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Stylistic Features and their Effects in Fleur Adcock’s PoetryGroup Assignment

Directions: In your assigned group, please answer the questions related to your topic in an MS Word document. Each group will turn in one document to Moodle “Formative Assignments.” The filename of your document should include your assigned topic and section (e.g. Enjambment-HL or Metaphors-C). Make sure each student’s name is included in your document. This is a formative Assignment worth 20 pts. CAUTION: Each group should do its own work. Do not collaborate with other groups. Due: Tues, Dec 3rd (HL & C) or Wed, Dec 4th (E and G)

1. Enjambment and its effects: 1) Define this term as thoroughly as you can (hint: start by looking at the online Literary Terms Encyclopedia found in Helpful links). 2) Which poem has the most instances of enjambment? 3) Find three examples (each from a different poem) of it in the poetry of Fleur Adcock. Be sure to indicate which poems they come from; 4) Explain the effects that this has on the interpretation of the poem. Note: Be careful, in that not every instance may have the same effect. HL: Kristin & Jacob

2. Parenthetical expressions and their effects: 1) Define this term as thoroughly as you can and indicate what it is used for in writing. 2) Which poem has the most instances of parenthetical expressions? 3) Find three examples (each from a different poem) of it in the poetry of Fleur Adcock. Be sure to indicate which poems they come from; 4) Explain the effects that this has on the interpretation of the poem. Note: Be careful, in that not every instance may have the same effect. HL: Nidhi and James F.

3. Metaphors and their effects: 1) Define this term as thoroughly as you can (hint: start by looking at the online Literary Terms Encyclopedia found in Helpful links). 2) Why do poets in general tend to use metaphors in their poetry (i.e. how does it help the reader)? 3) Which poem contains the most metaphors? 4) Find three examples (each from a different poem) of it in the poetry of Fleur Adcock. Be sure to indicate which poems they come from; 5) Explain the effects that the use of metaphors has on the interpretation of the poem. Note: Be careful, in that not every instance may have the same effect. C Block: Joong Hoon and Alex

4. Tone (i.e. authorial voice) and its effects: 1) Define this term as thoroughly as you can and indicate what typical things in an author’s writing contributes to tone (hint: start by looking at the online Literary Terms Encyclopedia found in Helpful links). 2) Come up with around 10 typical words you can use to describe the tone of a literary work (e.g. playful, ironic, etc.). 3) Find two poems of Fleur Adcock that possess a strong tone, indicate what the tone is, and give examples from each poem that reveal the tone; 4) For both poems you choose, explain the effects of this tone on the interpretation of the poem. C Block: Kaylina and Yeaseul

5. Mood (i.e. atmosphere) and its effects: 1) Define this term (and related terms like “ambiance”) as thoroughly as you can and indicate what typical things in an author’s writing contributes to the mood (hint: start by looking at the online Literary Terms Encyclopedia found in Helpful links). 2) Come up with around 10 typical words you can use to describe the mood of a literary work (e.g. hopeful, tense, sorrowful, etc.). 3) Find two poems of Fleur Adcock that create a strong mood, indicate what the mood is, and give examples from each poem that reveal this mood; 4) For both poems you choose, explain the effects of this mood on the interpretation of the poem. C Block: David and Stephanie

Webster Lang & Lit AISG

6. Rhyme and rhyme scheme and its effects: 1) Define this term—as well as related terms (e.g. rhyme scheme, half rhyme, end rhyme, masculine rhyme, feminine rhyme)—as thoroughly as you can (hint: start by looking at the online Literary Terms Encyclopedia found in Helpful links). 2) Find three Fleur Adcock poems that make use of rhyme and indicate what type of rhyme they use. 3) Explain the effects that rhyme has on the reading of the poem. Note: Be careful, in that not every instance may have the same effect. HL: Tammy, Caleb, & Christine

