Mourning in Poetic Form

1. Mourning in Poetic Form English 12 Mr. Schellenberg

2. Lyric • A short poem expressing the emotions or thoughts of the writer • In modern use, lyrics are the words of a song

3. Elegy • The elegy is traditionally written in response to the death of a person or group. • Written in the stanza form of quatrains • Iambic tetrameter • The rhyme scheme is typically aabb

4. Versus other Forms of Mourning • Though similar in function, the elegy is distinct from these other forms of literary mourning: • Ode • Epitaph • Eulogy

5. Ode: • This is a very serious form of the lyric; it is written about a serious topic and is very dignified, if not stately, in tone and style. Thou still unravish'd bride of quietness! Thou foster-child of silence and slow time Sylvan historian, who canst thus express A flow'ry tale more sweetly than our rhyme: What leaf-fring'd legend haunts about thy shape Of deities or mortals, or of both, In Tempe or the dales of Arcady? What men or gods are these? What maidens loth? What mad pursuit? What struggle to escape? What pipes and timbrels? What wild ecstasy? --Ode on a Grecian Urn

6. Epitaph: • the epitaph is very brief, usually found on a tombstone or in an obituary. • Jim Morrison (unknown) - 1943 - 1971 • "Truth to your own spirit" • Alexander the Great (unknown) • "A tomb now suffices him for whom the world was not enough"

7. Eulogy: • The eulogy is most often written in formal prose and spoken aloud at the funeral or life celebration. My mother was one of the most amazing people I have ever met and will probably ever meet. She spent her life caring for others,She always put herself before others.She would often go out of her way to reach those who were in need. She was also often a counsellor when the times called for it.I knew I could come to her no matter what the reason or circumstance.I loved her with all my heart and will truly miss her.

8. Classic Elegies • The elements of a traditional elegy mirror three stages of loss. • First, there is a lament, where the speaker expresses grief and sorrow • Next, praise and admiration of the idealized dead • Finally, consolation and solace, where death has been accepted

9. Comprehension Questions • Who is the speaker of the poem and who is the “you” in the first stanza? • What is the “road all runners come” in stanza 2? • Why does the speaker call the “you” a “smart lad” at the beginning of stanza three? • For what is the “shady night” a metaphor in stanza four? • How do you define “rout” in stanza five by its context? • Paraphrase stanza five. What does it mean? • Paraphrase stanza six. What does it mean?

10. Poetry Analysis • Identify the 3 stages of loss in this poem. • What is the tone of this poem? • How does the form influence the mood?