: University Microfilms. Appendix “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” by Robert Frost Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening Whose woods these are I think I know. His house is in the village though; He will not see me stopping here To watch his woods fill up with snow. My little horse must think it queer To stop without a farmhouse near Between the woods and frozen lake The darkest evening of the year. He gives his harness bells a shake To ask if there is some mistake. The only other sounds the sweep Of easy wind and downy flake. The woods are lovely, dark and deep, But I have promises to keep, And miles to go before I sleep, And miles to go before I sleep. I know why the caged bird sings by Maya Angelou A free bird leaps on the back of the wind and floats downstream Till the current ends and dips his wing In the orange suns rays And dares to claim the sky. But a BIRD that stalks down his narrow cage Can seldom see through his bars of rage His wings are clipped and his feet are tied So he opens his throat to sing. The caged bird sings with a fearful trill Of things unknown but longed for still And his tune is heard on the distant hill for The caged bird sings of freedom. The free bird thinks of another breeze And the trade winds soft through The sighing trees And the fat worms waiting on a dawn-bright Lawn and he names the sky his own. But a caged BIRD stands on the grave of dreams His shadow shouts on a nightmare scream His wings are clipped and his feet are tied So he opens his throat to sing. The caged bird sings with A fearful trill of things unknown But longed for still and his Tune is heard on the distant hill For the caged bird sings of freedom. Read More