Introduction
The assessment of poetry is generally conducted with regard to the essential elements that it incorporates. They include characters presented by the narrator and their audience, dialogues, image, setting, themes, voice, style, and tone, and the consideration of corresponding techniques can demonstrate their importance for the message. Hence, poems might differ in some of these aspects while being similar in others, and this fact explains why they evoke comparable feelings.
Character/Dialogue
The main set of features significant for analyzing the poems includes the characters and their dialogues, and the latter is usually clearly defined while the former can be either explicitly mentioned or implied. For example, in both “Good Bones” by Maggie Smith and “First Breath” by Sharon Olds, the people addressed by the narrators are children. In the first piece, this fact is supported by the author’s claim of the knowledge she hides from her offspring (Smith b). Likewise, in the second writing, the line “the moment the newborn breathes” confirms that the message is intended for the new generations (Olds 329). This characteristic of the compared poems allows concluding on the same target audience as well as their relationships with the speakers.
In both “Good Bones” and “First Breath,” the dialogue is based on the suggested lack of awareness of children about the world, but it is different in terms of the kinds of misconceptions. In the former case, the challenge is highlighted by the circumstance that their understanding is complicated by the lies which adults say about the place that they “could make beautiful” (Smith). Meanwhile, in the second situation, no apparent deception is implied as the process of aging that one does not fully recognize since birth is the essence of the problem. In other words, “living — for a time” means a mere illusion dispelled over time (Olds 329). Thus, the way of constructing a dialogue differs in these examples, and the nature of the conflict contributes to their varying perceptions by readers.
Image/Setting/Theme
The second set of characteristics allowing to thoroughly analyze poems includes image, setting, and theme, which are critical for understanding the background information about the examined works. Thus, the first element as a subjective representation of emotion is seen in Williams’ “Blizzard” as this piece incorporates the depiction of human solitude and anger through weather intertwined with the city as a location (“William Carlos Williams”). Similarly, the combination of a place and an image is apparent in “First Fall” by Maggie Smith because it includes the description of streets in autumn, which evoke despair. In contrast, in her poem “Parachute,” these components are presented by numerous physical settings combined under the overall hopelessness of human existence (Smith c). In comparison, in “At the Galleria Shopping Mall” by Thomas Gunn, the examined features are shown not only for supporting the negativity of the environment but also implying that the adversities can be avoided. Hence, these works are similar in how they incorporate an image and a setting to portray the link between the physical world and the emotions while varying their attention to either one of several aspects of events.
The difference between these poems is connected to the themes adopted for transmitting the messages. In Williams’ “Blizzard,” it is similar to that of Smith’s “First Fall” as they both speak of death. In this respect, Gunn’s “At the Galleria Shopping Mall” is distinct from them since it is about the selection of values meaning that one has a choice instead of predetermination. Likewise, Smith’s parachute is about “the world’s wholeness,” which is a combination of positive and negative phenomena. Thus, some poems tell about the two extremes, whereas the others are oriented on the description of a single standpoint.
Voice/Style/Tone
The last set of features helping analyze the works of poets are voice, style, and tone, and they are essential for clarifying the authors’ attitudes towards the discussed subjects. In this respect, the poems “The J Car” by Thomas Gunn and “The Afterlife” by Billy Collins are alike as they include the mentioned elements in a similar manner. Thus, both writings’ styles can be characterized by the contrast between the components of life, such as food and sleep, and death, such as poor health and providence, respectively (Gunn; “Billy Collins”). In terms of voice, it is personal as both poems seem to address the young people who neglect the latter part of life (Gunn; “Billy Collins”). In addition, they adopt an informative tone which corresponds to the authors’ desire to present their perspectives rather than persuades readers (Gunn; “Billy Collins”). Thus, these pieces are comparable with respect to the specified techniques.
Conclusion
To summarize, the response of people to reading poetry is formed under the influence of its critical features. The more similar components are included in different pieces, the greater the resemblance between the works is. From this point of view, it can be concluded that the emotions and feelings of the audience significantly depend on the careful selection of the authors’ approaches to writing as well as their attention to specific literary techniques.
Works Cited
“Billy Collins.” Poetry Foundation, Web.
Gunn, Thomas. “The J Car.” The University of Washington, Web.
Hoagland, Tony. “At the Galleria Shopping Mall.” Poetry Foundation, Web.
Olds, Sharon. “First Breath, and: Pine Tree Ode.” Southern Review, vol. 52, no. 2, 2016, pp. 329-331. Project Muse, Web.
Smith, Maggie. “First Fall.” Poetry Foundation, Web.
Smith, Maggie. “Good Bones.” Poetry Foundation, Web.
Smith, Maggie. “Parachute.” Poetry Foundation, Web.
“William Carlos Williams.” Poetry Foundation, Web.