The structure of the essay containing the practical criticism of any poem is very important for exploring the ideas the readers gather from a poem. The writer has to determine it by choosing the way he wants to develop his thought. The very primary structure of any type of writing is that it must have a beginning, a middle, and an end. The beginning refers to the introduction on the topic while the middle holds its analysis and the end is the concluding expression on the overall discussion. While analyzing a poem, the writer should keep in mind that the introduction of his essay must concentrate on his overall understanding of the poem. It accelerates the readers’ attention to the writing.
Step One – Paragraphing of the practical criticism
The writer must design his writing in different paragraphs. It must be followed that every paragraph should be designed with a view to offering a particular brand of thought. Diversified thoughts should not be jumbled in a single paragraph. If it is done in this way, it becomes very hazy for the readers to dig out the writers’ intended meaning.
Step two – Summary
The first paragraph should comprise the writer’s good hold of the poem so that his understanding of it becomes clear to the reader. Following the proverb, morning shows the day, the writer must prove in the first paragraph that he has full command on the poem. It is his responsibility to highlight the central tension of the work in his writing by summarising the story as found in the poem. This summarisation helps to find alignment with the tension as depicted by the writer. Moreover, the writer must know how to establish his relationship with the poet by sharing similar pattern of mind while going through the poem. Without establishing this relationship, it is quite impossible for the writer to find out what the poet intends to offer in his poem.
Step three – Stanza analysis
It is also imperative for the essay-writer that every stanza should be analyzed in a single paragraph. If a poem has four stanzas, the writer must analyze them in core four paragraphs apart from the introduction and conclusion. If this method is followed, the reader can easily understand the content which helps him to build up his response to it authentically.
Step four – Finding the poet’s intended meaning
The poet always follows a particular structure to carry out his intended meaning in his poem. It is commonly known as a technique. It is compulsory for the essay-writer to get familiar with the technique used by the poet so that he can balance his thoughts with those of the poet. It also connects both the essay-writer and the poet psychologically.
Step five – Exploration of the poetic technique:
A poem is not merely a verbal presentation of incidents. It accommodates many linguistic techniques in both visible and invisible ways. While writing an essay, the writer must concentrate on the surface and hidden aspects available in the poem. He must be able to explore the figures of speech used in the poem to enhance the poetic essences. Without discovering these techniques, the reading of the poem is incomplete. The poet also uses a particular meter, tone, etc. in his poem and the essay-writer must narrate all of these aspects properly to do justice to the poet’s merits.
Conclusion
The conclusion of the essay should concentrate on the essay-writer’s overall understanding of the poem that he has narrated. It is a snapshot of the whole essay. The reader will get a clear understanding of the writing by going through the conclusion.