Poetry analysis - part 2
Natasha Thomas, Contributor

Hello, students! We are at the end of our journey together. I hope that as you approach the finish line, you are revising the topics you have learnt.

Last week, we started the poetry analysis. This week I would like to share a poem with you and guide you in your analysis of it. Please read this poem twice before you go to the guideline below.

'Flowers' by Dennis Craig

I have never learnt the names

of flowers,

From beginning, my world

has been a place

Of pot-holed streets where

thick, sluggish gutters race

In slow time, away from

garbage heaps and sewers

Past blanched old houses

around which cowers

Stagnant earth. There, scarce

green thing grew to chase

The dull-grey squalor of sick

dust; no trace

Of plant save few sparse

weeds; just these, no flowers.

One day they cleared a space

and made a park

There in the city's slums; and

suddenly

Came stark glory like

lightning in the dark,

While perfume and bright

petals thundered slowly.

I learnt no names, but hue,

shape and scent mark

My mind, even now, with

symbols holy.

Understanding what the poem is about

This poem has been divided into two stanzas: one consisting of eight lines, the other consisting of six lines. This type of poem is known as a sonnet (to be specific, a Petrarchan sonnet). The first eight lines deal with the gloomy environment in which the persona grew up; an environment devoid of flowers (and thus beauty). The persona remarks: "my world has been a place/Of pot-holed streets where thick, sluggish gutters race/In slow time." (lines 2-4).

There is a change at the beginning of the second stanza, however - a park is created in the midst of the city's slum. The park creates a setting which contrasts with the one depicted in stanza one. This environment fosters the growth of beautiful flowers (not simply a "few sparse weeds"). The persona cements the point that it is not necessary to know the names of flowers, but rather to appreciate their colours, shapes and scents.

The theme of this poem is centred on man's attitude to his natural environment.

Looking for meanings below the surface

On the surface, this poem is about the difference that the presence of flowers made to the persona's living environment. However, could it also be about the ability of something beautiful to change the persona's outlook on life? Consider the point that before the appearance of the flowers in the park, the persona's life seemed to be shaped by the dimness of where he lived.

Locating the use of imagery

There are several examples of visual imagery in this poem. Some examples are:

• "a place of pot-holed streets" (lines 2-3)
• "thick, sluggish gutters" (line 3)
• "garbage heaps and sewers/Past blanched old houses" (lines 4-5)
• "The dull-grey squalor" (line 7)
• "bright petals thundered slowly" (line 12)

Can you identify examples of other types of imagery?

Looking for particular words and phrases and examining their effect

In stanza one, there are certain words (diction) which paint a picture of the fruitless nature of the city slums. These include "sluggish", "slow", "blanched", "stagnant", "scarce", "squalor", "sick". These words set the sombre mood of the poem as we reflect on the disheartened tone of the persona.

In stanza two, the mood and tone of the poem change with the language that is used. Words/phrases such as "stark glory", "bright petals", "lightning", "thundered", "holy", create an optimistic and enthusiastic tone. These words produce a faster rhythm in the poem; the first stanza having moved at a rather slow pace.

Exploring the devices used by the poet

While there are several examples of poetic devices in this poem, I will identify only two for you:

• Metaphor: "While perfume and bright petals thundered slowly" (line 12)
• This example refers to the appearance of the flowers in the park. Though the scent and brightness of the flowers emerged slowly, the appearance of flowers was quite profound (hence, the word "thundered").
• Simile: "and suddenly/Came stark glory like lightning in the dark" (lines 10-11). This example also refers to the appearance of the flowers. However, the emphasis here is on the sudden beauty in the slum created by the presence of the flowers. This example also points to the contrast between the splendour of the flowers and the "darkness" of the city's slums.

I hope that this analysis of the poem has been helpful to you and that you will apply the principles of the guideline to any poem you encounter. Please read the poem a final time and answer this question: What feeling does the poem leave you with at the end?

I'm sure that you are fully equipped to do well on the final examination! Remember that with God's guidance, you can achieve even what others consider to be impossible! God bless you!

These students are particularly interested in what the National Youth Service had to offer during career week at Godfrey Stewart High School.