Anatomy of Poetry: A Case study of Yuvakbharati; A Course book in English for Standard XII Mr. V. M. Kurhadkar Department of English, MSP Mandal s Shri Shivaji College, Parbhani Abstract: Poetry is usually defined as right words in right order. It is a metrical composition in general. But it is understood at the best when seen from a stylistic point of view. This is a case study of the eight poems from Yuvakbharati; A Course book in English for Standard XII. Hence, the present paper attempts to study the selected poems from linguistic and figurative point of view. There is a clear and precise analysis of the selected poems leading to practical criticism of the same. Thy words are like a cloud of winged snakes. Shelley: Prometheus Unbound Introduction: The language of poetry is connotative. No poem is a simple composition with only one denotative meaning. Almost every piece of genuine poetry carries several aspects of a single subject or theme. Words are the only means and tools in the hands of a poet to pass his message to the intended readers. Therefore, he has to use words properly and appropriately. 37
In this connection Marjorie Boulton observes that, poetry is made of words, and obliviously the choice of words is important in poetry; indeed, in a sense it is the whole art of writing poetry. Poetry in Yuvakbharati; Yuvakbharati is a course book in English for Standard XII by Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education based on National Curriculum Framework 2005 and State Curriculum Framework 2010. It has several sections including poetry. The course book includes eight poems. The poems selected represent a variety from the point of view of poets, themes, poetic techniques, etc. Selection of Poems: The text book covers the following eight poems by renowned poets respectively. 1) The Person I Am Looking For by Hazara Singh 2) I Ran Into A Stranger by Anon 3) Suburbs by Pablo Neruda 4) Old Women by K. Satchidanandan 5) The Felling of the Banyan Tree by Dilip Chitre 6) A Nations s Strength by R. W. Emerson 7) Peace is a Woman and A Mother by Ada Aharoni 8) Concrete Jungle by Ali Gartner Figures of Speech and Poetic Devices: The selection of poems covers a wide range of figures of speech and poetic devices used by the creative artists in their poetic expressions. Here is a comprehensive list of a few of them. 1) Antithesis 2) Metaphor 3) Alliteration 4) Simile 5) Paradox The extensive use of these poetic devices in the selected poems is discussed and analyzed in the following discourse. 38
Antithesis: Antithesis is a popular poetic device. In it the poet uses Anti means opposite idea of his thesis. Usually the poet uses two contradictory words. The Oxford Dictionary of Literary Terms refers to it as, a contrast or opposition. In the first poem from text entitled The Person I Am Looking For Hazara Singh makes an effective use of it as in, If you have the will to live and courage to die (02). Here, to live and to die are an absolutely antithetical to each other. The poet uses a contrast or opposition either any dispositions of words that serve to emphasize a contrast or opposition of ideas usually by the balancing of connected clauses with parallel grammatical construction in The Person I am Looking For as in the above line. The second poem entitled I Ran into a Stranger Anon also applies antithesis. For instance look at this line: How we treat our loved one young and old. Here, young and old are the two opposite ideas brought together. K. Satchidanandan also successfully uses antithesis to put together two opposite ideas like down and dark (75). The Felling of the Banyan Tree by Dilip Chitre uses this figure of speech to describe the pictorial scene of the felling of the banyan tree in these lines: One by one the structures were demolished / only our own house remained. Renowned American poet like Ralph Waldo Emerson also uses Antithesis as the opposite ideas are put together in Sinking sand and abiding rock (118). Metaphor: Metaphor is a figure of speech in which one thing or idea is referred to by a word or expression normally denoting another thing, as to suggest some common quality shared by the two. In the line, You are a beacon light for people far and wide (02) you is implicitly compared with a beacon-light, sharing a common quality of serving as a signal or guide to other. 39
In Suburbs Pablo Neruda a poet and translator, uses metaphor in the lines, with the fleeting passage of a runner / or of a shy hotel for travelers (51). In This poem the middleclass person is a runner and the middle class people are the travelers. Fleeting passage stands for a short time and hotel stands for the world. K. Satehidanandan s line, Old women once were continents (75) makes an implicit comparison between old woman and continents. The concluding lines of The felling of the Banyan Tree by Dilip Chitre succeed in using metaphor. The lines run, Soon after words we left Baroda for Bombay / Where there are no trees except the one / Which grows and seethes in one s dreams, its aerial roots / Looking for ground to strike (90). Here, the banyan tree and its roots are implicitly compared to the deeply rooted life of the pet to his birth place. Alliteration: Repletion of consonant sound in quick succession at the beginning of the words is called alliteration. The Oxford Dictionary defines it as, the repetition of the same sounds usually initial consonants of words or of stressed syllable in any sequence of neighbouring words. In the first poem from text entitled The Person I Am Looking For Hazara Singh makes an effective use of it as in, If you carve not for praise when you win (02). Here, the use of repetition of the /w/ sound adds a musical quality in the above line. In The Felling of the Banyan Tree Chitre has used alliterative style, i.e. father told tenants to leave. Here is use of repetition of the Sound /t/ gives musical quality in above line. Ali Gartner s Concrete Jungle also used alliteration as in, The snow sprinkled trail (152). Here, is use of repetition of the sound /s/. It lends musical quality to the above lien. In on my winding way to the word s fare (138) Ada Aharoni uses repetition of the sound /w/ which lends musical quality to the above line. Simile: Smile is an explicit comparison between two different things, actions or feelings using that uses words like a, and like. The poem I Ran into a Stranger written by Anon uses simile in, I picked em because they are pretty like you (30). There is a direct comparison between the flowers and the mother with the use of the word like. As in K Satchidananda s line, 40
they shiver like December Nights (74) it is a very common of figure of speech. The shivering of the old women is compared to the cold December Nights. Paradox: Paradox is an important poetic device through which poet uses shock technique to surprise his readers. Oxford Dictionary of Literary Terms defines it as, a statement or expression so surprisingly self- contradictory as to provide us into seeking another sense or context in which it would be true. In the poem entitled Suburbs Pablo Neruda makes an effective use of paradox. Look at these lines, we, heroes and poor devils, / the feeble, the braggarts, the unfinished, / and capable of everything impossible / as long as it is not seem or heard. Here, the poet feels that we are heroes and can do anything until we come across a difficult situation when we find we cannot act. This is a contradictory statement and hence a perfect paradox. Works Cited: Baldick, Chris. Oxford Concise Dictionary of Literary Terms. OUP: Oxford. 2004. Print. Boulton, Marjorie. The Anatomy of Poetry. Kalyani Publishers: New Delhi. 2002. Print. Patil, W. and Mistry etc. Yuvakbharati. MSBSHE: Pune. 2013. Print 41