Poetry analysis Our objectives: To recognize the connotative and denotative meaning of words and how they are used. Review and analyze the use of figurative language (metaphor, simile, etc.) and other poetic devices in poetry (or in this case, music as poetry). Craft a one-page analysis of a poem/song.

“Be My Baby” The night we met I knew I needed you so And if I had the chance I'd never let you go So won't you say you love me I'll make you so proud of me We'll make 'em turn their heads Every place we go So won't you please Be my little baby Say you'll be my darling Be my baby now Ooh, ohh, ohh, oh

“Be My Baby” I'll make you happy, baby Just wait and see For every kiss you give me I'll give you three Oh, since the day I saw you I had been waiting for you You know I will adore you Till eternity So won't you please

Be my baby now Ooh, ohh, ohh, oh Be my little baby Say you'll be my darling Be my baby now Ooh, ohh, ohh, ohh, oh So come on and please Be my little baby Say you'll be my darling Be my baby now Ooh, ohh, ohh, oh

“Be My Baby” BE MY BABY The night we met I knew I needed you so And if I had the chance I'd never let you go So won't you say you love me I'll make you so proud of me We'll make 'em turn their heads Every place we go So won't you please Be my little baby Say you'll be my darling Be my baby now Ooh, ohh, ohh, oh I'll make you happy, baby Just wait and see For every kiss you give me I'll give you three Oh, since the day I saw you I had been waiting for you You know I will adore you Till eternity So won't you please Be my little baby Say you'll be my darling Be my baby now Ooh, ohh, ohh, ohh, oh So come on and please Be my little baby Say you'll be my darling Be my baby now

“Be My Baby” In the context of my mom singing the song, “baby” is seen for its denotative (or literal) meaning: She really is singing to her (really fat) baby. In the first instance, the singer is singing to a young man she is interested in – “baby” as sweetheart. This is the connotative meaning of “baby.”

Connotation and denotation Denotation refers to the literal meaning of a word; the "dictionary definition." For example, if you look up the word snake in a dictionary, you will discover that one of its denotative meanings is "any of numerous scaly, legless, sometimes venomous reptiles having a long, tapering, cylindrical body and found in most tropical and temperate regions." Connotation, on the other hand, refers to the associations that are connected to a certain word or the emotional suggestions related to that word. “Oooh, that guy who is dating two girls at once: He’s a snake.” For poets, connotation is very important because one word can pack a powerful emotional punch if readers are able to understand multiple meanings from it. www.eng.fju.edu.tw/English_Literature/terms/denotation.htm

Connotation and denotation A common example of the “emotional suggestion” of connotation of different words: That young woman is so slim – the suggestion is a positive one; the young woman is in good physical shape. That young woman is so skinny – the suggestion is that she is unhealthy or might even have an eating disorder.

Connotation and Denotation Write a brief paragraph in which you describe the car pictured on the next slide. Imagine you are texting to a friend about seeing this car on the street parked next to your own car. When you’re finished, please circle the nouns and adjectives you used in your description.

Connotation and Denotation

Connotation and Denotation Now, re-write the paragraph, but this time, imagine that the car belongs to you, and you need to sell it on Craig’s List. Change the nouns and adjectives you circled in the original paragraph. You don’t want to lie in the ad by making this car seem like something it’s not. You want to give your description different meaning by using different words: This is connotation.

Connotation and Denotation My original paragraph Look at this abandoned beater parked right next to me. It is so old! The cheap, brown, factory paint is peeling off, the bald tires look like they haven’t been changed since the 1970s. It really shows its age. It turns my stomach. My sales pitch Check out this lost classic. It is so vintage! Features original, coffee-colored paint and slick rims from America’s renowned muscle-car era. It radiates character and is sure to turn heads!

Music as Narrative Poetry OK, so let’s review, shall we? For poets, connotation is very important because of it can give words (and poems) multiple meanings. So can the other poetic devices we have studied: figurative language. Let’s see how this works in music: a form of poetry.

Music as Narrative Poetry We focus on music as narrative – that is, music that tells a story. Most popular music tells a story in a very limited number of words and contains all the elements of a narrative: themes, plots, conflicts, settings, and characters. Most people listen to poetry in songs on a regular, if not daily, basis. Whether it is rock, country, rap, easy listening, religious, hip-hop, opera, heavy metal, or folk, music allows us to make connections between poetry as heard in music and written poetry. All the elements of poetry can usually be found in music: oral and aural familiarity; high appeal; rhyme and rhythm; repetition; images; and often strong emotional content.

Music as Narrative Poetry Before we begin listening to narrative poems/song selections, it may be helpful to review a few basic poetic devices. literal language: think of this as the straight dictionary meaning. A tiger lives at the zoo. figurative language: a symbolic or non-literal explanation. He was a real tiger on the tennis court. simile: a comparison between two unlike things, using “like” or “as.” She is swift like an eagle and strong as a lion. metaphor: again, a comparison between two unlike things but saying something is something else. The summer days are balm for my weary soul.

Music As Narrative Poetry imagery: use of concrete details that appeal to the five senses. Warm, wet leaves floating on moss-colored water and the croaking frogs’ cracked notes in the twilight soothed my frayed nerves. personification: human characteristics given to non-human things. The midnight wind moaned its lonesome message to me. rhyme: the repetition of similar or identical sounds. Little Bo Peep has lost her sheep. rhythm: the arrangement of stressed and unstressed sounds.

