Poetry Literary Analysis
Adel Isa
Mrs. Timm
12-F
12/1/2012
Literary Analysis Outline
I.Introduction
A.“Chung Tzu I dearly love.”
B.I Beg of You, Chung Tzu
C.The Book of Songs
D.Lyrical poetry
E.After reading this poem, it is not hard to know that this is a songs poem.
II.Meter and Rhythm
III.Stanza
IV.Sound Device
V.Imagery and Figurative Language
VI.Conclusion
Adel Isa
Mrs. Timm
12-F
12/1/2012
Literary Analysis Paper
“Chung Tzu I dearly love.” This is a quote taken from the poem I Beg of You Chung Tzu. This poem is located in The Book of Songs. In this book, the authors of the poems are unknown. Therefore, I Beg of You Chung Tzu’s poet is unidentified. Since all Asian poetry is lyrical, then this poem is lyric poetry. Moreover, it is a songs poem. After reading this poem, it is not hard to know that this is a songs poem.
The poem was originally set to music. Therefore, it has strong, regular, rhythms. If one or two words within a refrain are varied in successive stanzas, this technique is called incremental variation. The meter of this poem is iambic.
The stanzas in this poem are octave. It means that there are eight lines per stanza. The poem also includes refrains, which are words or phrases repeated at regular intervals. “Indeed I am afraid” is a refrain. Incremental variations are also present in this poem. Personally, I think that the stanzas are prefect. Since it is a songs poem, having equal amount of stanzas is exactly how the poem should look like.
Many sound devices are present in this poem. Rhyme is the repetition of sounds at the ends of words. “Homestead” and “planted” in lines 2 and 3 is one example. Consonance is the repetition of final consonant sounds. In line 5 “father and mother” is a consonance. Another example of a consonance is “indeed” and “afraid” in line 8. Assonance is the repetition of similar vowels. “Over our wall” is considered assonance in line 10. “Into our homestead” is also assonance in line 2.
In this poem, similes and metaphors are not used clearly; instead you find natural images. In lines 3, 11, and 19, the poet talks about various things they have planted. Furthermore, this creates natural images in your mind. “Not that I mind about the willows.” In this line, the poet does not mind about the willows but he is afraid of what his mother and father will say. This means that poets mean what they say, but they do not always say what they mean.
Overall, I Beg of You Chung Tzuis an enjoyable poem. Just by reading it, you know that it is songs poem. There are many refrains and incremental variations. The presence of some sound devices makes this poem likeable. Furthermore, this poem also shows us how some poets mean what they say, but they do not always say what they mean.