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STYLISTIC ANALYSIS OF P.B SHELLEY’S POEM SHELLEY TO SKYLARK By PARVEEN AKHTAR A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of Islamia University, English Department, Peshawar, in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of M.A English

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CHAPTER ONE

STYLISTIC ANALYSIS OF P.B SHELLEYS

POEM SHELLEY TO SKYLARKBy

PARVEEN AKHTARA Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of Islamia University, English Department, Peshawar, in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of

M.A English

ISLAMIA COLLEGE UNIVERSITY PESHAWAR2012-2013ABSTRACT The aim of the thesis is to analyze Shelleys To a Skylark through the lens of stylistics. The thesis consists of two parts. The first part defines stylistics. It throws light on the historical background and origin of stylistics that how it got developed from the ancient rhetorical field. It further defines style as a way of expression and choice of vocabulary. It also shows the characteristics of style that influences the definition of stylistics. Beside this it defines stylistics as study of style in written and spoken language. It explores the characteristics in style of a text that makes it different from the others. It also shows the effect of deviations (grammatical etc.) and choice of vocabulary that why a writer has owned and what effect it produces.

In the Second part of the research I have tried to analyze Shelleys To a Skylark stylistically. The analysis studies the poem from grammatical, morphological, and phonological levels, stylistically. And it further relates these effects to the theme of the poem and discusses how far Shelley has succeeded in achieving his goal to express his feelings and emotion.CERTIFICATE OF APPROVALI certify that I have read Shelley to skylark:Stylistic analysis of p.b Shelley,s poem shelley to skylark by parveen akhtar ; and that in my opinion this work meets the criteria for approving a thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for M.A English at English Department of Islamia College University Peshawar.

Supervisor

Name: Sir Waqar

Designation: Lecturer

Signature: __________________

DECLARATIONI, hereby declare that the research submitted by me is my own original work. I am aware of the fact that in case my work is found to be plagiarized or not genuine, authority has full access to cancel my research work and I am liable to penal action.

Parveen AkhtarDate: 10 June, 2013ACKNOWLEDGMENTWith my whole heart I express my immense graduate and appreciation to almighty God, who in his infinite mercy saw me through to this present time and this dream a reality.

My profound and graduate also goes to my able supervisor Mr. Muhammad Waqar Ali who guided and put me through in the course of writing. His cooperation and effort towards the success of this long essay is immeasurable.

I give thanks to my parents Dr.Sher Latif and my brother Sajjad Ahmad Khan for the parental love and advice given shown to me in the course of study from the elementary level to this time. You are great, I pray to Almighty Allah that you may live long.

My sister Shahida and brother Saeed Ahmad Khan you are wonderful. You are concerned a lot to the success of this work.

I appreciate my uncle Dr. Sher Latif and his wife Miss. Farzand Bibi for their caring attitudes.My friends contribution cannot be left out Nusrat Hussain, Raheel, Shahida. I am so grateful to you all.

Again I will be ingrate if I do not acknowledge my ever sparking uncle Dr Sher Latif who during my stay in Peshawar took me as his own daughter.

You all are wonderful.