7. Meter and its effects: 1) Define this term—as well as related terms (e.g. foot, iamb, trochee, anapest, dactyl, spondee)—as thoroughly as you can (hint: start by looking at the online Literary Terms Encyclopedia found in Helpful links). 2) Find one Fleur Adcock poem that has some degree of regular meter (in terms of regular poetic feet OR a fixed number of syllables per line) as well as one poem that is written in free verse. 3) Explain the effects that both regular meter as well as the lack of regular meter have on the reading of the poem. C Block: Jung Min, Crystal, & Michael

8. Context and its effects (i.e. point of view, speaker, intended audience, and setting): 1) Define these terms as thoroughly as you can (hint: start by looking at the online Literary Terms Encyclopedia found in Helpful links). 2) Find four different Adcock poems in which the point of view, the speaker, intended audience, or setting is particularly important to the meaning or interpretation of the poem (i.e. find one poem in which the point of view is significant, one poem where the speaker is significant, and so on). 3) For each poem, explain the effects that the context has on the interpretation of the poem. HL: Darren, Rene, & Christie


Enjambment and its Effects in Fleur Adcock’s Poetryby Kristin Ali and Jacob Curry

Online encyclopedia definition: A line having no pause or end punctuation but having uninterrupted grammatical meaning continuing into the next line. Apple dictionary definition: (in verse) the continuation of a sentence without a pause beyond the end of a line, couplet, or stanza.

“Framed” has 18 examples; highest of all poems in packet we’ve read or will read.

Examples:From “For Heidi With Blue Hair”Lines 5-6“You were sent home from school

because, as the headmistress put it,”

From “Framed”Lines 6-8“nor would he wish us to. It must have takenhours and all his barbering skills to waxand twirl the ends into those solemn curlicues.”

From “Knife-Play” Lines 32-33“ I can pull out, whet and polish

your weapons, and return to the attack,”

Effect on the reader:Enjambment affects the flow or rhythm of the poem, changing the interpretation of it both when read and when spoken. While most poems tend to have a more disrupted flow with separate thoughts expressed in each line, enjambment can alter that flow and drag one thought line out through or between stanzas. This serves to give the poem a sense of story or narrative, and makes it feel much more like spoken word poetry rather than a poem one might recite by Shakespeare. An example of this would be the lines above from “Framed” where Fleur Adcock continues her sentence through 3 lines telling the reader that there is not meant to be any break in that instance. In the examples from “Knife-Play” and “For Heidi With Blue Hair” however, enjambment has a different purpose. Here, it not only indicates that there is no disruption between the stanzas in terms of speech, it also shows us that the second stanza will have a similar topic or be a continuation of the former.


Parenthetical Expressions and their Effects in Fleur Adcock’s Poetryby Nidhi Bhasin & James Fan

Definition1. A parenthetical expression is an expression that is inserted into a thought to give

background information. It can be seen in the middle or between sentences, in most cases does not directly address the topic being discussed. Parenthetical expressions can be started by parentheses and dashes.

UsesUsed to express background information or other thoughts letting the audience get into the poet’s head or speaker’s head—makes the poet seem imperfect, showing that she is relatable to the audience

2. 3 examples of parenthetical expressions in Fleur Adcock’s poetry are seen in the poems, Leaving Tate, Knife play,& Framed

3. Framed by Fleur Adcock has the most instances of parenthetical expression 4.Examples

Leaving Tate (today, that is, April. Another day would be different but it would not matter. All skies are blue) line 11. In this example Adcock uses parenthetical expressions to further expand on the idea she is trying to express. This further strengthens the interpretation of the poem. In this case she uses it to give the reader a better understanding of the setting of the poem but also connects it to the idea that anything could be art by saying ‘it would not matter’. Also by telling the reader a time of year it further helps the audience feel that they are experiencing this situation.

Knife Play(initiation rites are always painful) Line 21This parenthetical expression is used to make the audience feel the emotion and the pain Adcock was during this period. By using this in the beginning of the stanza it sets and influences the interpretation of the poem through the tone for what she is going to talk about. She uses the parenthetical expression as a way to express what she felt about the relationship. This really personalizes the specific situation.

