The poem that I chose for my poem was called, "My Papa's Waltz" by Theodore Roethke. The major techniques that were used in the poem were, stanza, assonance, consonance, and meter. In the poem, stanza was used by the poem being one that has a recurring pattern. For this poem the pattern was that each verse was four lines, and that this poem rhymed. Also the effects it had in the poem were that it made it easier to read and made it less complicated. Secondly, is assonance which was used by every other line being a rhyme to every other line. An example is the first and third line, where it says breath and death. Also, the effects it had were that every last word of every other line rhymed, which made the poem sound fluent and well organized.
Also in the poem, was consonance, and it was used by the same as assonance. What I mean is that every other line rhymed and instead of it being for vowel sounds, it was for consonant sounds. An example is line 6 and line 8, where it says shelf and itself. The effects that this made in the poem were that it made the poem sound very well when read, and it made it song sophisticated. Lastly, is the technique called a meter and more specifically, it is an iambic meter. This means that the poem repeats a single basic pattern. So, this technique is used by there being in the poem, a specific rhythm in each verse. That rhythm is that every other line rhythms with each other. The effects it has in the poem are that it makes the poem look like a perfect stanza, and that it makes the poem a masterpiece. Finally, these techniques contribute to my interpretation of the poem by making me believe that this poem took time, and that this poem was very well thought up.
Andrew, I heard a lot of people read "My Papa's Waltz" for their choice, and I thought about reading it just based on the title. However, I thought "Fifth Grade Autobiography" would be more enticing. You made nice points about word sounds, plus the words you use to describe them are really effective because they make the poem flow. Good post and quality; I didn't think poems like those where the title is obvious also have a deep meaning.
ReplyDeleteAndrew, you have made a good list of techniques here. Typically, we approach assonance and consonance separately from rhyme, and remember rhyme and rhythm are different. What I'd like to see you do is interpret Roethke's use of these techniques within the poem as a whole - what is happening in this poem, and how do the techniques contribute to the meaning? Make sure to give concrete examples from the poem as you are discussing it.
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