Analyzing

The Significance of Setting in Poetry

Poetry is composed and defined by a number of elements and factors other than words or lyrical verse . Often , rhythm , texture , the way words and phrases flow and sound when coupled together or read aloud constitute a fairly pleasant or at the very least , readable poem . Beyond aesthetics and form , the use of metaphors and interesting choice of words which describe a setting , scenery , person , sentiment , ideology and so on , make for an effective poem which is able to relate to readers what the writer or

poet particularly has in mind

The poem 's setting , despite its seeming rudimentary and less than significant function and involvement in a particular writing piece largely dictates the tone of the poem , which is perhaps as important as the meaning or message which the poem is trying to convey as poems are able to affect and convey the point or essence to readers on a visceral level , appealing more to the faculties of passion and emotion and less to reasoning and logic . The particular environment , setting or milieu of any piece of writing or literature is able to evoke a sentiment or ideology which aids in effectively conveying that which needs to be communicated , and allows readers to further appreciate the intricacies and wholeness of writing , specifically in poetry

This is made particularly evident in such poems as Emily Dickinson 's Because I Could Not Stop for Death (1924 . In it the American poet writes - as the title perhaps already connotes - of the instance death came for a proverbial visit , but instead of referring to death in the infinitely abstract nature which most every individual regards the said subject matter , Dickinson attributes it a tangible and concrete form She begins the poem by writing , Because I could not stop for Death He kindly stopped for me / The carriage held but just ourselves / And immortality (Dickinson . Readers are then afforded a view of what would have been a less than tangible concept of death in an earthlier and relatable manner . This sentiment is established when the poet creates a setting in which she writes - with an air of seeming nonchalance , or that of disclosure - how death stopped her on the streets , and together they rode a carriage across town , where they pass by schools , children , the sun , and other representations of life and existence . The setting in Dickinson 's poem afforded a mundane , graspable view of death , as manifested in the long carriage ride where all of 'life ' and the outside world continues on from outside of it . These aforementioned scenes establish the tone of the poem and effectively relates Dickinson 's view of death : infinite , inevitable , but also almost sacred and essentially human . It creates the intended sentiment and idea that needs to be delivered , without which the poem would probably be less than exquisite and ingenious

This evident significance of setting in poetry is also made apparent in Percy Bysshe Shelley 's sonnet , Ozymandas (1818 ) in which...