CHAPTER TWO: PRELIMINARIES AND THEORY OF ENGLISH POEMS AND CONGOLESE SONGS
2.1. Poetry Definition
Poetry is the other way of using2.2. Types of poetry
Poems vary a lot in their length, structure, themes and
subject matter. For instance, some forms of poetry rely on rhyme and meter while others do not. We also may use different purposes for different types of poems.
Some kinds of poems express humorous effect, while others
are used for drama, and others are used to express mourning.
There are many types of poetry. These can be grouped into 3
main genres: narrative poetry, dramatic poetry, and lyric poetry. Narrative poetry tells a story. Dramatic poetry is used in plays with dramatic action.
Lyric poetry expresses a person’s state of mind or attitude.
2.2.1. Narrative poetry
The earliest poetry was not written but spoken, recited,
chanted, or sung. Poetic devices like rhythm, rhyme, and repetition made stories easier to memorize so they could be transported long distances and handed down through generations. Narrative poetry evolved from this oral tradition.
In nearly every part of the world, narrative poetry established
a foundation for other literary forms.
Narrative poetry tells stories through verse. Like a novel or a
short story, a narrative poem has plot, characters, and setting. Using a range of poetic techniques such as rhyme and meter, narrative poetry presents a series of events, often including action and dialogue.
In most cases, narrative poems have only one speaker—the
narrator—who relates the entire story from beginning to end. In short, we can easily say this;
Narrative poetry presents a series of events through action and dialogue.
Most narrative poems feature a single speaker: the narrator.
Traditional forms of narrative poetry include epics and ballads
Types of Narrative Poetry
a. Epic
Epic is a long, often book-length, narrative in verse form that
retells the heroic journey of a single person, or group of persons.
The word «epic» comes from Latin epicus and from Greek epikos, meaning «a word; a story; poetry in heroic verse.» The elements that typically distinguish epics include superhuman deeds, fabulous adventures, highly stylized language, and a blending of lyrical and dramatic traditions, which also extend to defining heroic verse.
An epic may deal with such various subjects as2.2.2. Dramatic poetry
Dramatic poetry is a form of poetry that is written in verse
and meant to be recited in public or acted out. Dramatic poetry is often in the form of long speeches either to another actor, the audience, or oneself by musing aloud. When aimed at another person, this form of dramatic poetry is known as aHistory of Dramatic Poetry
One of the earliest forms ofFeatures of Dramatic Poetry
Dramatic poetry is written to be spoken or acted in public, in
front of an audience. It often reveals the inner psychology of aTypes of Dramatic Poetry
Dramatic poetry usually appears in four recognized types. The
first is a soliloquy where a character muses to themselves about something troubling them. The second is a dramatic monologue in which a character addresses someone else but reveals something about themselves in the process. The third type of dramatic poetry is aDramatic Monologue
A dramatic monologue is a type of dramatic poetry where a
character addresses another or several others and reveals something of his inner self in the process of the speech. A dramatic monologue always involves a single speaker on stage, and while the speaker may be talking directly to another person, we will never directly encounter them during the dramatic monologue. A dramatic monologue Although the dramatic monologue is used frequently in theatre, we can also find examples of it in poetry. In this poem by Ezra Pound called The River Merchant’s Wife: A Letter, a young woman is speaking aloud to her absent river merchant husband who has traveled far from home on work.
While my hair was still cut straight across my forehead I played about the front gate, pulling flowers.
You came by on bamboo stilts, playing horse,
You walked about my seat, playing with blue plums.
And we went on living in the village of Chokan:
Two small people, without dislike or suspicion.
At fourteen I married My Lord you.
I never laughed, being bashful.
Lowering my head, I looked at the wall.
Called to, a thousand times, I never looked back.
