Introduction
Please watch the following video for an introduction of the topic that you'll be doing.
Task
POETRY:
FUNERAL BLUES by W. H. Auden
You have been tasked with analysing and answering the questions that provided below.
QUESTIONS:
- State the possible meanings for the word “blues” in the title and relate this to the poem itself. (2)
- Identify two symbols of death that can be found in stanza 1 of "Funeral Blues”. (2)
- Critically comment on the theme of “Funeral Blues” by Auden. (4)
- Explain the importance of the last stanza in the poem. (4)
- Suggest a reason for the use of capital letters in 'He Is Dead' (line 6). (4)
- Refer to line 9: 'He was my North, my South, my East and West'. Discuss the effectiveness of this image in the context of the poem. (2)
- Quote from the last stanza to prove the speaker’s despair. (2)
- Discuss how the use of the first person in stanza 3 contributes to the overall tone of the poem. (2)
Process
Follow these steps to help you analyse the poem and answer the questions that follows.
Refer to resources provided below to aid you in this activity:
Step-by-step Analysis:
Poetry involves different elements like language, rhythm, and structure. Together, they tell a story and create a complexity that is unique to poetic verse. When studying poems in-depth, look at these individual elements:
- Theme: Poetry often conveys a message, through figurative language. The central idea and the subject matter can reveal the underlying theme of a poem.
- Language: From word choice to imagery, language creates the mood and tone of a poem. The way language is arranged also impacts the rhythm of a poem.
- Sound and rhythm: The syllabic patterns and stresses create the metrical pattern of a poem.
- Structure: The framework of a poem’s structure affects how it is meant to be read. A poet sculpts their story around stanzas, line breaks, rhyme patterns, punctuation, and pauses.
- Context: The who, what, where, when, and why of a poem can help explain its purpose. Look at these elements to discover context of the poem.
Watch the video below to get a line by line analysis if Funeral Blues:
Visit this page for more information about Funeral Blue and literary devices:
https://www.litcharts.com/poetry/w-h-auden/funeral-blues-stop-all-the-clocks
Evaluation
FUNERAL BLUES: MEMORANDUM
1. The word “blues” in the poem’s title refers to blues music, a genre of music invented by African Americans associated with communal sadness and specific sounds. Blues music is often played, or sung, as a means of soothing or ameliorating the sorrows of the singers, musicians, or audience. (2)
2. In the first stanza of "Funeral Blues," the speaker orders that the clocks be stopped, the telephone be "cut off," the dog be prevented from barking, and that "the pianos" be silenced and the drum "muffled." Each of these orders amounts to a kind of muting of the sounds associated with life, and so each object and the stoppage of its sound becomes symbolic of death. (2)
3. In my mind, a critical analysis of the theme in Auden's poem would centre on the idea of how death is experienced by those left behind. The poem takes the point of view that death's impact is most felt by the loved ones who are not able to take that journey with the one they loved. There is an irredeemable pain that is evident in the poem. This feeds the theme that a loss of unimaginable proportions is caused by death. Regardless of how one views the issue of death, there is an emptiness, a fundamental cavernous sense of the hollow that is caused by death. The theme of death's impact in terms of forlornness is seen throughout the poem in different ways. (4)
4. The last stanza of Auden's "Funeral Blues" speaks to what reality becomes when a loved one departs and another is left to face it without them. Death is seen in a variety of spiritual and cultural contexts. Yet, one universal is that the person that is left behind must assemble life and meaning in the shadow and cavernous crater that death causes. Auden takes the point of view that this is an experience whereby all that had meaning and had beauty no longer has it. The imagery employed in the last stanza represent elements of the natural world that people can share with one another. (4)
5. The capital letters indicate the importance of the loved one in the speaker's life and emphasise the intensity of the grief he is experiencing. / It creates the impression that the person who has died is a person of significance within society and thus deserving of outpourings of public grief. /Capital letters draw the reader's attention to the stark finality of death. (4)
6. The deceased was like the points on a compass to the speaker. He provided him with guidance and played a significant role in the speaker's life. The image is effective because, like a compass, the deceased was dependable and one on whom the speaker could always rely. Now that he is dead, the speaker feels lost and without direction. The four compass points emphasise that the deceased was an important part of every aspect of the speaker's life. (2)
7. “nothing now can ever come to any good” (2)
8. Personalises the experience by using the 1st person. He reflects on how completely he loved the person (“my North... West”). The reader is drawn in by the intimacy suggested by the words “my”, “I”. (2)
TOTAL: [22]
Conclusion
The goal for this lesson is for students to recognise poetry from a variety of cultures, languages and historic periods. They must understand and appreciate poetry as a literary art form. The will equip students to analyse the various elements of poetry, such as diction, tone, form, genre, imagery, figures of speech, symbolism, theme, etc.
Thank you for your co-operation and willingness to join me on this journey of learning. Please feel free to contact me if you have any queries.
Credits
Teacher Page
NAME: Dillon
SURNAME: Anyster
STUDENT NUMBER: 217171206
SUBJECT: English Home Language: Poetry
Grade: 10
ENQUIRIES: 217171206anysterdillon@gmail.com