Framed(how those cattle depressed him- was New Zealand not such a bright idea after all?) Line 29In this example parenthetical expression is used to ask questions. This shows her own thought process and lets the reader have a better understanding of the story. By using a dash it disturbs the flow of the poem, giving the reader a more honest and genuine perspective. It also gives the reader a descriptive trait of the grandfather, and gives a further depth to the character (in contrast to his outgoing and very well kempt nature)


Metaphors and their Effects in Fleur Adcock’s Poetryby Joon Hoon Lee and Alex Zhou

1) Define metaphor.Metaphor – a comparison or analogy stated in such a way as to imply that one object is another one, figuratively speaking. For example, ‘ladder of success.’

2) Why do poets in general tend to use metaphors in their poetry (i.e. how does it help the reader)?

1. Uses metaphor to put abstract concepts to concrete terms2. Creates familiarity 3. Metaphors can trigger emotions4. Metaphors can draw attentions from audience5. Metaphors can motivate users into actions.

3) Find the poem that contains the most metaphors.Tadpoles by Fleur Adcock

4) and 5) Explain the effects that the use of metaphors has on the interpretation of the poem.

Framed- “She was a dressmaker’s cutter”

o This is talking about Fleur Adcock’s grandmother. Fleur Adcock uses this metaphor, ‘dressmaker’s cutter;’ its sharpness to imply that her grandmother is a sharp person, keen and acute. Also this also means that Fleur Adcock’s grandmother has a good smile and it was very sharp and nice, just like a dressmaker’s cutter. It could also mean that grandmother is a precise person, just like a cutter is on the cloth.

Tadpoles- “Oliver was still a tadpole” - “And Oliver lay lodged in his dreamy sphere, a ping tadpole”

o Fleur Adcock uses tadpole as a metaphor for her future grandchild. Using the tadpole helps reader understand what Fleur Adcock thinks about newborn babies. Using this metaphor also implies how fragile a baby is, just like a tadpole; can be squeezed to death very easily, which also means that we should also take good cares of newborn babies.

- “They were nothing but animated match-head with tails.”o This metaphor helps also demonstrate Fleur Adcock’s state of mind. To

her, grandchildren are so small that only certain features of a human body of them can be identified. The usage of ‘match head’ also means that Fleur Adcock thinks that grandchildren are fragile like match heads, easily flamed and burnt out. Also it also shows the limited knowledge of Fleur Adcock in biology (uncertain).


Tone and its Effects in Fleur Adcock’s Poetryby Yeaseul Park and Kaylina McKelvey

TONE: The author’s attitude toward the subject, audience, or self Or the means of creating a relationship or conveying an attitude or mood (Literary Terms Encyclopedia)

There are some features of poetry that often contribute to creating a certain tone in poetry, for example:

Register o Formal or informal o Conversational

Dictiono Denotation and connotation o Understatement and overstatement

Rhyme scheme o Full rhyme and half rhyme o Consistency

Figurative languageo Ironyo Metaphoro Simile

Structure o Enjambment o Parenthetical phraseso Syntax

Point of view o 1st, 2nd, or 3rd person

Here are some words that are commonly used to describe tone in literary works:1 Angry mad2 Apathetic, Detached indifferent; don't care; not interested3 Apologetic sorry4 Bewilderment confusion5 Critical finding fault6 Determined not giving up7 Enthusiastic excited; energetic8 Ironic different than what is expected or the

opposite of what is meant9 Nostalgic wanting to return to a past time10 Optimistic/Pessimistic hopeful; cheerful/ seeing the bad side of

things(a lot more can be found: http://users.elite.net/runner/eld/tone.html )


http://users.elite.net/runner/eld/tone.html

Now, we will give you two examples to show how to analyze for tone using poems by Fleur Adcock.

1. Knife-play Examples that reveal the tone:“I show the faint burn on the palm and the hair-thin razor-marks at wrist and elbow: self-inflicted, yes;…..”

She uses sharp and violent words have negative connotation to describe the relationship full of pain and scars. She is not very positive about the relationship.

The last part’s register is informal and conversational as if telling her story to the readers.

“In all our meetings, you were the man with the long knives, piercing the living hopes, cutting connections, carving and dissecting motives.”