Soliloquy
During a soliloquy, a character speaks aloud about what is
going on inside their mind. It is almost as if the character is talking to themselves about their deepest fears, desires, or motivations.Closet Dramas
A closet drama is a play that I meant to be read aloud rather
than performed. It is often meant to be read out to a small group of people. Examples of closet dramas include John Milton’s Samson Agonistes and Thomas Hardy’s The Dynasts.
Drawing Room Plays
As the name suggests, a drawing-room play, as the name
suggests, is designed to take place inside the drawing-room of a home. This form of drama emerged during the Victorian period in England. An example of a drawing-room play is T.S. Eliot’s The Elder Statesman, first performed in 1958.
Character Sketch
In a character sketch, the writer is trying to arouse emotion or
interest among the audience or reader towards a particular character. The reader is given a few important details about the character that the writer considers important. These details reveal the general character and nature of the person being described.
Dialogue
Dialogue is a type of dramatic poetry when two or more
characters talk to each other and give us a sense of what is going on and what is going to happen in the play. Dialogue carries the plot forward as well as gives us an idea of how the characters interact with each other.
Dramatic Poetry Examples
Sometimes the best way to understand and appreciate
dramatic poetry is to read some plays and poems where we find examples of it. We will be looking at some of the best-known examples of different types of dramatic poetry below.
Dramatic Monologue
A dramatic monologue is a form of dramatic poetry when a
character speaks to another character or characters about something they feel strongly about. During the dramatic monologue, only the character speaking the lines will be seen and the person or persons they are speaking to will remain off stage. One of the most famous examples of a dramatic monologue is in Shakespeare’s play Julius Caesar, Act 3 Scene 2. This is when Marc Antony addresses a crowd immediately after2.2.3. Lyric poetry
When a poet writes an emotional, rhyming poem, she can call
it a lyric poem.Lyric poetry is one of the major types of poetry. It typically focuses on presenting the thoughts, feelings, and emotions of an individual. It is often presented from the first-person view of the speaker of the poem or from the point of view of another character. Lyric verse is frequently but not always told in present tense. Common characteristics of lyric poetry include the use of figurative language such asTypes of Lyric Poetry
Poets and readers have a wide range of types of lyric poetry to
choose from. Each form or type is associated with a particular emphasis or perspectives that influence the meaning and purpose of the poem. Let’s review some of the major types of lyric poetry.
a. The Sonnet
A sonnet is a poem usually made up of 14 lines in sections
that follow a strict rhyme scheme. The sonnet form varies depending on the origin or model; there are so-called Italian sonnets, French sonnets, and
English sonnets, for example, as well asb. The Elegy
The type of poem known as an elegy is more challenging to
define. Elegies are characterized not by a set form or rhyme scheme, but rather by a type of mood. Elegies are often concerned with expressing loss, lamentation, or other serious states of mind. They are associated with sorrowful events like funerals and deaths.
c. The Ode
Odes can take many different forms, but are devoted to
exalting or praising a person, place, thing, or idea. In its classic form, the ode consists of three parts.
The strophe presents the subject of the poem, using varying line lengths.
The antistrophe follows, presenting contrasting material or views on the subject.
The third section of the classical ode is the epode, which utilizes a different structure and poetic rhythm.
The terms strophe, antistrophe, and epode are borrowed from
ancient Greek literature. In ancient Greece, odes were chanted or sung in performance during celebrations, and strophe, antistrophe, and epode corresponded to different ways performers would move on stage during a performance.
Modern odes are more irregular in structure and do not
necessarily follow this strict three-part form. However, they retain the purpose of praising the subject of the ode.
NOTICE:
Lyric poems have a musical rhythm, and their topics often explore romantic feelings or other strong emotions. You can usually identify a lyric poem by its musicality: if you can imagine singing it, it’s probably lyric. In ancient Greece and Rome, lyric poems were in fact sung to the strums of an accompanying lyre. It’s the word lyre, in fact, that is at the root of lyric; the Greek lyrikos means «singing to the lyre.»