Thank you all. TABLE OF CONTENTS1CHAPTER 1

1INTRODUCTION

11.1RESEARCH PROBLEM

21.2AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

21.3 SCOPE OF THE STUDY

21.4 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

3CHAPTER 2

3LITERATURE REVIEW

32.1INTRODUCTION

32.2 STYLE

42.3 STYLISTICS

62.4 APPROACHES TO STYLISTIC ANALYSIS

82.5 LEVELS OF STYLISTIC ANALYSIS

92.6 ELEMENTS IN STYLISTIC ANALYSIS

92.6.1Lexico-syntactic patterns include

102.6.2Lexico-syntactic choices

112.6.3Phonological devices

112.6.4Graphological Devices

122.6.5 Morphological devices Include

15CHAPTER 3

15DATA ANALYSIS

153.1THE AIM OF STYLISTIC ANALYSIS

153.2ANALYSIS ON THE LEVEL OF SYNTAX/GRAMMAR

163.3DISTRIBUTION OF NOUN PHRASES IN POEM

183.4PHONOLOGICAL ANALYSIS

183.5CONSONANCE OF |M|, |T|

183.6REPETITION

193.7HIGHER STILL AND HIGHER

203.8IMAGERY/COMPOUND

213.9RHETORICAL DEVICES

23CHAPTER 4

23SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION

234.1 SUMMARY

234.2 CONCLUSION

25BIBLIOGRAPHY

Appendix I26

CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTIONStylistics is a word derived from style; it is a discipline which studies different styles. It can refer to the study of proper use of words or language improper places. Widdowson (1975) defines stylistics as the study of literary discourse from a linguistic orientation (p. 3). He goes further by saying that what distinguishes stylistics from literary criticism on the one hand, and linguistics on the other, is that it is essentially a means of linking the two and has (as yet at least) no autonomous domain of its own. He also added that stylistics, however involves both literary criticism and linguistics, as its morphological make-up suggests: the style component relating it to the former and the istics component to the latter. Style has grown to mean so many things to so many people today. Carter (1989) is of the view that it is generally recognized that the style of work can depend on linguistic levels-often simultaneously and that one fairly crucial factor is our expectation concerning the literary form or genre employed. Haynes (1989) believes that the study of style is the study of distinctions: looking at what was said against what might have been said. Style is almost synonymous with variety. Style refers in a simple way to the manner of expression which differs according to the various contexts. Style, being a versatile field, is defined depending on ones field of study. Adejare (1992) makes this clear when he said that style is an ambiguous term .Lawal (1997) however, describes style as an aspect of language that deals with choices of diction, phrases, sentences and linguistic materials that are consistent and harmonious with the subject matter. He added that it involves the narrative technique of a writer in terms of choice and distribution of words and character. Lawal (1997) also added that it may be reckoned in terms of the sociolinguistic contexts and it may also be reckoned or analyzed on linguistic, semantic and even semiotic terms.1.1RESEARCH PROBLEM

This research notes that the stylistic analysis of this poem has not been done, so this research will address itself to analyzing this poem stylistically and examining the uniqueness of stylistics as it combines both linguistics and literary studies as it pertains to this poem. It is also addressing itself to examining how words are put together in transferring of message to the readers.1.2AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

The ultimate aim of this research is to explore ways in which language use has been integrated in the poem. This refers to the recurrent features of stylistics employed by the writer. In the same vein, this work will be concerned with striking and marked use of words in this poem in order to enhance effective transfer of message. The effects and functions of the stylistic elements as regards the poem will be looked at in the analysis.1.3 SCOPE OF THE STUDY

This work shall be exclusively stylistic, and analysis will be conducted through the use of the following levels of analysis: lexico-syntactic patterns and choices, phonology, graphology and morphology. Analysis will be conducted using the stylistic elements in each of the above mentioned levels of analysis, such that it could provide a guide and be relevant to future researchers in a related field.1.4 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

The data for analysis have been selected from the poem. Introduced and annotated by Shelleys Poem to a Skylark. The poem consists of sixteen stanzas, and was written in 1977. The poems will be analyzed stylistically and the five levels of the analysis already mentioned will form the basis of the analysis.

CHAPTER 2

LITERATURE REVIEW2.1INTRODUCTION

There are divergent scholarly views on what stylistics means and what it entails as opinions differ from scholar to scholar. Several ideas are discovered although they are considered not to be too far from one another, varying submissions on stylistics have been proved by critical studies to be of a similar message but different voices. This chapter is aims at reviewing related literatures it pertains to stylistics.

2.2 STYLE

The concept of style has a troubled history in the modern period both within and outside literary study. It has commonly been argued that we use the term style without knowing its meaning. According to Leech (1969) style is the way in which something is spoken, written or performed. Narrowly interpreted, it refers toward use, sentence structures and figures of speech. More broadly, style is considered to be a manifestation of the person speaking or writing. He further refers to style as elocution- a Latin term which means style and also means lexis in Greek. Elocution means the style and diction of a language. Leech and Short (1981, p. 10) believe that the word style has a fairly uncontroversial meaning: it refers to the way in which language is used in a given7context, by a given person, for a given purpose, and so on. Birch (1989) says that language and style never moves beyond a concentration on the supremacy of words; he believes firmly that these words somehow contain meanings and is effectively language manipulated in ways that signal it as different from ordinary language. Carter (1989) cites that it is generally recognized that the style of work can depend on linguistic effects produced at a number of different linguistic levels often simultaneously, and that one fairly crucial factor is our expectations concerning the literary form or genre employed. Leech and Short (1981) also believe that it is a selection from a total linguistic repertoire that constitutes style. Style can be applied to both spoken and written, both literary and nonliterary varieties of language but by tradition, it is particularly associated with written literary texts. Leech and Short (1981) argue further that the distinction between what a writer has to say, and how it is presented to the reader, underlies one of the earliest and most persistent concept of style: that of style as the dress of thought(p. 15). They add that although this metaphor of style as some kind of adornment or covering of thought or meaning is no longer widely current, it frequently appears in Renaissance and rationalist pronouncements on style, and is implicit. In this view, which prevailed throughout the Renaissance period, devices of style can be catalogued. The essayist or orator is expected to frame his ideas with the help of models, sentences and prescribed kinds of figures suitable to his mode of discourse. Oloruntoba-Oju (1999, p.127) believes that style is almost synonymous with variety; it refers in a simple way to the manner of expression, which differs according to the various contexts. He further added that stylistic variation maybe reckoned in terms of the sociolinguistic contexts producing the variation. For instance, styles may differ according to place (e.g. Western or African), time (e.g. Old English, new English, Classical Poetry, and Modern Poetry etc), individuality (e.g. the style of Shakespeare, style of Soyinka) and mode (written, spoken, complex, poetic, informal etc).Style or stylistic variation may also be reckoned or analyzed in linguistic terms e.g. sentence types, phonological elements, morphological variety, lexical variety: rhetorical terms (e.g. figures of speech) semantic terms, and even semiotic terms.