She uses knives as extended metaphor that is destroying their relationship. The motives can refer to relationship, love, and hope. Her use of metaphor to indirectly depict the man’s violence gives more restrained yet hopeless tone.

“No: I would make an end of fighting and, bleeding as I am from old wounds, die like the bee upon a sting.”

1st point of view feels like she is telling her own experience, and also impels readers to be more active in absorbing the experience she describes.

She uses simile to describe her situation by comparing herself to a bee, a small weak insect that would have to sacrifice its everything for an attack. This shows how petty she feels in her relationship with the man.

Effects of this tone on the interpretation of the poem: Her hopeless tone shows how she feels about the relationship. She is the

one being abused in the relationship, and her mental pain and stress is depicted through her description of physical harassment using extended metaphor.

Tone is a very outstanding characteristic in this poem. She sets the dark and oppressed mood through use of violent language and figurative language that portray her attitude toward herself as well.

Her hopelessness is also shown through the use of simile that she is painful but she cannot alter such reality even though she attempts to make a frantic last-ditch effort.

2. For Heidi with Blue Hair Examples that reveal the tone:"Because, as the headmistress put it, thug died hair was not specifically forbidden, yours was, apart from anything else, not done is school colors"

All of the second stanza shows that Fleur Adcock is almost mocking the head mistress, and that she does not agree with the punishment.


This shows her tone towards the situation of heidi being sent home from school because her hair color. Fleur doesn't think its right.

"(you wiped your tear, also not in a school color)" - 3rd stanza, 4th and 5th verse. Shows again, how she is mocking the whole concept of banning a hair

style because it isn't in school colors. She says this with a sassy tone.

Effects of this tone on the interpretation of the poem: Fleur Adcock's tone in this poem helps the reader understand what side

she is standing on. With her mocking and sassy tone towards the whole incident with Heidi dying her hair blue, you can see that Fleur Adcock is all for being an individualistic type of person.

Because of Fleur Adcock's strong tone against the decision made by the head mistress, it leads the reader to believe that Fleur Adcock is for freedom of expression.

Fleur Adcock would agree by saying that Heidi's choice of expression is just a type of style, not necessarily a behavior (rebellion)


Mood and its Effects in Fleur Adcock’s PoetryBy Stephanie Park & David Won

1. Define this term (and related terms like “ambiance”) as thoroughly as you can and indicate what typical things in an author’s writing contributes to the moodMood is the atmosphere that pervades a literary work with the intention of evoking a certain emotion or feeling from the audience. The author may contribute to the mood by using a combination of elements such as setting, voice, tone, and theme. 2. Come up with around 10 typical words you can use to describe the mood of a

literary work (e.g. hopeful, tense, sorrowful, etc.).Aggressive, violent, gloomy, melancholy, bright, hopeful, tense, sorrowful, loving, angry

3. Find two poems of Fleur Adcock that possess a strong mood, indicate what the mood is, and give examples from each poem that reveal the mood;

4. For both poems you choose, explain the effects of this mood on the interpretation of the poem

For Heidi With Blue Hair moodThe mood of this poem is a bit gloomy and stressed at the beginning. Examples of this are when Adcock mentions, “Tears in the kitchen, telephone-calls to school” (line 11) and when Adcock states that she was “sent home from school” (line 5). These depict that the mood is very stressful for the girl right now, and the tears express the gloominess of the girl. However, as the poem progresses, the mood shifts toward rejuvenation, jubilant, and cheerful when her “black friend had hers done in grey white, and flaxen yellow” (line 27). She indicates that the battle was “already won” (line 30), indicating a victorious mood or a rejuvenation from her past gloominess/stressfulness.

EffectThe mood at the beginning affects the reader in that it helps the reader sympathize with the girl in the poem. This assists the reader in delving deeper into the poem, and thus connecting with the author in terms of emotions. The stress conveyed in lines 11 have the effect of setting up the stage and reputation of the school headmistress (negative), and creates more pathos for the reader. As the mood shifts from stress and gloominess to rejuvenation and victory, it has an effect on the reader in that it helps the reader journey through the feelings as it changes (pathos). The basic interpretation of the poem is probably that starting a trend or anything that goes against the conventions of something (in this case, school) is difficult, but later on, when the trend becomes popular, that will eventually override the conventions to create a new popular view. The mood helps the reader feel the interpretation with ease, as he or she is able to feel the shift in mood of being stressful of starting a trend to being victorious as the “trend” starts to become popular.

