Poetry requires much more than just language to convey meaning.  Poetry involves images and senses to make ideas alive, sensory and memorable to the reader.  It is important to experience all of the senses when exploring poetry, rather than just seeking intellectual understanding.

 

To absorb a poem fully, we need our five senses in addition to our intellect and an open heart.  The right side of the brain functions in visual, aural and tactile awareness of the world while the left side deals with language.  Both sides of the brain work together to experience and understand poetry.  Look at the examples of senses and poetic elements in this poem by Anne Sexton.

 

Young by Anne Sexton

Senses

Poetic Elements

 

 

 

A thousand doors ago

Sight

Symbol of time

when I was a lonely kid

 

 

in a big house with four

Sight

Symbol of social class

garages and it was summer

Touch, Smell

Sensory image

as long as I could remember,

 

 

I lay on the lawn at night,

Sight, Touch

Image

clover wrinkling under me,

Touch

Precise image

the wise stars bedding over me,

Sight

Personification of stars

my mother’s window a funnel

Sight

Metaphor (window is a funnel)

of yellow heat running out,

Touch, Sight

Symbol of mother’s love

my fathers window, half shut,

Sight

Symbol of father’s indifference

an eye where sleepers pass,

Sight

Personification (window is watching)

and the boards of the house

Sight, Touch

 

were smooth and white as wax

Touch, Sight

Simile (boards are like wax)

and probably a million leaves

Sight, Touch

Image (exaggeration)

sailed on their strange stalks

Sight

Metaphor (leaves are sailing)

as the crickets ticked together

Hearing

 

and I, in my brand new body,

Sight, Touch

 

which was not a woman’s yet,

 

 

told the stars my questions

Sight

Personification

and thought God could really see

 

 

the heat and the painted light,

Touch, Sight

Metaphor (light is painted)

elbows, knees, dreams, goodnight

Touch, Sight

Images

 

The Senses

 

Almost every line in the poem uses one of the senses.  Sight is the dominant sense used in this poem, while touch is also quite important.  Touch can be more difficult to imagine than sight, so it takes more effort to imagine effectively.  The sense of hearing is employed in only one line in this poem.  Take several moments to recall the sound of crickets and let the sound fill your imagination.  Although this poem does not emphasize smell or taste, be aware of these senses as you read poetry.  Each time you read a poetic sensation, activate the senses in your imagination.  Stimulate an emotional response to each sensory detail.

 

What does it Mean?

 

The poem by Sexton mostly conveys its ideas through the senses.  Only a couple of lines directly explain the theme of the lonely struggle of coming of age.  Most of the feelings of loneliness are painted through images, rather than explained.  Experience poetry with a strong intention to live within the poem, rather than just translating it or logically analysing it.  A woman may more readily identify with the theme of Young than a male.  For males, the poem provides insight into the female experience of growing up.

 

Ideas in Things

 

An influential 20th century literary trend was the imagist philosophy of “ideas in things.”  Well known imagists include William Carlos Williams and Ezra Pound, who believed in showing instead of telling. 

 

Compare the following lines of poetry.  Consider each line through your senses (what the line shows), and through your intellect (what the line tells), and determine which line is stronger. 

 

A.        It was quiet and dark in my little room

B.        When I was a lonely kid

 

A.        I touched his warm hand as we talked

B.        He is my very close friend

 

A.        The pine trees were tossing like wild horses

B.        It was dangerous weather

 

Give Shape to Ideas

 

Re-write the following lines to show your ideas more vividly.

 

Direct Idea

Idea through Senses

1.  He is kind and gentle

 

2.  My mother loves me very much

 

3.  I was very sad and worried

 

4.  It was a beautiful day

 

 

Synesthesia:  Crossing Senses

 

Synesthesia is the poetic technique of describing the stimuli of one sense through the language of another.  Using the technique of synesthesia brings interesting new developments to your sensation of the world and freshness to your poetry.  Observe the examples below and then write your own examples.

 

Example

Crossed Senses

1.  He smelled darkness in her heart                

Sight crossed with smell

2.

 

3.  Sweet jazz poured from his saxaphone           

Taste crossed with hearing

4. 

 

5.  A rough cough betrayed her smile  

Touch crossed with hearing

6.

 

 

Select your most unique observations and share them with your friends.