Purple Poets
Writer-in-Residence: Kim Morrissey

Exploring Poetic Techniques:

Creating a Speaker For Your Poem
by Kim Morrissey


FIVE LEVELS OF MEANING IN POEMS:

Every poem has a 'speaker' - a 'persona'
- the person/creature/object telling the reader poem.

1. Who is the speaker?
(is it human, god, animate object, etc)

--what gender is the speaker?
female/male/ doesn't matter

-- what age is the speaker
old/ young/ immortal/ doesn't matter

-- what country is the speaker writing about
does/doesn't matter

-- what ethnic group/hationality is the speaker?
does/ doesn't matter

--who is the preceived audience for the speaker?

2. What is the speaker saying?
(this includes the literal meaning of words)

-- are there any words you aren't don't understand?

-- does this word choice reflect on the you, or the poet?

-- is there an object or subject of the poem?

-- what rhetorical devices (images, metaphors, poetic language such as rhymes, alliteration, etc.) are being used by the poet to create an effect?

3. What does the speaker think is being said?
     What is the tone of the poem?

-- is the speaker sad/happy/angry/smitten/ironic

-- does the speaker think the poem is 'the truth'


4. What do you, the reader, think is being said?
     Is the speaker a reliable narrator?

-- do you trust what the speaker is telling you?

-- is the speaker is the poet, or is the poem ironic?


5. What do YOU think of the poem?

-- do you agree/ disagree with the speaker?

-- do you agree/ disagree with the intent of the poet?

-- do the rhetorical devices work?

-- are you moved by the poem?




OTHER TOPICS (POETIC TECHNIQUES):

collective poems

found poetry

translating poetry

rewriting a poem

writing poetic drama for children

Time Banks are supported by The Community Fund,
Association of London Government, the King's Fund
and Bridge House Estates Trust.

The 2006 National Poetry Day
was hosted by the Purple Poets.
 The Celebration is co-sponsored by the
West Euston Time Bank  and the
West Euston Third Age Project

The West Euston Time Bank Poetry Workshop
was funded in 2004 - 2006 by nef.
West Euston Time bank sponsored the Purple Poets until 2010.
As of 10.10.2010, the Purple Poets belong to the Bloomsbury Time Bank.

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