Mood and effects of the mood of Knife Play


In the poem “Knife Play, “ Fleur Adcock’s tone effectively creates the intense mood that portrays the abusive relationship between two people.

My scars are yours (stanza1, verse1)This is the first verse of the poem, and the scars create a strong impression. Since “scars” have a negative connotation, it creates a dark and unpleasant mood. It hints the abusive relationship.

The faint burn on the palm and the hair-thin/razor-marks at wrist and elbow: (stanza1, verse 2-3)

The lines show some examples of scars she has. It appeals to the visual sense of the audience and disgusts the reader. The mood is very violent. As an effect, the violent language depicts the painful relationship. Not only physical pain but also internal hardship with the man. The mood of the description also portrays her indignity.

Piercing the living hopes, cutting connections,/carving and dissecting motives (stanza 3, verse 2-3)

Piercing, cutting, caring, and dissecting are words that give vivid imagery, penetrating image, to the audience. This also creates an intense atmosphere and indicate the unpleasant relationship

Knives that bristle in my flesh (stanza 8, verse 2)The line is an example of tactile imagery. This disgusting image of knives cutting through skin also relates to her description of cutting connection and relationship in earlier stanza. This overall sets a dark mood of her relationship with the man.


Rhymes and Rhyme Scheme and its Effects in Fleur Adcock’s Poetryby Caleb Sng, Tammy Hong, and Christine Yang

Definitions Rhyme:

Rhyme is a matching similarity of sounds in two or more words, especially when their accented vowels and all succeeding consonants are identical.

Half Rhyme: Rhymes created out of words that are similar but not identical

Perfect Rhyme: Also known as full, exact, and true rhyme. When rhymes are created out

of words that sound almost, if not totally, identical.o E.g. true, blue, flu, clue, slew, etc.

Identical Rhyme: Rhyming with the same word

Masculine Rhyme: Rhymes that end with a heavy stress on the last syllable in each rhyming

word

Feminine Rhyme: A rhyme either of two syllables of which the second is unstressed (double

rhyme), or of three syllables of which the second and third are unstressed (triple rhyme)

Free Verse: Poetry based on the natural rhythms of phrases and normal pauses rather

than the artificial constraints of metrical feet

Effects of Different Types of Rhyme

Regular Rhyme

Make the poem more memorable – make the reader to consciously make note of the words that rhyme. The purpose is to draw attention to specific words.

o In Adcock’s case, her use of rhyme puts emphasis on certain parts of the poem

E.g. in “Knife-play” – the second and fourth ending syllables form a rhyming couplet (all are regular rhyme, except for the 2nd and 9th stanzas), therefore putting the emphasis on the ending of a phrase.


Half Rhyme

Enlarges the writer’s full range and choice of words to use. This enables the writer to use more words than he/she could if he/she were to only stick to using full rhymes.

o In Adcock’s case, she uses half-rhyme to be able to express herself without being constrained by a limited range of words. Since she doesn’t have to use words that sound almost identical, she has the ability to use words that sounds similar, thus utilizing half-rhyme.

E.g. in “Earlswood” – the 4th and 6th line of the poem end in half rhymes with each other. She uses the words “fun” and “den” which don’t rhyme exactly. She does this again in lines “22” and “24” where she connects “her” and “hair”. Though she may have more rhyming constraints than if she had used free verse, it is still less than using regular rhyme.

