If Flashcards
Meaning
Poem from a father to son about what he should do to be a man, it is a didactic (intending to teach) poem
Structure
-written in iambic pentameter + weak syllables
-regular rhyme scheme
-epiphora
-polyptoton
-twisted rhythm change
-continuous sentence
-interjection
Iambic pentameter + weak syllables
-give the feeling of nobility to the poem, makes it seem proper
-at the start weak syllable on you suggests though you must focus on bettering yourself your main focus should be on helping others,
-suggests to learn humility
Regular rhyme scheme
-never faulters
-suggests conviction in what he is saying
Epiphora
-creates emphasis and urgency,
-signals that the poem is going to be about making ‘you’ better
-creates a rhythm that draws ‘you’ in
‘Twisted’ rhythm change
-the word twisted literally twists the rhythm
- goes from an iamb to a troche
-emphasises the twisted
Continuous sentence
-shows that all of these things are needed to be a man
Interjection
-signifies the importance of character of material gain
Imagery
-Images of Chaos and confusion
-images of hard work
Images of chases and confusion
-“If you can keep your head when all about you / Are losing theirs and blaming it on you”
-uses imagery of chaos and confusion to illustrate the idea that true resilience comes from being able to maintain one’s composure in difficult situations.
Images of hard work
-‘Stoop and build em up with worn out tools’
-suggests hard work,
- metaphor for building you life up as well
Language
-polyptoton
-reification
-polysyndeton
-hyperbolic metaphor
Polyptoton
-enhances the meaning of a word persuasively and dramatically
-Lied don’t deal in lies
Reification
-truth is twisted
-emphasises how such bad things such as twisting truth are what a man must withstand
Polysyndeton
Many ‘and’ repetitions
-bringing continuity to a sentence,
-stylistic device that brings rhythm to the text with the repetition of conjunctions in quick succession.
-emphasises the ideas the conjunctions connect.
