Poetic Appreciation : 2.3 The Inchcape Rock

Write a poetic appreciation of the poem 2.3 ‘The  Inchcape Rock’ with the help of the following points. 

·       About the poem / poet and the title

·       The theme

·       Poetic Style

·       Language /Poetic devices

·       Special features

·       Message, values, morals in the poem

·       Your opinions about the poem

                                2.3 The Inchcape Rock

‘The Inchcape Rock’ a ballad is written by Robert Southey. He was a poet Laureate of England. ‘The Inchcape Rock’ is a very popular poem with the school children. It is about attempt by the Abbot of Aberbrothok to install a warning on Inchcape and removal by a pirate, Ralph. The pirate met with an accident on the same rock in his return journey.

The poem is in the form of ballad. It tells a story. The poem is dramatic and narrative. There are seventeen stanzas of four lines each. The poem follows the rhyme scheme aabb.

The poet Robert Southey has used vivid words. It creates mental pictures. The poem seems to be live pictures. Some words are repeated and created a soothing effect. The poem is enriched with poetic devices such as alliteration, repetition, inversion, onomatopoeia, metaphor, personification, simile and apostrophe.

The poem gives us a message that those who do wrong things will meet with due punishment.

Write a poetic appreciation of the poem 2.4 ‘Have You Earned Your Tomorrow’ with the help of the following points.

·       About the poem / poet and the title

·       The theme

·       Poetic Style

·       Language /Poetic devices

·       Special features

·       Message, values, morals in the poem

·       Your opinions about the poem

Edgar Guest is known as ‘people’s poet’ for his simple style and optimistic tone of writing. The poem ‘Have You Earned Your Tomorrow’ is an inspirational poem.

          The poet is concerned about the readers. He asks them if they have done anything to improve the life of the other people. We are responsible for our good days and bad days.

          The poem is divided into four stanzas of quatrains. The first line rhymes with the second line and the third with the fourth in each stanza. He has used the consistent rhyme scheme throughout the poem.  The first two lines of the first stanza are rhymed with last two lines of the second and the fourth stanzas. The poet raised questions in the poem. There are eleven questions in the poem. It shows the unique style of the poem. Alliteration and interrogation are the poetic devices in the poem.

The poem has the underlying message that it is up to us whether we will have a better future or not. Therefore, we should consider our actions and deeds carefully and plan accordingly for a better future.

Appreciation 2.5 and 2.6