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| >> Static Item >> Article >> Contest >> ID #1684073 |   |
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My Judging Process From the beginning of the rounds, I check the contest forum often to make sure all the new posts are done correctly and to double check for any shenanigans, but I do not read the entries until the round officially closes. At the close of the contest or shortly afterwards, depending on how many entries there are and how much time I have to read the entries, I read all of the entries without the intention of reviewing. I read all of the entries once through for a few different reasons: to make sure the rules were followed, to evaluate the field of entries before judging, to reduce my first impressions so I can be more critical when I review the entries, and most of all to enjoy the entries before I get into my critical mind set. Overall, I probably read each entry about five times or more from the run through read, my preliminary placing read, and my in-depth multiple reads while I do the actual review. How Do I Pick the Winner? A reasonable question any entree may have, and I have an answer to it but it is not a reasonable answer. Why is it not reasonable? Poetry is very complicated because of the many elements that can construct a poem and the many different ways a poem can be interpreted. Since there are, many ways to construct a poem I have to evaluate how those different elements are used in the construction of every single poem against the other ways other poems are constructed. The most important part in judging a poetry contest (for me) is to make sure the poetic elements help in the development of the poems overall meaning, which doesn't mean the intended meaning of the poet but how I interpret the meaning of the poem and how I see the elements of poetry fitting to communicate the idea. Let me go through some of my views on the different elements of poetry. First I'm looking for the overall meaning of the poem, then I look at how the construction of the poem and how different the use of the different poetic elements (if used) helps the overall meaning of the poem. Then if the strength of the whole poem and its elements is better than the other poems in the contest. To understand how I evaluate the parts of the poems I broke down some of the elements of poetry and how I understand them, so you, as a contestant to my contest, can get a better view of the terms I work around. Understanding the Construction of Poems Poetry is a patterned form of verbal or written expression of ideas concentrated with imagination, and rhythmical terms. Poetry contains rhyme and a specific meter often but not always. This is not my specific definition of poetry but a good one for the assessment of what poetry is, and for the understanding of the fundamentals that are used when constructing a poem. When we read the definition above, we notice two important elements, poetry has a pattern and that it is a combination of verbal or written expressions. I understand this definition of poetry further complex parts: poetry has verbal patterns, written patterns, verbal ideas of expression, and written ideas of expressions. These broader conceptions of poetry are broken down into other elements, which I explain to the best of my knowledge below in the usual poetic terms. All of these elements of poem creation show the complexities of how we mangled poetic tools together to understand a single poem but more so shows how hard it is for someone to judge a poetry contest. Verbal Elements These tools below are about the understanding of sounds within a poem. Unlike written sentences the sounds of syllables and even more so how the consonants and the vowels are constructed inside the syllables are an import part of what makes a piece of writing poetic. These terms explain different ways a poet repeats sounds in the lines of a poem and how that can strengthen the flow of a poem. Meter is the patterned of stressed and unstressed syllables established in a line of poetry (this is a verbal and written element). The stressed syllables is also called the accented or long syllable. The unstressed syllable is also called the unaccented or short syllable. In determining the meter, the importance of the word, the position in the metrical pattern and other linguistic factors should be considered. Alliteration occurs when the initial sounds of a word, beginning either with a consonant or a vowel, are repeated in close succession. Note that the words only have to be close to one another: Alliteration that repeats and attempts to connect a number of words is little more than a tongue-twister.The function of alliteration, like rhyme, might be to accentuate the beauty of language in a given context, or to unite words or concepts through a kind of repetition. Alliteration, like rhyme, can follow specific patterns. Sometimes the consonants aren't always the initial ones, but they are generally the stressed syllables. Alliteration is less common than rhyme, but because it is less common, it can call our attention to a word or line in a poem that might not have the same emphasis otherwise. Assonance occurs when the vowel sound within a word matches the same sound in a nearby word, but the surrounding consonant sounds are different. "Tune" and "June" are rhymes; "tune" and "food" are assonant. The function of assonance is frequently the same as end rhyme or alliteration: All serve to give a sense of continuity or fluidity to the verse. Assonance might be especially effective when rhyme is absent: It gives the poet more flexibility, and it is not typically used as part of a predetermined pattern. Like alliteration, it does not so much determine the structure or form of a poem; rather, it is more ornamental. Rhyme helps to unify a poem; it also repeats a sound that links one concept to another, thus helping to determine the structure of a poem. When two subsequent lines rhyme, it is likely that they are thematically linked, or that the next set of rhymed lines signifies a slight departure. Especially in modern poetry, for which conventions aren't as rigidly determined as they were during the English Renaissance or in the eighteenth century, rhyme can indicate a poetic theme or the willingness to structure a subject that seems otherwise chaotic. Rhyme works closely with meter in this regard. There are varieties of rhyme: internal rhyme functions within a line of poetry, for example, while the more common end rhyme occurs at the end of the line and at the end of some other line, usually within the same stanza if not in subsequent lines. There are true rhymes (bear, care) and slant rhymes (lying, mine). There are also a number of predetermined rhyme schemes associated with different forms of poetry. Once you have identified a rhyme scheme, examine it closely to determine (1) how rigid it is, (2) how closely it conforms to a predetermined rhyme scheme (such as a sestina), and especially (3) what function it serves. Written Elements These tools below are about the understanding of