Semiotic analysis

[Patrick_Bateman]

I am having trouble applying semiotic analysis to poetry

can anyone give me a basic example of how I go about it?

[Patrick_Bateman]

So I guess no one knows how to tackle this mother...

[JCamilo]

Semiotics deal directly with symbols, it is a bit like someone pointing the nightgale of keats as symbol of natural poetry, etc. I.E. get the specific symbol, analyse the context in the poem having in mind the evolution of this symbol in literature (for example, white could became a color related to fear due to Poe and Melville)...

Semiotics is more complex than that but try to find Umberto Eco analysing medieval poetry and you have your answer.

[Patrick_Bateman]

Semiotics deal directly with symbols, it is a bit like someone pointing the nightgale of keats as symbol of natural poetry, etc. I.E. get the specific symbol, analyse the context in the poem having in mind the evolution of this symbol in literature (for example, white could became a color related to fear due to Poe and Melville)...

Semiotics is more complex than that but try to find Umberto Eco analysing medieval poetry and you have your answer.

I understand enough of the theory it's just putting it into practice. All I need is an example in poetry but most examples I can find are of advertisements and films.

Thanks for your reply

[JamesRhodes]

Take for instance, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner.

Whilst at sea the mariner kills an albatross and brings a curse on his ship. When this becomes apparent his crew mate make him wear it around his neck.

"Instead of the cross, the Albatross
About my neck was hung"

The albatross is a symbol, of nature's grandure (being the largest bird). In killing the albatross the mariner has rejected nature. Nature is a symbol of God's creation and in killing the harmless albatross the mariner has subsequentially rejected God's work (within the context of the poem, I'm not a Christian myself). By replacing the cross with the slain albatross he replaces his Christianity with sin and is forced to wear the sin as his burden.

A more simple application of semiotics can be found in Craig Raine's A Martian Sends A Postcard Home which you can find here:
http://famouspoetsandpoems.com/poets/craig_raine/poems/16281

And a break down of its symbols, here:
http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G2-2691500021.html

Hope that's some help, poetic analysis is something you have to practice - don't think it will just come to you.

[Patrick_Bateman]

Take for instance, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner.

Whilst at sea the mariner kills an albatross and brings a curse on his ship. When this becomes apparent his crew mate make him wear it around his neck.

"Instead of the cross, the Albatross
About my neck was hung"

The albatross is a symbol, of nature's grandure (being the largest bird). In killing the albatross the mariner has rejected nature. Nature is a symbol of God's creation and in killing the harmless albatross the mariner has subsequentially rejected God's work (within the context of the poem, I'm not a Christian myself). By replacing the cross with the slain albatross he replaces his Christianity with sin and is forced to wear the sin as his burden.

A more simple application of semiotics can be found in Craig Raine's A Martian Sends A Postcard Home which you can find here:
http://famouspoetsandpoems.com/poets/craig_raine/poems/16281

And a break down of its symbols, here:
http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G2-2691500021.html

Hope that's some help, poetic analysis is something you have to practice - don't think it will just come to you.

his should be essential in helping me. Thank you very much.

[PeterL]

Whose theory are you trying to use? There are several, and they are not all that similar.

The idea of seeing how Eco analyzed poetry might be usful.