Q: 1 – What is the central theme of the poem? Or, Write a note on the main theme of the poem.

Ans: In literature, theme refers to the central or dominating idea that remains implicitly in a text. The theme also refers to the message that the writer wants to convey to the readers. It is rarely said directly. It is an abstract concept indirectly expressed through recurrent images, actions and symbols. The reader must understand it. However, the theme differs from the subject matter. The subject matter is the topic or thing described in the work. On the other hand, “theme” is a comment on an observation about the subject.

In the given poem the theme is ………………

Q: 2 – What is the author’s position in the poem? Or, Write a note on the author’s position in the poem.

Ans: The author’s position refers to the author’s point of view about the subject matter. This is the writer’s own personal way of looking at the subject. Sometimes author gives a personal judgment and sometimes the author gives a general judgment in his writing. By this, we understand that the author’s position is an author’s opinion about the subject. Thus, the author’s position can be subjective or objective. Subjective means where the writer can use his own personal feelings, emotions, and own choice. On the other hand, objective means that where the writer can not use his own personal feelings, emotions, and own choice.

If the author’s stance is objective, he makes an impersonal observation of the subject. Even his likes and dislikes are carefully suppressed. On the other hand, if the position of the author is subjective, we can identify the subjective presence of the author in the text. In this case, the text deals with the author’s attitude toward the subject matter. Here, the author fails to distance himself from the text.

The author’s position in the poem is …………

Q: 3 – Write a note on the tone of the poem.

Ans: Tone refers to the poet’s attitude towards a theme or a subject. After reading the poem, a kind of mood is created in the mind of the reader. This mood of readers is called tone. The tone of the poem can be angry, melancholic, joyful, affectionate, hostile, earnest, playful, continent, bitter, serious, sympathetic, unemotional, ironic, humorous, revolutionary, etc. A different element of the poem such as setting, use of theme, etc. Create a certain feeling in the readers. Thus, the tone is separated from the other elements of poetry. In poetry, tone and mood are co-related. The tone of the poem contributes to the mood.

The tone of the poem is ……………

Q: 4 – Write a note on figures of speech used in the poem.

Ans: The most common way of expressing a poet’s ideas in poetry is through the use of figures of speech. The figure of speech refers to the ornamental use of language. Poets prefer a common language rather than an ordinary language. To do this, they take the help of various figures of speech. Common figures of speech are – simile, metaphor, conceit, metonymy, personification, and synecdoche. Apart from conveying meaning, figures of speech create various poetic effects……..

Q: 5 – Write a note on the imagery used in the poem.

Ans: Imagery refers to the making of pictures in words. Imagery is an uncountable noun and its countable form is image/image. The figurative quality of a literary word is achieved through the collection of images. Imagery appeals to the senses of taste, smell, hearing, touch, sight, and internal feelings. It creates a complex emotion and suggests the mood, tone, and meaning of the text. Poets create beautiful images with the help of their fertile imaginations.

Generally, a painter draws a picture of something with the help of color. On the other hand, the poet does the same thing with the help of the proper word. The picture drawn by the painter can be seen but the picture drawn by the poet has to be realized.

Q: 6 – Write a note on the use of symbols used in the poem.

Ans: A symbol is a type of image. When an image stands for something else, it becomes a symbol. In symbols, an abstract concept is represented through concrete. These concrete things can be an object, a place, a character, an action, and so on. A symbol can be private or public. For example, darkness and light are universal symbols of evil and good. Ascendant is a universal symbol of progress. Similarly, the landing is a symbol of failure, and the dove is a universal symbol of peace. The conscious and artistic use of symbols elevates literature beyond its ordinary meaning.

Q: 7 – Write a note on the language of the poet.

Ans: Poet makes special use of language. Generally, they select soft-sounding and lucid words. However, when the context requires, hard, and harsh-sounding words are also selected to create a baseline effect. Sometimes archaic words are also used to add dignity to the poem. The common archaic words are – ye, thee, and thou for you, thy for your, and doth for does. Another important thing about language is that the words are arranged in lines according to a certain measurement. Sometimes the words are shortened by omitting a letter. This is known as contraction. The common contractions are – e’ en for even, e’er for ever, that’s for that is, will’t for will it.

In order to produce informal personal appeal, the poet also uses colloquial words……….

Q: 8 – Evaluate the poem as a dramatic monologue.

Ans: A dramatic monologue is a lyric poem in the form of a speech uttered by a single person. It is dramatic because it begins suddenly and it takes several sudden turns which gives the poem a dramatic dimension. In a dramatic monologue, a single speaker expresses his thoughts in the presence of a silent audience or some silent audience. The speaker is not necessarily the poet himself although the speaker speaks of the poet’s beliefs and philosophy. Readers can enter into the deep psyche of the speaker because of his revelations. Because of that, a dramatic monologue is set to be psycho-analytical or soul-separating. Therefore, the common features of a dramatic monologue are an abrupt opening, a single speaker, a silent audience or listeners, clues to the psychological analysis of the audience’s presence, etc. Robert Browning is the master of dramatic monologue……..

Q: 9 – Evaluate the poem as a sonnet.

Ans: Before evaluating a poem as a sonnet, it is necessary to know what a sonnet is. A sonnet is a type of lyric poem with fourteen lines. Each line consists of five iambic lines called iambic pentameter. A sonnet is usually divided into octaves and sestets. The octave consists of the first eight lines and the sestet consists of the last six lines. There are three types of sonnets. such as the Petrarchan, Shakespearean, and Spenserian sonnets. A Shakespearean or English sonnet is divided into three quatrains followed by a couplet. It follows the rhyme scheme abab, cdcd, efef, gg.

Q: 10 – Evaluate the poem as a lyric.

Ans: The word ‘lyric’ is associated with the word ‘lyre’ which is a kind of musical instrument. In ancient Greece, there were some poems that were sung with the lyre. Such a poem came to be known as a lyric. So, the main characteristic of a lyric is its music. Its music is achieved by the use of alliteration, assonance, rhyme scheme, meter, and lucid diction. A lyric poem is subject in nature because it deals with the personal emotion of love, a sense of loss, heroism, death, nostalgia, and so on. It is subdivided into several forms of poetry. Among them, the main ones are – the sonnet, ode, elegy, and dramatic monologue. Shakespeare’s sonnet, Keat’s odes, Gray’s elegy, and Browning’s dramatic monologue are examples of English lyrics.

Q: 11 – How to write the structure of any poem.

Ans: The structure of a poem is built around its theme, with some external eternal elements. A poem may be considered well structured if all the elements contribute towards creating the structure desired by the poet.

Structure refers to the chronological positions of art, scenes, episodes, acts, chapters, etc. It also refers to the logical relationship among stanzas, rhyme, ideas, images, or other divisions.

Then briefly describe the theme.
Then the rhyme scheme should be briefly described according to the stanza.

There are some figures of speech and sound devices like …. Simile, metaphor, alliteration, assonance, and consonance…. They are all adapted to the structure of this sonnet/lyric….

From all the considerations, it seems evident that the poet has achieved a good structure of the poem.