Choice, use of words in poetry

Diction
Diction is the choice and use of words in the poem. The diction that the poet chooses obviously has a profound effect on the poem. It is important to consider whether the poet has used a specific type of language in the poem.
This may be: conversational, reflective , dialect , formal ,narrative , persuasive

Look carefully at the poem. Once you have established the diction used, you should consider specific words or phrases which show this.

Cultural and social context
Analysing the cultural and social context of a poem can sometimes tell you quite a lot.

Try asking yourself these questions:
Does the diction give you clues as to when the poem was written?
Does the language seem traditional, modern, formal, or colloquial?

Has the poet used slang? Why? What would be lost if this slang were replaced with formal language?
What does the use of language tell you about when the poem was written? Does the poet use phrases which are not used in modern times?
Are there words that are specific to a certain culture, age group or gender? Why have these words been used? Is the poem focusing specifically on a particular social group?

Dialect
Often poets use dialect in their poems. There are different reasons for the use of dialect and ways in which it is used.
Asking yourself the following questions will help you identify these:

Is the entire poem written in dialect?
What effect does the dialect create and what would be lost if the poem didn't use dialect?
Are only certain words written in dialect? If so, why? Are memories attached with the words?
Does the slang or dialect date the poem?

Is the dialect vital in conveying the cultural context of the poem?
Has the poet only used dialect in speech and only for certain characters?

Use of language – tense
The use of tense influences the way the reader interprets a poem.

Consider the following:
Which tenses does the poet use?
If the poem is written entirely in the past tense, then is the poet simply reflecting on what has happened? Or does the poet finish in the present tense, thus suggesting that what has happened in the past relates to the present? Perhaps the poem is written in the present tense. If so, is the poet creating an environment for the reader/listener to imagine? How successful is this?

Has the poet used the conditional tense (for example, "would", "could", "might", "should")? Is the poet exploring possibilities, or imagining? Is there a sense of persuasion in the poem?

Unseen Poetry
Diction
Diction is the choice and use of words in the poem. The diction that the poet chooses obviously has a profound effect on the poem. It is important to consider whether the poet has used a specific type of language in the poem.
This may be: conversational, reflective , dialect , formal ,narrative , persuasive

Look carefully at the poem. Once you have established the diction used, you should consider specific words or phrases which show this.

Cultural and social context
Analysing the cultural and social context of a poem can sometimes tell you quite a lot.

Try asking yourself these questions:
Does the diction give you clues as to when the poem was written?
Does the language seem traditional, modern, formal, or colloquial?

Has the poet used slang? Why? What would be lost if this slang were replaced with formal language?
What does the use of language tell you about when the poem was written? Does the poet use phrases which are not used in modern times?
Are there words that are specific to a certain culture, age group or gender? Why have these words been used? Is the poem focusing specifically on a particular social group?

Dialect
Often poets use dialect in their poems. There are different reasons for the use of dialect and ways in which it is used.
Asking yourself the following questions will help you identify these:

Is the entire poem written in dialect?
What effect does the dialect create and what would be lost if the poem didn't use dialect?
Are only certain words written in dialect? If so, why? Are memories attached with the words?
Does the slang or dialect date the poem?

Is the dialect vital in conveying the cultural context of the poem?
Has the poet only used dialect in speech and only for certain characters?

Use of language – tense
The use of tense influences the way the reader interprets a poem.

Consider the following:
Which tenses does the poet use?
If the poem is written entirely in the past tense, then is the poet simply reflecting on what has happened? Or does the poet finish in the present tense, thus suggesting that what has happened in the past relates to the present? Perhaps the poem is written in the present tense. If so, is the poet creating an environment for the reader/listener to imagine? How successful is this?

Has the poet used the conditional tense (for example, "would", "could", "might", "should")? Is the poet exploring possibilities, or imagining? Is there a sense of persuasion in the poem?

Use of imagery
In order to achieve a high grade, you should show an understanding of a poet's use of imagery in a poem. In order to do this, you should not only identify the images, but also consider what effect they have on the reader and their importance to the poem.

Make sure that you back up your ideas with specific examples, rather than just commenting generally.
When you use a quotation, explain why you have chosen the quotation and its importance. This displays close textual analysis.
Below are a number of issues that you should consider when writing about a poet's use of imagery.

Obviously not all of these issues will apply for every poem.
However, if you run through them then you will find writing about imagery much easier.

General questions
Consider where the poet has used any of these: simile, metaphor, conceit, symbolism, figurative language, extended metaphor.
What images has the poet used?

Why has the poet used these images?
What effect do the images have on the reader?

Mood of the imagery
Look out for use of: mood, tone, ideas, themes, feelings and irony.
How do the images link with the mood, tone and ideas of the poem?

What mood do the images create? Does this contrast with the rest of the poem?
Does the poet focus on movement, feeling, sound, taste or appearance in the images?

Which senses is the image trying to appeal to?
Number of images and extended metaphors. An extended metaphor is when the poet builds on a metaphor.
Has the poet focused on only one image or used a range of images? What effect does this create?

Has the poet taken one image and developed it through the poem?

Cultural importance of the image
Consider these words for your answer: cultural significance, religious, devotional, symbolic, thematic.
What does the poet's choice of image tell you about their cultural or historical background?

Do the images have a religious background?

Symbolism
Are the images meant to symbolise or represent something else?
Is there a theme linking the images used in the poem? Examples might include: love, death, fear, lust, religion, conflict, nature, violence. Does this add to your understanding of the poem?

The Five Senses:
Poets, in their writing, often focus on the different senses. A simple way of focusing on the effects of a poem is by looking at which of the five senses the poet describes.

Is the poet trying to appeal to the taste, touch, smell, sight or hearing of the reader? Perhaps the poet focuses on just one of the senses?

What sensation does this create? - www.s-cool.co.uk