- "We called him Tortoise because he taught us."
- Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland
- Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland
THE EXAM COMMENTARY
Qualities looked for in a commentary
READING AND APPRECIATING POETRY FOR THE COMMENTARY
Answering the above questions will help you with the voice and intonation of the poem and gain a coherent meaning of the text.
Look at this poem by Alfred Lord Tennyson and ask yourself what was the probable impulse behind it.
The Eagle
He clasps the crag with crooked hands;
Close to the sun in lonely lands,
Ringed with the azure world he stands.
The wrinkled sea beneath him crawls;
He watches from the mountain walls,
And like a thunderbolt he falls.
The question is useful because the focus is all on the image of the bird, and we do not seem to 'hear' the narrator's personal tone or even sense his presence. But we can say that the poet seems to have been struck by the majesty and power and solitude of the eagle, which he conveys in this wild image.
Now consider the impulse behind this poem by William Wordsworth.
COMPOSED UPON WESTMINSTER BRIDGE, SEPT. 3, 1802
EARTH has not anything to show more fair:
Dull would he be of soul who could pass by
A sight so touching in its majesty:
This City now doth, like a garment, wear
The beauty of the morning; silent, bare,
Ships, towers, domes, theatres, and temples lie
Open unto the fields, and to the sky;
All bright and glittering in the smokeless air.
Never did sun more beautifully steep
In his first splendour, valley, rock, or hill;
Ne'er saw I, never felt, a calm so deep!
The river glideth at his own sweet will:
Dear God! the very houses seem asleep;
And all that mighty heart is lying still!
Here the impulse is much more transparent. The presence of the narrator, the poet is strong; the time, the scene is clear. The emotions of awe and wonder and pleasure are evident (the exclamation marks make this clear). The impulse to communicate this is obvious. In the case of both poems the focus is on a vivid image that the poet has seen and recaptured in words, but the role of the narrator is different.
So - a starting point in reading a poem can be the establishment of what the poet is essentially conveying.
TASK
Read some more poems and think about the human impulses behind each poem.
Also look for:
Alliteration
the repeated 'c' in the first line. Each of the alliterated words draw attention to a visual aspect - the crooked or gnarled foot gripping the rock - pulling these elements together.
Diction
especially 'clasps' and 'crooked hands'. 'Clasps' is normally the gesture of a human and 'hands' reinforces this idea, especially as there is a pronoun 'he' linking the images. 'Clasps' can also suggest a regal or formal gesture, and there is a strong suggestion of the kingly or God like nature of this creature watching from his 'mountain walls', 'close to the sun'. He doesn't 'grip' or 'perch'. He belongs there. 'Clasps' suggest assurance and power. 'Crooked' is a very strong word here. Where does it fit in?
Metre
each 'c' falls on the stressed foot of the iamb (He clasps/the crag/with croo/ked hands). The measured regularity of this line of iambic tetrameter (four metrical units) gives a kind of appropriate stateliness to the image of the bird. Sound and image work together to reinforce ideas and impressions. A short line is good for a clear cut effect or statement. A longer, more flexible pentameter is good for a build up of emotional or persuasive force. Why did Wordsworth choose a longer iambic pentameter (five units).
Variation of metre
the iambic metre (stressed/unstressed) is not adhered to rigidly. The variations cause surprise and force, as where the stress falls on the first word of the second and third line (Close and Ringed). This emphasizes the height and breadth of our image, taking in the sun and the expanse of the sky, and the eagle in the centre of this world.
Connotation
if you try to substitute synonyms for unusual diction (choice of words) you begin to see why the poet might have made the choices he did. For example 'fined' conveys a much sharper visual image than its synonym 'surrounded'. It also suggest royalty again, both in its sound and in its connotation (suggestion) of jewellery).
Rhyme
why has Tennyson chosen to have each of his three line stanzas connected by a single rhyme? It seems to suggest stateliness, control and predictability (much as the metre does). The fact that the rhyme stays the same at the end, even though the picture changes, suggests perhaps that this movement too, is part of the ordered and controlled world of the eagle. Always consider how rhyme supports or reinforces meaning.
Personification
'The wrinkled sea beneath him crawls' is highly suggestive, striking for diction and image as much as personification, 'Wrinkled' suggests skin, but also a great height, seen from the standpoint of the eagle on the mountain walls. 'Crawls' suggests servility, lowliness, also slowness, as of some indeterminate beast. This is contrasted with the swiftness, sureness, power and calculation of the bird, qualities emphasized by the simile of the thunderbolt.
Simile
The simile of the thunderbolt has overtones of Jove or Jupiter, the classical God of Thunder. Simile, like metaphor (both involve comparisons) shows the ability of the original mind to connect two normally unlike things in a particular, surprising but apt way.
TONE
SYNTAX
Qualities looked for in a commentary
- perceptive understanding of the thought and feeling in the text
- convincing ideas and personal response
- appreciation of the effects of the literary features
- a clearly focused, well developed argument
- detailed and persuasive references supporting the above aspects
- clear, precise and concise use of language with no significant lapses
READING AND APPRECIATING POETRY FOR THE COMMENTARY
- The human impulse behind the poem
- What might have stimulated the poet to write?