Free Verse

Allows the poet to take more liberties with writing a poem, and can choose from a greater variety of words to convey a theme or message to its audience; it allows greater freedom of expression and generally tends to follow the rhythm of natural speech; it is also more often found in contemporary works

o In Adcock’s case, her use of free verse allows her to express her theme to her audience without being confined to a more limited word choice due to having to follow a certain rhyme scheme of pattern

E.g. in “Leaving the Tate” – the entire poem has the structure of a free verse, Fleur Adcock is therefore able to shape her tone and attitude towards art (the subject of this poem) without much rhyming constraints

Fleur Adcock’s Poem Examples

1. “Knife-play”

In “Knife-play” emphasis (through the use of rhyme) on the ending of phrases help reinforce the effect of enjambments in the poem, increasing the flow of the narrative.

o For example: “…and holding out my hand I show (line 2, stanza 1 – it rhymes with “elbow” in line 4, stanza 1)” puts emphasis on the word “show.” It makes the reader wonder what the poet is trying to “show,” which therefore, leads the reader into the next line “the faint burn on the palm and the hair –thin…”

It emphasizes the “unease” of putting an accent in the middle of a continuous phrase which, however, heightens the flow of the poem


because it encourages the reader to yearn for that “flow” in a sentence, therefore, continuing on to read the next lines.

In “Knife-play” however, the same rhyme scheme is not carried throughout the entire poem.

o The first stanza is abcb however in the second stanza, Adcock uses half rhymes (“more” and “razor”)

o The phrases that use half rhymes are not as strongly emphasized as compared to those that use regular rhyme

In “Knife-play” the lines of “…made as distraction from a more…” and “…caused by cigarette or razor -” (lines 2 and 4, stanza 2) stands out less to the reader as opposed to “…you were the man with the long knives,” and “carving and dissecting motives,” (lines 2 and 4, stanza 3). This stresses the importance of the idea of “who is responsible for these scars” in the third stanza over the “inaccessible pain” of these scars.

2. “Leaving the Tate”

In “Leaving the Tate”, the lack of rhyme scheme, or free verse, allows Adcock to complete an extended metaphor that she otherwise might not have been able to (or it would take more effort)

o For example, the lines “…marching out of their panorama and queuing up for the view finder your eye’s become. You can isolate them by holding your optic muscles still.” (Lines 25-28) of “Leaving the Tate” would have had a different atmosphere or tone to it if Adcock wasn’t given the liberty to use the specific words and phrases that she did due to having to follow a rhyme scheme.

By using free verse, Adcock was able to complete her extended metaphor without having to concern very much with the rhyming pattern.

Due to Adcock’s abundant use of enjambment as a writing technique in “Leaving the Tate”, the structure of free verse in her poetry has allowed Adcock to structure her poem using syntax and other writing techniques that may have been more difficult had she followed a rhyming technique

o In the second stanza of “Leaving the Tate”, Adcock writes, “…and there’s a new one: light blue buildings, a streak of brown water, and such a sky you wonder who painted it – Constable? No: too brilliant. Crome? No, too ecstatic –…” (Lines 5-8) The audience reads this stanza of the poem as if Adcock or her persona in the poem is speaking directly to you, because the rhythm and tone of the poem mimics that of a natural speech.

With the use of free verse, Adcock is allowed easily structure her poem using different syntax without being limited by a certain rhyme scheme. This makes Adcock’s work more relatable and less distant than it might have been with a more traditional poetic structure.


3. “Framed”

In “Framed”, Adcock uses half rhyme in parts of the poem. She starts out using half-rhyme to around the halfway point of the poem. After that, her lines have no rhyme scheme, thus, utilizing free verse.

o For example of the half rhyme, the lines 1 and 3 have very obvious use of half-rhyme. Adcock uses the words “silver” and “her” which don’t rhyme exactly, and don’t even have the same amount of syllables though the ending of the words are almost identical.

By using half-rhyme, Adcock has the ability to give more characteristics to her explanations to the items that she tries to delineate in those lines. With half-rhyme, she can introduce another major character while giving more “personality” to the item presented.

At the halfway point, she drops the half-rhyme and adopted the use of free verse. She does this to convey a message that wouldn’t be able to be conveyed if it had to have a rhyme scheme. She uses this to convey important metaphors that wouldn’t be able to be said with rhyme scheme.

o For example, in the sixth stanza, Adcock talks about her grandparents’ marriage. More importantly, she introduces the concept of her grandfather’s moustache. This is one of the main themes of the poem and it is hugely important to the poem as a whole.

