Analisi poesia

A Word Is Dead

A word is dead

when it is said,

some say

I say it just

begins to live

that day

1)Title analysis

Considering the title I expect the poem to be about what happens to a word when it is said.

The reader is curious to discover/find out the reason why the word is “dead”.

2)Considering the layout

The reader realizes/can see the text is organized/ is arranged into two stanzas of three lines each/ the poem consists of six lines organized into two tercets, therefore he would like to understand/ find out the reason why the poet or poetess has arranged the message into two stanzas, and, last but not least, the functionof each stanza.

3)Denotative analysis

The function of the first stanza is to report common people’s ideas about the life of a word; the function of the second tercet is to report the poetess’ opinion. It follows that/ as a result/ as a consequence the intelligent reader understands that the layout has been conceived to present two opposite ideas about the nature of words.

4)Connotative analysis

The poem has got the following rhyme scheme: AAB CDB. The first and the second line are run-on-lines. The use of the comma at the end of the second line is to create suspance. Syntax is turned upside down in the two tercets: the first tercet makes use of a run-on-line in the first two lines, in the second one what takes place is exactly the opposite.