This document provides an overview of understanding poetry through analyzing elements such as emotions, connotation/denotation, imagery, metaphor/simile, sounds/rhythm, verbal tense, and author's style. It discusses how poetry uses words to spark the imagination and deals with emotions. It also explains how to analyze the different elements within poetry and provides examples from the poem "Let It Be" to illustrate techniques like connotation, imagery, metaphor/simile, verbal tense, and analyzing an author's style. The overall goal is to help readers better comprehend poetry through examining its key linguistic and structural components.

1. UNDERSTANDING POETRY

2. Is it important to read poetry?
Poetry might be defined as the language of
imagination, poetry uses words to open the
doors of the mind, to light up new or negleted
rooms of the imagination.
Poetry is an imagination machine and
imagination is what determines the qualities
of our inner lives.

3. Poetry deals with emotions
• What emotions did you
feel with “let it be”?
Angry, annoyed, confused,
confident, depressed,
delighted, excited,
ecstactic, furious,
frightened, intrigued,
negative, over the moon,
reluctant, terrific,
terrible, wonderful.

4. Connotation and denotation
Dictionary definitions of words are called denotative.
These are the straight meanings, the obvius, literal
meanings of words. But in real world words mean
more depending of the context.
In the text, we interpreted the image of Mother Mary not
only as the female godess in catholic imaginary but as
the spirit of Music that wispers words of wisdom…We
did so because of the verses :
there is still a light that shines on me/
I wake up to the soud of music…
In so doing we are entering the CONNOTATIVE
FUNCTION OF POETRY LANGUAGE.

5. THE IMAGES IN THE TEXT
CONCRETE AND ABSTRACT.
Words like:
TIMES OF TROUBLE
HOUR OF DARKNESS
BROKEN HEARTED PEOPLE
PARTED
CLOUDY NIGHTS
A LIGHT THAT SHINES
MOTHER MARY SPEAKING WORDS OF WISDOM

6. METAPHOR AND SIMILE
SIMILE is a comparison between two things
using the words like or as.
METAPHOR is a comparison betweeen two
things that does not use the words like or as. d
Do we find any similes or metaphors in the text?

7. SOUNDS, RYTHM
Alliteration: repetition of
souds or letters as in
Times of trouble
Whisper words of wisdom
Rythm created through
the Repetition of Let it
be , Let it be…

8. STRUCTURE OF PHRASES
• Underline in red all the verbs in simple
present tense.
• Underline in a different color the verbs in
simple past.
• Underline the Present continuous.
• Underline with another color the future tense.
WHAT VERBAL TENSE IS THE DOMINANT?
IS IT RELATED TO THE MEANING OF THE POEM?

9. The style of the author:
Style refers to the distinctive, personal way in
which a poet or any writer express ideas. One
might notice choice of imagery, choice of
words,; sounds; rhythm, metre, the
structuring of phrases and sentences.
Now you will write a short composition to
describe the style of the authors in Let it be.

10. Writing Plan
 First paragraph: explain the objective of the text and make
a short description of it.
 Second paragraph: Identify the authors, you can give as
much information as you want.
 Third Paragraph: explain what elements of analysis will be
taken in mind: feelings, images….etc..
 USE ONE PARAGRAPH FOR EACH ELEMENT OF ANALYSIS.
 Last paragraph, conclusion. Does the poem express unit?
What do you think about the authors style? Is it successful
or not?