By using free verse, Adcock was able to start and convey her hugely important metaphor in this poem. Using free verse eliminates her worries about rhyming and shifts her focus to the actual message of the poem.


Meter and its Effects on Fleur Adcock’s Poetryby Jungmin Cho, Michael Woldemariam, Crystal Justason

Definitions

Meter- The rhythm in poetry. Esp. (stress, unstressed or unstressed, stress pattern) Octameter- 8 repeating rhythmic patternsHeptameter- 7 repeating rhythmic patternsHexameter- 6 repeating rhythmic patternsPentameter- 5 repeating rhythmic patternsTetrameter- 4 repeating rhythmic patternsTrimeter- 3 repeating rhythmic patternsDimeter- 2 repeating rhythmic patternsMonometer- 1 repeating rhythmic pattern

Free VerseDoes not rhyme or have a regular meter. Allows the poet to freely say what he/she wants to say without any constraints. Poem of free verse achieves the effects the poet feels.

Blank VersePoetry that has a consistent meter but no rhyming scheme

Regular meterFollows a central rhyme pattern which continues to be seen repeatedly in the poem.

Foot- The number of lines in a poem. Couplet- 2 lines Sestet- 6 linesTercet- 3 lines Septet- 7 lines Quatrain- 4 lines Octave- 8 linesCinquain- 5 lines

Stanza- Can be referred as a paragraph in a poem

Iamb(ic)- Has two syllables and follows a unstressed and stress pattern. When read out loud, the second syllable has a higher tone than the first.

Anapest(ic)- Has 3 syllables and follows a unstressed, unstressed and stress pattern. When read out loud, the third syllable has a higher tome than the first and second syllable.

Trochee(aic)- Has two syllables and follows a stress and unstressed pattern.When read out loud, the first syllable has a higher tone than the second.

Dactyl(ic)- Has 3 syllables that follows a stress, unstressed and unstressed pattern.


When read out loud, the first syllable has a higher tone than the second and third.

Spondee(aic)- Has 2 syllables that follows a two stressed pattern. When read out loud, both first and second syllable has a higher tone.

An example of Fleur Adcock’s poem that has regular meter

For a Five-Year-Old 2 stanzas, each with 8 verses Octet (stanza with 8 verses) Each verse has 10-12 syllables

o mostly 10 o last line of each stanza: 6 syllables

Effects of regular meter aesthetic appreciation create rhythms when read aloud emotions expressed more easily easier to process beneficial to cognitive processes easier to remember and reproduce than irregular meters

o tend to be more memorable the topic of the poem is the innocence and naiveté of a child so regular meter

creates playful mood and tone

An example of Fleur Adcock’s poem that has irregular meter (free verse)

For Heidi With Blue Hair 6 stanzas, each with 5 verses cinquin (stanza with 5 verses) irregular meter

Effects of free verse (irregular meter) no restrictions or limitations less demanding for the poet flow of the poem is more natural

o flexible organization the poet can express more freely

o does not limit the poet’s true expression poet has variety of words to choose from eliminates artificiality more casual tone


Meter is the poem's rhythm structure, and it is usually established by having a certain pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in the words on each line. The placing of the different stresses and unstressed create a rhythm. Rhyme and meter add to a more enhanced aesthetic appreciation, with a higher intensity in processing, and more positively perceived and felt emotions. Rhymes and Meters play major roles by putting forward cognitive poetics.

In the poem For Heidi With Blue Hair, Fleur Adcock uses irregular rhymes like many of her other poems, but what makes this one special is that using an irregular rhyme scheme made the poem softer and more touching, whereas using a regular rhyme scheme would’ve led the reader to read it in a formal manner. In this poem, the reader is able to feel what Adcock is saying, by being able to read it in a story telling type of way. It is more friendly and not as stringent in which the reader has to choose a way to read this poem. It definitely made the poem feel softer and easily able to be absorbed by the reader.