words within a poem. Instead of focusing the sounds of the words this section talks about how poets use words differently to create meaning in either a literal or a non-literal interpretation to create layers of meaning inside a poem. Meter is the patterned of stressed and unstressed syllables established in a line of poetry this is a verbal and written element). The stressed syllables is also called the accented or long syllable. The unstressed syllable is also called the unaccented or short syllable. In determining the meter, the importance of the word, the position in the metrical pattern and other linguistic factors should be considered. Repetition is the reiterating of a word or phrase within a poem. Refrain is a repetition of one or more phrases or lines at intervals in a poem usually at the end of a stanza. Onomatopoeia is the use of a word to represent or imitate natural sounds. Antithesis is a balancing or contrasting of one term against the other. Simile is a direct or explicit comparison between two usually unrelated things indicating a likeness or similarity between some attribute found in both things. Metaphor is an implied comparison between two usually unrelated things indicating a likeness or analogy between attributes found in both things. A metaphor unlike the simile does not use like or as to indicate the comparison. Figure of speech is an expression in which the words are used in a non-literal sense to present a figure, picture, or image. Also called a trope. personification is giving human characteristics to inanimate objects, ideas, or animals. Hyperbole is an exaggeration for the sake of emphasis and is not to be taken literally. Litotes is an understatement and is achieved by saying the opposite of what one means or by making an affirmation by stating the fact in the negative. It can be considered the opposite of hyperbole. Apostrophe is the addressing of someone or something usually not present as though present. Imagery is a picture or a sculpture, something concrete and representational within a work of art. Literal images appeal to our sense of realistic perception, like a nineteenth-century landscape painting that looks "just like a photograph." There are also figurative images that appeal to our imagination, like a twentieth-century modernist portrait that looks only vaguely like a person but that implies a certain mood. Symbol is a word or image that signifies something other than what is literally represented. Allegory is a whole world of symbols. Within a narrative form, which can be either in prose or verse, an allegory tells a story that can be read symbolically. You may have encountered The Faerie Queen by Edmund Spenser, or a short story by Nathaniel Hawthorne such as Rappacini's Daughter, or maybe you've heard that The Wizard of Oz was originally an allegory. Interpreting an allegory is complicated because you need to be aware of what each symbol in the narrative refers to. Allegories thus reinforce symbolic meaning, but can also be appreciated as good stories regardless of their allegorical meaning. Words and Friends Word Order Poetry can be like a recipe. If you were making a cake, you would first mix the dry ingredients together; then you would cream butter and sugar together, then add eggs, then stir the dry ingredients in. Why wouldn't you just drop all of the ingredients into a big bowl at the same time and mix? You'd end up with a lumpy mess, and no one wants a cake, or a poem, to be a lumpy mess. Word order matters—sometimes for clarity of meaning (a solo guitar isn't the same as a guitar solo) and sometimes for effect ("a dying man" is roughly the same as "a man, dying," but the effect of the word order matters). There are many different ways to order words and communicate approximately the same meaning, so readers should always question why poets have chosen a particular order, whether the choice is conventional or just the opposite. Diction refers to both the choice and the order of words. It has typically been split into vocabulary and syntax. The basic question to ask about vocabulary is "Is it simple or complex?" The basic question to ask about syntax is "Is it ordinary or unusual?" Taken together, these two elements make up diction. When we speak of a "level of diction," we might be misleading, because it's certainly possible to use "plain" language in a complicated way, especially in poetry, and it's equally possible to use complicated language in a simple way. It might help to think of diction as a web rather than a level: There's typically something deeper than a surface meaning to consider, so poetic diction is, by definition, complex. Metonymy is the substitution of a word naming an object for another word closely associated with it. Denotation is when you mean what you say, literally. Connotation is created when you mean something else, something that might be initially hidden. The connotative meaning of a word is based on implication, or shared emotional association with a word. Greasy is a completely innocent word: Some things, like car engines, need to be greasy. But greasy contains negative associations for most people, whether they are talking about food or about people. Often there are many words that denote approximately the same thing, but their connotations are very different. Innocent and genuine both denote an absence of corruption, but the connotations of the two words are different: innocent is often associated with a lack of experience, whereas genuine is not. Connotations are important in poetry because poets use them to further develop or complicate a poem's meaning. Grammar: Punctuation and Capitalize There are two thoughts in the construction of poetry in regards to grammar or more so I see them as two ideas within poetry, either use the rules or do not use the rules. Some people use punctuation and some people do not. Some people use the parts of speech as the rules of grammar suggest and others do not. Some people capitalize words determined by the rules of grammar, some people capitalize the first letter of each line, and others only capitalize words they feel are important to the meaning of their poem. Along with punctuation and capitalization is the spacing in between lines, before words, and after words. The spacing within a poem help to divide different thematic topics within a poem, help to point out a word or lines meaning, or even be a depiction of the poem through a visual representations. There are many parts to a poem but they are not always used. Not all poems need to use every poetic tool, and I feel that if someone tried to do this, they would go insane. My job is to assess the tools that a poet used, if these tools help the overall meaning of the poem, and if the use of these tools helped to make one poem better than another poem. Is this an easy task? Not always, but I will do my best, and I hope that we all grow with each other in our own pursuits in creating well written poetry.
© Copyright 2010 Radler Zpheitor (UN: merlack at Writing.Com).
All rights reserved.
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