English Coursework: Writing Poetry Review
A Review is an exploration a work that records reader’s impressions of the text. It aims to bring to light the merits and demerits of a work, thereby opening the text for critical appraisal and understanding. You may have to write many forms of English coursework in the course of your degree: book reports, reviews, and essay assignments, among others.
Every genre has a different strategy and structure of writing a review. While a film review concentrates on features like cinematography, direction, choreography et al, a non-fiction book review focuses on the representation and exploration of facts and events; a fiction review cannot be written without exploring the development of plot and characters; similarly a poetry review can only be effectively written by carefully analyzing the components peculiar to its genre.
This article elaborates on the varied aspects to be taken into consideration when writing a poetry review, if you plan to write one for your English coursework.
Components of a Poetry Review
When writing a poetry review, one must concentrate on the various literary techniques used by the poet to communicate his/her experience. Exploring and analyzing the poet’s use of these components in the poem enhances the reader’s understanding and appreciation of the text. Some of the components used for analyzing poetry are discussed below:
Form: There are many forms in which poetry can be written. An understanding and knowledge of the relevant ones can enhance one’s understanding the enjoyment of poetry as every form has its peculiarities and characteristics. Some of he many forms of poetry are: sonnet, lyric, elegy, haiku, among others.
Prosody: It is the rhythm in which a poem is written. The rise and fall of sound, also called intonation, is measured with meter in poetry. The meter used in the poem determines its rhythm. The choice of the meter corresponds to the theme and subject of the poem. Find the meter in which the poem is written and analyze how the poet’s choice of the meter corresponds or adds to the meaning of the poem. Some of the commonly used meters are iambic pentameter, blank verse, free verse et al.
Rhetoric: Rhetoric is the choice of words in speech or writing. By analyzing the word usage in a poem, its historical placement, social relevance, underlying message and other details can be easily figured. The choice of words and their usage vary considerably from 14th poetry to the present day.
Literary Devices: The use of various literary devices metaphor, imagery, symbolism, hyperbole, allusion, among others, enhances the beauty and complexity of a poem. Poetry review written as an English coursework, must carefully take into note all the literary devices in the poem and analyze their relevance and significance in the poem.
Interpretations: A poem is free to be interpreted and appreciated according to ones’ perception. Make sure you mention your interpretation, along with other possible alternate interpretations.
No poetry review is complete without the discussion of the above features. A proper understanding of these components helps comprehend poet’s ideas and message in the poem. A well written English coursework has to be creative with personal interpretations to the poem that are backed up by carefully exploring the components of poetry.
