Understanding Lyric Poems through Tone and Metaphor

Lyric poetry is a form of poetry where the author expresses his/her feelings and thoughts in a brief, compressed manner (Stanford). It is the most popular and common type of poetry today, conveying the authors emotions to the readers (Grimes). Although these poems allow the author to personally express him or herself, they should not be confused with stories like narrative poems (Grimes). Lyric poems can easily be compared to one another based on certain criteria. It is useful to compare these poems so that one can identify and become familiar with the different styles in lyric poetry. Similarities and differences can be found in the lyric poems “In the Station of the Metro” by Ezra Pound and “The Second Coming” by William Butler Yeats when comparing the criteria: tone and metaphors.

Each poem has it own tone or mood. A specific poem may depress the reader, while another may fill him/her with complete ecstasy. Both poems, “In the Station of the Metro” and “The Second Coming” leave the audience with a peculiar feeling. Most of the lines written in each poem are end-stopped lines finishing with commas. The use of the commas and short pauses capture the reader with suspense, compelling him/her to read more. This continues throughout “In a Station of the Metro”, differentiating it from the other poem. Another distinction between these poems is the use of enjambment. The poem written by Yeats contains run-on lines, unlike the one by Pound. An example of this is “The best lack all conviction, while the worst” (7). Yeats then continues with the next line, “Are full of passionate intensity” (8). He does not add any punctuation at the end of the first line. This method causes the reader to pause and slow down while reading, giving...

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...ow each poem can relate to and differ from one another. Criteria like tone and metaphors should be used to compare lyric poems to have an enhanced understanding of the author’s intention for his/her work of art.

Works Cited

Grimes, Linda Sue. “Lyric Poetry.” Suite101.com. Google, 17 Feb. 2007. Web. 6 Oct. 2009. .

Pound, Ezra. "In a Station of the Metro." Couse Kit: An Introduction to Literary Study. Ed. B.W. Powe. Toronto: York U Bookstore, 2009. 75. Print

Stanford, Judith. “Glossary of Poetic Terms.” Online Learning Center. N.p., n.d. Web. 7 Oct. 2009. .

Yeats, William Butler. “The Second Coming.” Couse Kit: An Introduction to Literary Study. Ed. B.W. Powe. Toronto: York U Bookstore, 2009. 73. Print.