ANALYSIS OF POETRY THROUGH MATTER AND THEME

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 Introduction

Generally, an academic examination of a literary text is called literary analysis or practical criticism, representing a critic's response to a work of fiction. The goal is to explain or interpret a literary piece, including poems, making it explanatory. In other words, the focus is textual study, making poetic analysis an exegetic enterprise. Poetic analysis, being an academic activity, requires a scholarly approach, belonging to the critical category and thus entails a detailed and systematic examination, evaluation, explanation, description, and appreciation of a given literary (poetic) piece. Therefore, studying a poem, including its lines, stanzas, and parts, is essential to find and illuminate the ideas contained therein. Is that all? No, that is one major aspect. Additionally, we will examine selected poems to identify and classify the various methods/techniques and styles employed by poets in conveying their meanings. This means we are expected to study selected poems to demonstrate our understanding of the meanings encapsulated in such poems and how those meanings are communicated. Furthermore, it is our responsibility to determine how effective such techniques/styles are in relation to their contribution to the elucidation of poetic subject and significance.

To facilitate our work, we need to give a little more attention to guidelines for poetic analysis, making our task in this module easier and more effective. First, Akporobaro, F. B. O. (296) provides insight into what he considers essential aspects of the entire "critical process." They are:

i. Thematisation

ii. Validation

iii. Elaboration or Analysis/Discussion

iv. Value judgment

Let's delve into each of the four above. Starting with thematisation, every poem, as a literary text, has a theme/subject matter or concern/interest. A good analysis identifies and clearly states the central theme(s). It is important to validate your statement of the primary idea, feeling, atmosphere contained in and evoked by the poem using a reference in the form of quotations (or paraphrases) from the relevant poem. This supports your view with credible and valuable data, making your analysis more objective. Additionally, a creditable analysis should elaborate and discuss the development of ideas/thoughts, feelings, mood, diction (language), and the structural composition of the poem. Note that you need to keep the text in question, its creative characteristics, and diction in constant view in your discussion. At this stage, discuss how the poem is constructed to create meaning and how the poet incorporates different materials and sections to generate the desired meaning. Lastly, your analysis ought to incorporate an informed view on the quality of the selected poem. In simple terms, it could be tedious, vague, insignificant, or vivid, lucid, and appealing. At this stage, you are engaging in value judgment.

Secondly, Arp, Thomas R. and Greg Johnson (903) emphasize that in evaluating a poem, three basic questions must be asked:

i. What is the central purpose?

ii. How fully has the purpose been accomplished?

iii. How important is the purpose?

To comprehend the poem, scholars should answer question i and evaluate it based on questions ii and iii, which respectively assess the poem on a "scale of perfection (and) scale of significance" (903). On another note, a poem can be evaluated by how its elements are organized into a full, original artistic system, contributing to the attainment of the primary idea/purpose. An outstanding poem demonstrates an original integration of ideas, feelings, sound, atmosphere, and language.

In summary, the implication is that the analysis of poems involves both what is said and how it is said. Pay attention to several issues: theme, language, and feelings are crucial in analyzing poems. Your analysis should exhibit an awareness of how various elements form a complete poem and interrelate to elucidate the theme. Constantly reference the poem under review, and make an honest and informed statement about the merits or quality of the examined poem.

This suggests that Module 3 leans more towards the practical side, providing a variety of poems to help you apply what you've learned. As the saying goes, "practice makes perfect!" To effectively handle the different aspects of poetic analysis, Module 3 is divided into five units, as initially listed. I'm sure you're ready. Let's get to work. Unit 1 of Module 3 awaits.