Context and its Effects in Fleur Adcock’s Poetryby Darren, Christie, and Rene

Definitions:1. Speaker: The persona or the narrator the poet uses in order to deliver the intended

emotions and themes. The speaker can be the poet himself or herself but can also be other real or fictitious character.

2. Intended Audience: The group of readers that the poem is written for. A group of people that the issues discussed in the poem is related to or the speaker is talking to.

3. Setting: the place, time, surroundings, and general circumstance in which the author/ poet draws inspiration from or where the events being described takes place.

4. Point of View: Point of view is the position or angle of narration from which the poem is told. The different types of point of views are first person, second person and third person. First person describes the poem in the eyes of a character in the poem while a second person point of view describes the poem in the eyes of the reader (speaker says “you”). Third person point of view describes the poem from a narrator who isn’t a character within the poem or who doesn’t play a part in the story.

“Counting” and point of view: Through writing in second person, Adcock does not leave room for her personal comments on the events being described, instead she allows for the reader to interpret the scene for themselves. Also, by using second person as the point of view, the poet can engage her female audiences more especially mothers by commenting on common experience.

“Knife-Play” and audience: Fleur Adcock is the speaker of the poem; she shares her experience from the

position of a women who has undergone an abusive relationship. While the intended receiver of the poem is Adcock’s abusive lover, as indicated in the first sentence, “All my scars are yours.”, the bigger audience would be women in society, regardless of class. She writes the poem in a first person perspective, through writing in this manner, Adcock portrays her first-hand experiences and emotions, as well as voices her opinion to the reader. As with many of Adcock’s poem, this one also tends to be a biographical-narrative poem. The intended receiver of this poem is particularly interesting because Adcock addresses the man that she was once attacked by. By placing her lover at the audience end of the poem, Adcock is able to better express her feelings of anger as well as her change in attitude towards her partner. This will resonate well with the group of women she is trying to send her message to.

“Framed” and Setting: Setting can refer to a time period, a place or even a larger historical background

when the plot described took place. The importance of setting not only rests upon its ability to establish a general mood and guide the author’s tone but also due to its


contribution to the development of plot and ideas. Setting can help readers imagine the environment surrounds the plot. It draws the readers closer to the poem; it engages the readers; and once the readers have a basic idea of the setting, words in lines will be enlivened from the paper.

Fleur Adcock’s Framed especially relies on the setting to create a sense of fleeting time and a mood of nostalgia. This poem uses flash back at which the narration starts at present when the speaker (presumably Fleur Adcock herself) is sorting out her grandparents’ things after they passed away. The poet doesn’t give really detailed description of the surroundings. Yet, through “silver frame” and “drawer”, readers can guess that maybe the narrator is talking to one of her close relatives in her grandparents’ house.

Setting in this poem is very important because the speaker is trying to narrate a story, a process. Without a clear setting and timeline, readers will not be able to understand the gradual changes of the speaker’s grandfather and her grandparents’ marriage. In the poem, the poet mentions specific time and places such as “at twenty”, “at thirty or so”, “in Manchester”, “dairy farm in New Zealand” and finally “Home”. The effect of this specific setting is that readers can map out the life of the speaker’s grandfather and thus, understand that Grandfather was framed because of grandfather’s pursues of perfection and beauty. Also, the change in places and time and the current setting of the speaker’s grandparents’ house together deliver a sense of nostalgia. Thus, the setting in this poem helps the poet to develop her tone and atmosphere. “For A Five-Year-Old” and Speaker:

In this poem, Fleur Adcock, the author of the poem could be the speaker. In the poem For A Five Year Old, the speaker references herself as a mother speaking to her 5 year old child. The context of the poem leads to this idea as it was written in 1967. Adcock was born in 34. This means she was probably about 33 when this poem was published, making the interpretation that she is the speaker viable. The poem is written in first person, further supporting the poet as the speaker, as opposed to narrating in third person. Context could also confirm this as Fleur Adcock has two sons. This could very well have been a direct message from her to her son as the poem mentions things that a mother would tell or advise her child.


· web viewusing this metaphor also implies how fragile a baby is, just like a tadpole; can be...

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