- The recapturing and shaping of a significant personal experience?
- The expression of a point of view or argument?
- An attempt to open the reader's mind to an idea or perception?
- Something else?
Answering the above questions will help you with the voice and intonation of the poem and gain a coherent meaning of the text.
Look at this poem by Alfred Lord Tennyson and ask yourself what was the probable impulse behind it.
The Eagle
He clasps the crag with crooked hands;
Close to the sun in lonely lands,
Ringed with the azure world he stands.
The wrinkled sea beneath him crawls;
He watches from the mountain walls,
And like a thunderbolt he falls.
The question is useful because the focus is all on the image of the bird, and we do not seem to 'hear' the narrator's personal tone or even sense his presence. But we can say that the poet seems to have been struck by the majesty and power and solitude of the eagle, which he conveys in this wild image.
Now consider the impulse behind this poem by William Wordsworth.
COMPOSED UPON WESTMINSTER BRIDGE, SEPT. 3, 1802
EARTH has not anything to show more fair:
Dull would he be of soul who could pass by
A sight so touching in its majesty:
This City now doth, like a garment, wear
The beauty of the morning; silent, bare,
Ships, towers, domes, theatres, and temples lie
Open unto the fields, and to the sky;
All bright and glittering in the smokeless air.
Never did sun more beautifully steep
In his first splendour, valley, rock, or hill;
Ne'er saw I, never felt, a calm so deep!
The river glideth at his own sweet will:
Dear God! the very houses seem asleep;
And all that mighty heart is lying still!
Here the impulse is much more transparent. The presence of the narrator, the poet is strong; the time, the scene is clear. The emotions of awe and wonder and pleasure are evident (the exclamation marks make this clear). The impulse to communicate this is obvious. In the case of both poems the focus is on a vivid image that the poet has seen and recaptured in words, but the role of the narrator is different.
So - a starting point in reading a poem can be the establishment of what the poet is essentially conveying.
TASK
Read some more poems and think about the human impulses behind each poem.
Also look for:
- TENSION or CONTRAST
- THE LOGIC OF DEVELOPMENT
- HOW LITERARY FEATURES BRING THE MAIN IDEA TO LIFE:
Alliteration
the repeated 'c' in the first line. Each of the alliterated words draw attention to a visual aspect - the crooked or gnarled foot gripping the rock - pulling these elements together.
Diction
especially 'clasps' and 'crooked hands'. 'Clasps' is normally the gesture of a human and 'hands' reinforces this idea, especially as there is a pronoun 'he' linking the images. 'Clasps' can also suggest a regal or formal gesture, and there is a strong suggestion of the kingly or God like nature of this creature watching from his 'mountain walls', 'close to the sun'. He doesn't 'grip' or 'perch'. He belongs there. 'Clasps' suggest assurance and power. 'Crooked' is a very strong word here. Where does it fit in?
Metre
each 'c' falls on the stressed foot of the iamb (He clasps/the crag/with croo/ked hands). The measured regularity of this line of iambic tetrameter (four metrical units) gives a kind of appropriate stateliness to the image of the bird. Sound and image work together to reinforce ideas and impressions. A short line is good for a clear cut effect or statement. A longer, more flexible pentameter is good for a build up of emotional or persuasive force. Why did Wordsworth choose a longer iambic pentameter (five units).
Variation of metre
the iambic metre (stressed/unstressed) is not adhered to rigidly. The variations cause surprise and force, as where the stress falls on the first word of the second and third line (Close and Ringed). This emphasizes the height and breadth of our image, taking in the sun and the expanse of the sky, and the eagle in the centre of this world.
Connotation
if you try to substitute synonyms for unusual diction (choice of words) you begin to see why the poet might have made the choices he did. For example 'fined' conveys a much sharper visual image than its synonym 'surrounded'. It also suggest royalty again, both in its sound and in its connotation (suggestion) of jewellery).
Rhyme
why has Tennyson chosen to have each of his three line stanzas connected by a single rhyme? It seems to suggest stateliness, control and predictability (much as the metre does). The fact that the rhyme stays the same at the end, even though the picture changes, suggests perhaps that this movement too, is part of the ordered and controlled world of the eagle. Always consider how rhyme supports or reinforces meaning.
Personification
'The wrinkled sea beneath him crawls' is highly suggestive, striking for diction and image as much as personification, 'Wrinkled' suggests skin, but also a great height, seen from the standpoint of the eagle on the mountain walls. 'Crawls' suggests servility, lowliness, also slowness, as of some indeterminate beast. This is contrasted with the swiftness, sureness, power and calculation of the bird, qualities emphasized by the simile of the thunderbolt.
Simile
The simile of the thunderbolt has overtones of Jove or Jupiter, the classical God of Thunder. Simile, like metaphor (both involve comparisons) shows the ability of the original mind to connect two normally unlike things in a particular, surprising but apt way.
TONE
SYNTAX