Objectives:

By the end of this unit, students are expected to:

1. Provide a clear definition of theme/matter as a primary element of the poem.

2. Explain the position and role of the theme in a poetic piece.

3. Identify and discuss the thematic preoccupations of selected poems.

4. Explain how a given poet combines the theme and other constituents of a poem to communicate his/her meaning.

5. Make an objective and logical value judgment on poems.

Main Content

Meaning of Theme (Matter)

First, let's establish the relationship between Matter and Theme, the focus of this unit. Matter implies subject, and theme implies the question or issue, representing what the poem says. It is the substance of a poem, the real or vital meaning, closely connected to the ideas, thoughts, experiences, and the overall message of a poem. In this context, matter refers to the subject and theme of a poem, encompassing the ideas expressed within it. This text would be incomplete without considerable attention to the concept and meaning of theme as a primary element of literature in general and poetry in particular. This unit offers an appropriate opportunity to delve into the discussion of theme and idea in poetry. Remember that this unit is practical, and you'll encounter several examples in different parts. Follow the examples closely for valuable insights into thematic analysis of poems.

Every poem conveys some idea(s). To grasp the dominant idea(s) expressed in a poem, it is vital to identify the theme(s). Theme is indispensable to poetry. Barret, Sylvan (119) describes theme as the "underlying idea," denoting the main, major, or primary idea of a work of art. Jason Lineberger (1) defines the main idea as "what the piece is mostly about." The main idea of a poem is usually not as apparent as those of drama and fiction.

Theme is the main idea contained in a work of art, representing the significant universal idea or belief the author conveys about the subject. It mirrors the poet's view of the world or human nature, encompassing the fundamental issue(s) of a literary work that goes beyond the moral and purpose of a poem. The governing idea of a poem is typically represented in its main theme and perceived through the poem's diction, atmosphere/mood, rhythm, and tone.

Understand that the theme of a literary work is rarely expressed in a single word and is usually not as explicitly stated as the subject; it is implied. In analysis, you must closely examine a poem to understand its themes and interpret how it conveys them. Let's use Alfred Lord Tennyson's 'The Eagle,' one of the most enduring and charming poems in the history of English poetry, to illustrate this point.

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 his mountain walls,

And like a thunderbolt, he falls.

The poem is presented in two stanzas of equal lines, three lines each. The governing themes are ultimate freedom and detachment in the face of natural and existential forces, as seen in "close to the sun in lonely lands." The closing lines, "and like a thunderbolt he falls," suggest the limitations of living beings. Additionally, the poet's interest in the dignity of existence, tenacity, and strength is evident in "ringed with the azure world, he stands." The poem also explores the idea of aging, attendant physical weakness, and mortality, all found in the activities of the subject, the eagle. Thus, the eagle, as a bird, is chosen as a poetic subject, dignified, ennobled, and employed by Tennyson to communicate his idea of doggedness and decline as an inevitable destiny of every living thing.

Further Notes

Further notes on thematic analysis of a poem can be guided by Barret's approach (119), emphasizing the acronym RPM: 

1. Read Aloud: Begin by reading the poem aloud whenever possible.

2. Paraphrase: Paraphrase the content to enhance understanding.

3. Main Idea: Identify the main idea running through the entire poem.

To discern the thematic preoccupation of a poem, consider the following questions:

1. Subject: What is the overarching subject—love, death, patriotism, nature, etc.?

2. Themes and Connections: How do various themes connect to each other within the poem?

3. Highlighting Themes: How are the themes emphasized, and what dominant images are used?

4. Artistic Intention: Determine whether the poem's artistic intention is primarily for entertainment or education.

While we often refer to the "main/central theme," it's essential to acknowledge minor themes representing secondary or subordinate ideas. These are less significant and enduring. For example, a poem with a central theme of war may also incorporate minor themes such as betrayal or fidelity. In Keats' "Ode to a Nightingale," the idea of migration and loneliness tangentially surfaces in "the sad heart of Ruth, when, sick for home, she stood in tears amid the alien corn."

Additionally, prevalent issues like rural-urban migration marginally materialize in Osundare's "They Too are the Earth" through the mention of "narrow abandoned hamlets."

To conduct an objective and comprehensible thematic analysis, it's crucial to engage with the entire poem. The overall idea and meaning of a poem are condensed in its entirety. Every line contributes to the development of the theme and message. According to Senanu, K. E. and T. Vincent (15), a successful poem exhibits unity and coherence, where each part sheds light on others, contributing to the meaning of the poem as a whole.