Breathin My Name

with a Sigh
Fred Wahs Poetry and Poetics

 When was the last time you read a

poem?
What can you remember about
your encounters with poetry?

 What is the difference between

poetry and prose?
What reasons might an author
choose to write a poem vs. a piece
of prose?

What is a poem?
A structure of lines and rhythmic energy and repetitive
sound
A blending of statement and form, which is intentional
and meant to be clarifying (Oliver 15)

What makes poetry different than

prose?
Every poem contains within itself an essential difference from
ordinary language, no matter how similar to conversational
language it may seem at first to be. Call it formality, compression,
originality, imagination whatever it is, it is essential. . . (Oliver 16)
Awareness of the PHYSICAL dimension of words
Appearance of the poem on a page
Extreme example: concrete poetry (poetry in which meaning or
effect is communicated at least in party by patterns of words or
letters on the page)
Greater awareness of the AURAL dimension, to what is heard
Contribution of SOUND and RHYTHMS to the meaning of a poem

Ways of analyzing a poem

Historical criticism
Seeks direct connections between historical events and
the poetry in question
Considers how military, social, cultural, economic,
scientific, intellectual, literary helps us understand the
author and the work
Attempt to see [the poem] through the lens of the
authors time
But. . . History is always related by others and thus isnt
available in any objective form, so we have to be careful
not to assume we have access to the authors
experience. (New Historicism)

Ways of Analyzing a Poem

Textual Criticism
Began with New Criticism in the 1930s
Claims that the real concern of the literary critic is THE
TEXT
Sees the poem as self-contained world of its own. The
poem is an independent verbal object.
Textual criticism is not interested in the poems context
or effects.
Main method: Close reading
Analyses the interrelations and multiple meanings of
the different elements of a text

Historical Criticism: Who is Fred

Wah?

Born 1938 in Swift Current,

Saskatchewan
Grew up mostly in West Kootenay
region of BC (Nelson).
An Unusual heritage:
Wahs Father: Canadian-born
Chinese-Scots-Irishman raised
in China
Wahs Mother: a Swedish-born
Canadian from Swift Current
A marriage between Chinese and
non-Chinese residents of Canada
was extremely rare at that time.
passing for white in a racist
Canada
UBC, FORMAL innovation, TISH,

Breathin My Name with

a
Sigh
my father hurting at the table
sitting hurting
at suppertime
deep inside very
far down inside
because I cant stand the ginger
in the beef and greens
he cooked for us tonight
and years later tonight
that look on his face
appears now on mine
my children
my food
their food
my father
their father
me mine
the father
very far
very very far
inside

Birds Eye View:

What does the title
evoke? Describe its
relationship to the poem
What is the point of
view? E.g. first-, second-,
or third-person
What is the effect of this
point of view? E.g. is it
personal? Emotive?
Distant?

Breathin My Name with a Sigh

my father hurting at the table
sitting hurting
at suppertime
deep inside very
far down inside
because I cant stand the ginger
in the beef and greens
he cooked for us tonight
and years later tonight
that look on his face
appears now on mine
my children
my food
their food
my father
their father
me mine
the father
very far
very very far
inside

Language
Tone: what is the general
attitude of the speaker to
what is being said?
How would you describe
the poets diction (word
choice and usage)?
Is the language formal or
informal of a high or low
register? What is the effect
of this language?

Breathin My Name with a Sigh

my father hurting at the table
sitting hurting
at suppertime
deep inside very
far down inside
because I cant stand the ginger
in the beef and greens
he cooked for us tonight
and years later tonight
that look on his face
appears now on mine
my children
my food
their food
my father
their father
me mine
the father
very far
very very far
inside

Form
How is the poem organized?
Does the poems lineation
(organization of the poem
into lines) have any unique
features?
Are there patterns of sound
in the poem (rhyme, clusters
of similar sound)?
On what note does the poem
end?

Breathin My Name with a Sigh

my father hurting at the table
sitting hurting
at suppertime
deep inside very
far down inside
because I cant stand the ginger
in the beef and greens
he cooked for us tonight
and years later tonight
that look on his face
appears now on mine
my children
my food
their food
my father
their father
me mine
the father
very far
very very far
inside

Imagery
Are metaphors, similes, or
personification used?
What patterns of mental
pictures are presented?
What about symbols?
A symbol is related to imagery. It
is something which is itself yet
stands for or means something
else.

What does food symbolize in

this poem?

Breathin My Name with a Sigh

my father hurting at the table
sitting hurting
at suppertime
deep inside very
far down inside
because I cant stand the ginger
in the beef and greens
he cooked for us tonight
and years later tonight
that look on his face
appears now on mine
my children
my food
their food
my father
their father
me mine
the father
very far
very very far
inside

What is the purpose of

this poem?
How do language, style,
and formal elements help
fulfill the purpose of the
poem?
What does the poem have
to say about identity?
What is your response to
this poem?

Works Cited
Oliver, Mary. A Poetry Handbook: A Prose Guide to
Understanding and Writing Poetry. New York: Harcourt,
Inc. 1994. Print.