The older poets may be more difficult to analyse – here is a little bit about them.
William Blake – Was ahead of his time, and had some unusual; views approving of revolution and overthrowing governments. HE also disagreed with aspects of the church. He writes about opposites, innocence and freedom and his poems or ‘songs’ are full of symbolism (natural objects and institutions like the church) , rhyme (a sing song like quality – don’t be fooled there are hidden meanings) and repetition.
John Keats – He died young (25), was never married but was secretly engaged to a woman. His poetry only became acclaimed when he died. He often wrote about death, change, nature and love. He writes traditional poems (sonnets and odes using steady rhymes) full of symbolism (the ancient world, time and permanence, emotions and music).
Christina Rossetti – From a family of artists, she is one f the most famous poets of the Victorian era. Her main themes are death, love, religion and sin. She was often ill which contributed to her ideas about death and she seemed fascinated by it. Rossetti wrote about all kinds of love: romantic, religious and familial. Religion was an important feature of her writing as was sin and the idea of the consequences of committing a sin, I.e. sex outside of marriage. Her poems are simple, personal and use lots of symbolism with a first person perspective.
Thomas Hardy – Born in the West country to a modest family he was a famous writer of the 19th century. He wrote controversial novels (including sex and unhappy marriages) and then wrote a lot of poetry. His poetry covers a lot of themes. Nature is important to him as is the passage of time. His poetry also examine disappointment and grief. He uses a range of poetic techniques, experimenting with different forms, line lengths and rhyme schemes. He uses dialect and makes up words by adding prefixes or combining two words. He also uses personification and alliteration.
Robert Frost – He had an unhappy life. he lost his father at a young age and several of his children died before he did. His poetry deals with nature, ageing and everyday life and the effect that these ideas have on people. He uses simple language and description. Some of Frost’s poems have a strong rhyme scheme whereas others are written in blank verse to mimic natural speech. He also uses alliteration and assonance, therefore his poems tend to read best when read aloud.
Wilfred Owen – He is is one of the most famous poets writing during the First World War. Many of his poems were published after he died in WW1.His main themes are the reality of war and injury to combat the traditional view of war as being noble and glorious. Instead he viewed war as painful, disgusting, terrifying and a waste of human life. He also tended to describe the effects of war. Owen uses narrative and vivid imagery as well as sound patterns and direct speech.
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