Exploration of Various Poetry Forms: Descriptive, Narrative, Dramatic, and Metaphysical
Poetry is a diverse art form encompassing descriptive portrayal, storytelling narratives, engaging dialogues, and profound metaphysical insights. Descriptive poetry vividly captures objects and scenes like paintings, narrative poetry weaves interconnected stories, dramatic poetry involves dialogues, and metaphysical poetry delves into intricate human experiences using various symbols and images.
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Descriptive Poetry, Narrative Poetry, Dramatic Poetry, Satiric Poetry, Metaphysical Poetry, Romantic Poetry, Negritude Poetry, Civil War Poetry. Review Questions.
Descriptive, Narrative, Dramatic Poetry Descriptive Poetry: Descriptive poetry describes a person, object, or situation. In most cases the object described offers a vivid picture, much as one would find in life paintings. The diction of a descriptive poem is often filled with 'adjectival' and descriptive epithets. Example: Doughnuts Narrative Poetry Narrative poetry is in which the poet tells a story or a series of connected incidents and happenings. Examples are Tennyson's 'Ulysses,' Coleridge's The Rime of an Ancient Mariner,' T.S Eliot s 'The Journey of the Magi,' Ben Okri's To one dying of Lukemia,' Chin Ce's 'Prodigal Drum,' David Rubadiri s Stanley meets Mutesa. Dramatic Poetry In dramatic poetry the persona might engage in a dialogue (conversation) with another person or object in the poem. Example, Oswald Mitshali: A Voice from the Dead
A Voice from the Dead by Mtshali Oswald I heard it In my sleep Calling me soft WHAT! Yes, God is The crippled beggar Sprawling at the street comer. It was My mother Speaking from her grave. There is no hell burning With sulphur and brimstone. My son! There is no heaven Above the clouds. WHAT! Yes, Hell is The hate flickering In your eye. (Oswald Mitshali, From New Poetry from Africa: 88) WHAT! Yes, Heaven is in your heart. God is no picture With a snow-white beard.
Dramatic Monologue, Metaphysical Poetry Dramatic Monologue This refers to a situation in poetry where the persona or one of the 'characters' in the poem talks to a 'silent' audience. The 'audience' is perceived to be present within the context of the poem, but they do not make any utterance in the poem. Examples are Robert Browning's 'My Last Duchess' and Tennyson's'Ulysses'. Metaphysical Poetry A term used in describing mostly poets of the seventeenth century English poetry who excelled in using images taken from daily life, science, astronomy, mythology, exploration, metal works, e.t.c. to express subtleties of human life with a certain accuracy in their poetry. Other recent poems that have similar features are also classified as being metaphysical. Led by John Donne, other very popular 'metaphysical poets' are George Herbert and Andrew Marvel. Example is this love poem The Sun Rising,' in which what is addressed is not the loved one, but the sun itself. The poet also creates a similarity between the rising sun and love.
Thats my last duchess painted on the wall, Looking as if she were alive. I call That piece a wonder, now: Fra Pandolf s hands Worked busily a day, and there she stands. Will't please you sit and look at her? I said 'Fra Pandolf by design, for never read Strangers like you that pictured countenance, The depth and passion of its earnest glance, But to myself they turned (since none puts by The curtain I have drawn for you, but I) And seemed as they would ask me, if they durst, How such a glance came there; so, not the first Are you to turn and ask thus. Sir twas not Her husband s presence only, called that spot Of joy into the Duchess cheek: perhaps Fra Pandolf chanced to say Her mantle laps Over my lady s wrist too much, or Paint Must never hope to reproduce the faint Half-flush that dies along her throat : such stuff Was courtesy, she thought, and cause enough For calling up that spot of joy. She had A heart how shall I say? too soon made glad, Too easily impressed; she liked whate er She looked on, and her looks went everywhere Sir, twas all one! My favourat her breast The dropping of the daylight in the West, The bough of cherries some officious fool Broke in the orchard for her, the white mule She rode with round the terrace all and each Would draw from her alike the approving speech, Or blush, at least. She thanked men, - good! But Thanked Somehow I know not how as if she ranked My gift of a nine-hundred-years- old name With anybody s gift. Who d stoop to blame This sort of trifling? Even had you skill In speech (which I have not) to make your will Quite clear to such an one, and say, Just this Or that in you disgusts me; here you miss, Or there exceed the mark and if she let Herself be lessened so, nor plainly set Her wits to yours, forsooth, and made excuse, -E en then would be some stooping; and I choose Never to stoop. Oh sir, she smiled, no doubt, Much the same smile? This grew, I gave commands; Then all smiles stopped together. There she stands As if alive. Will t please you rise? We ll meet The company below, then. I repeat, The Count your master s known munificence Is ample warrant that no just pretence Of mine for dowry will be disallowed; Though his fair daughter s self, as I avowed At starting, is my object. Nay, we ll go Together down, sir. Notice Neptune, though, Taming a sea-horse, thought a rarity, Which Claus of Innsbruck cast in bronze for me! (From Six Centuries of Verse)
Romantic, Negritude Poetry Romantic Poetry A term generally applied to a group of early 19* century poets, but is now used to describe any poetry that share similar characteristics. The hallmark of romantic poetry is the celebration of nature and natural, ordinary things of life. The subject matter includes the celebration of the seasons of the year - autumn, spring, winter, harmattan- rain, flowers, children, birds and their songs, ordinary people like village girts, labourers, water etc. The most popular poets in this category are William Wordsworth, ST Coleridge, PB Shelley, John Keats and Lord Byron. Negritude Poetry A term used for describing the poetry of the Negritude writers. The Negritude writers, notably, Aime Cesiare, Senghor, just to mention but a few, championed the idea of promoting the beauty and dignity of 'blackness'. It was a counter movement against white racism. In their poems therefore, everything 'black' or African is projected from a positive viewpoint, as against previously held beliefs. E.g Naett.
Example of Negritude Poetry I will pronounce your name by Leopold Senghor I will pronounce your name, Naett, I will declaim you, Naett! Naett, your name is mild like cinnamon, it is the fragrance in Which the Lemon grove sleeps, Naett, your name is the sugared clarity of blooming coffee trees And it resembles the savannah, that blossoms forth under the Masculine ardourof the midday sun. Name of dew, fresher than shadows of tamarind, Fresher even than the short dusk, when the heat of the day is Silenced. Naett, that is the dry tornado, the hard clap of lightning Naett, coin of gold, shinning coal, you my night, my sun!...
Civil War Poetry This applies to poems that were inspired by wars in Africa. For instance in Nigeria there was the Nigeria- Biafra civil war of 1967-1970. Most of these poems are elegaic in nature. They lament the huge losses that were suffered because of the civil war. Ossie Enekwe's poetry anthology Broken Pots, J.P Clark's Casualties and Peter Onwudinjo's Women of Biafra are excellent examples of poems in this category.
Terror by Peter Onwudinjo Who can tell the terror In the flight Of the wrenched-off heads in spray, Or the grotesque stagger of the head Less trunk in flight Oh Lord how he ran! How he fell! how he slumped! Who can stand the jab of rib cages That fell in battles long ago, Or the eyeless stare of skulls Smashed up long ago; The ceaseless twang and whine of death That poured all day night, From the glow-lipped guns And the thump and roar of rockets and endless bombs And crash and anguished cries, The hellish howls that rose and rose Above the din of fire and blood That poured from mouths and guts That never can speak again. (From Women of Biafra and other Poems)
Review Questions Classify all the recommended poems according to types. Give cogent reasons for these classification.
Poetry is fun Thank You