Music As Narrative Poetry For now, I want to begin our analysis of poetry using the basic terms listed above and a simple three-step reflection. When we listen to a song and read the accompanying lyrics, identify the theme, plot, characters, setting, and conflict.

“In the Ghetto” Elvis Presley As the snow flies On a cold and gray Chicago morning a poor little baby child is born in the ghetto And his mama cries ‘cause if there’s one thing that she don’t need it’s another hungry mouth to feed in the ghetto.

“In the Ghetto” People don’t you understand The child needs a helping hand. Or he’ll grow to be an angry young man some day. Take a look at you and me. Are we too blind to see? Do we simply turn our heads and look the other way.

“In the Ghetto” Well, the world turns, and a hungry little boy with a runny nose plays in the street as the cold wind blows in the ghetto. And his hunger burns. So he starts to roam the streets at night, and he learns how to steal and he learns how to fight

“In the Ghetto” Then one night in desperation, the young man breaks away. He buys a gun, steals a car, tries to run, but he don’t get far. And his mama cries. As the crowd gathers ‘round an angry young man, face down in the street, with a gun in his hand, in the ghetto

“In the Ghetto” And as her young man dies On a cold and gray Chicago mornin’ another little baby child is born in the ghetto and his mama cries

Music As Narrative Poetry Now we do this three-step process: STEP ONE: Read the lyrics and write one sentence that summarizes the subject of the song/poem. STEP TWO: Read the lyrics a second time and write notes out to the side of the song that identifies metaphors, similes, personification, imagery, etc. What message is communicated to you now? Write two to three sentences that explain your thoughts. STEP THREE: Read the lyrics a third time. What is the author trying to tell you? Evaluate the song. What makes it interesting? What is the final message communicated to you?

“In the Ghetto” THREE STEP ANALYSIS STEP ONE: Read the lyrics and write one sentence that summarizes the subject of the song/poem. THIS STORY IS ABOUT A BOY’S TOUGH LIFE AND STRUGGLE FOR SURVIVAL IN THE MEAN STREETS OF A CHICAGO GHETTO.

“In the Ghetto” STEP TWO: Read the lyrics a second time and write notes out to the side of the song that identifies metaphors, similes, personification, and imagery. What message is communicated to you now? Write two to three sentences that explain your thoughts. THE LYRICS ARE PRETTY LITERAL BUT THERE IS SOME FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE: “ARE WE TOO BLIND TO SEE?” DOESN’T ASK ARE WE PHYSICALLY UNABLE TO SEE, BUT RATHER DO WE SEE ONLY WHAT WE WANT TO SEE.

“In the Ghetto” THE MORE TELLING POETIC DEVICE IS THE RHYTHM. THERE IS A REPETITION OF PAUSES FOR EMPHASIS ON CERTAIN LINES: “IN THE GHETTO”; “AND HIS MAMA CRIES”; “AND AS HER YOUNG MAN DIES”; “AS THE WORLD TURNS.” THIS SEEMS TO SET UP A PATTERN AND A PREDICTABLE CYCLE OF SOUNDS. ALSO, THIS SONG HAS A DRUM CADENCE THROUGHOUT, MUCH LIKE A MARCH.

“In the Ghetto” STEP THREE: Read the lyrics a third time. What is the author trying to tell you? Evaluate the song. What makes it interesting? What is the final message communicated to you? Write a one-paragraph summation. THE RHYTHMIC PATTERN HELPS ESTABLISH THE BASIS OF THE POEM: THE RELENTLESS ASPECT OF POVERTY. JUST AS THE SONG MARCHES ON TO THE BEAT OF THE DRUM AND THE REPETITION OF SOUNDS, POVERTY IS AN ENDLESS CYCLE THAT WILL CONTINUE UNTIL SOCIETY DOES SOMETHING TO END IT INSTEAD OF LOOKING THE OTHER WAY.

“In The Ghetto” THIS IS SEEN IN THE POEM WHEN, AS ONE POVERTY VICTIM IS DYING (THE YOUNG MAN), ANOTHER POVERTY VICTIM IS BORN. “THE WORLD TURNS” -- AND THE DESPERATE LIFE OF THE GHETTO CONTINUES. Now, it’s your turn to try it alone.

Poetry Analysis For Ben Folds’ “Fred Jones, Part II”: ON THE LYRIC SHEET: STEP ONE: Read the lyrics and write one sentence that summarizes the subject of the song/poem. STEP TWO: Read the lyrics a second time and write notes out to the side of the song that identifies metaphors, similes, personification, imagery, etc. What message is communicated to you now? Write two to three sentences that explain your thoughts. STEP THREE: Read the lyrics a third time. What is the author trying to tell you? Evaluate the song. What makes it interesting? What is the final message communicated to you? Write a reflection paragraph.

Poetry Analysis Type a one-page essay (handwritten not accepted; double-spaced). Include discussion of the literary/poetic elements used (figurative language, rhythm, etc.) Staple the lyrics with your three-step process to the typed page. Stick to the structure we have studied: Third person Present tense Grammar will count, so proofread carefully. Pronoun/antecedent agreement Complete sentences Parallel structure Spelling, punctuation 30 points: Due Monday, Nov. 26.