2.3 STYLISTICS

Many attempts have been made by different scholars to define stylistics. To Freeman (1971, p.1) stylistics, is a sub-discipline which started in the second half of the 20th century. It can be seen as a logical extension of moves within literary criticism early in the 20th century to concentrate on studying texts, rather than authors. To Leech and Short (1981, p.13) stylistics is simply defined as the linguistic study of style, is rarely undertaken for its own sake, simply as an exercise in describing what use is made of language. They are also of the view that we normally study style because we want to explain something; and in general, literary stylistics explains the relationship between language and artistic function. Short and Candlin (1989, p.183) are of the Short and Candlin (1989, p.183) are of the view that stylistics is a linguistic approach to the study of the literary texts. It thus embodies one essential part of the general course - philosophy; that of combining language and literary study.Widdowson (1975, p.3) defines stylistics as the study of literary discourse from a linguistic orientation. He takes the view that what distinguishes stylistics from literary criticism on the one hand and linguistics on the other is that it is a means of linking the two. He also proposes that stylistics occupies the middle ground between linguistics and literary criticism and its function is to mediate between the two. In this role, its concerns necessarily overlap with those of the two disciplines. Carter (1988) also agrees with Widdowson. He also believes that stylistics is essentially a bridge between linguistics and literature, and there are always arguments about the design of the bridge, its purpose, the nature of the materials and about the side it should be built from. Stylistics studies devices in languages such as rhetorical figures and syntactical patterns that are considered to produce expressive or literary style. Stylistics is therefore a field or study that combines both literary criticism and linguistics as its morphological make-up suggests: the style component relating it to literary criticism and the isticscomponent to linguistics. Widdowson (1975, p.3) claims that stylistics can serve as a means whereby literature and language as subjects can, by a process of gradual approximation, move towards both linguistics and literary criticism; and it is also a means whereby these disciplines can be pedagogically treated to yield different subjects. He further suggests that stylistics can provide for the progression of pupil from either language or literature towards either linguistics or literary criticism respectively. Carter (1988, p. 4) proposes that practical stylistics is a process of literary text analysis which starts from a basic assumption that the primary interpretative procedures used in the reading of a literary text are linguistic procedures. He added that stylistic analysis can provide the means whereby studying of literature one can relate a piece of literary writing to ones own experience of language and so can extend that experience. Carter (1988, p.10) sub-categorized it into 5 sections.

1. Linguistic Stylistics In several respects, linguistic stylistics is the purest form of stylistics in that its practitioners attempt to derive from the study of style and language variation some refinement of models for the analysis of language and thus contribute to the development of linguistic theory.2. Literary Stylistics A distinguishing feature here is the provision of basis for fuller understanding, appreciation and interpretation of avowedly literary texts. Although a precision of analysis mode available by stylistic methods offers a challenge to established methods of close reading or practical criticism of texts, the procedures of literary stylistics remain traditional in character in spite of developments in literary theory which challenge assumptions about the role of language in depicting literary realities.3. Style and Discourse Work in stylistics within this category acknowledges that style is not an exclusively literary phenomenon and addresses itself to the description and characterization of stylistic effects in a wide range of discourse types. Fowler (1986) calls it linguistic criticism.4. Pedagogical Stylistics There are a number of issues deriving from deep-rooted divisions between linguistic and literary critics but which still require to be considered; which emerge in the context of debates concerning the pedagogical relevance of stylistics. Stylistics and the foreign language learner Perhaps because questions of language and learning are more widely addressed in the domain of foreign language learning than in the no less important area of mother tongue language development, issues of pedagogy in relation to stylistics, literature and language study can be more easily surveyed. However, there is a growing recognition that integration of language and literature can be of mutual benefit in the context of foreign or second language education and that a situation of literary education; conducted by exposure to a canon of texts in English literature mainly through a method of lecture may be in need of modification on a number of counts.2.4 APPROACHES TO STYLISTIC ANALYSIS

There are different approaches to the analysis of styles of texts. In other words, there are various ways of analyzing texts.Lawal (1997) in his own view identifies these factors as approaches while Babajide (2000) on his own part defines them as concepts. The two of them, however, give similar points. Style is personality or individuality. Style is a relational term: we talk about the style of x referring through style to characteristics of language use, and correlating these with some extra linguistic Leech and Short (1981, p.11) believe that traditionally, an intimate connection has been seen between style and an authors personality. Deriving largely from idiolect this largely prove that every individual or person is unique in one way or the other. Style as Choice from Variants. This approach is backed with the fact that every phenomenon has many possible alternatives that form the variants. It constitutes selection from a total linguistic repertoire. Each individual has the right to choose from the available possibilities that which is appropriate and fits into his work. This approach is usually prominent in paradigmatic and syntagmatic relations among linguistic elements.

Style as deviation from the norm as Language is a behavior governed by rules and norms. When something is done in a quite different way from how it is usually done, then that is said to be a deviation from the norm. This is achieved by reconstruction from the structural resource of language to extend the frontiers of current usages. This concept is most common at both the lexical and the syntactic level and used mostly for effective communication.

Style as situation or relationship between message and medium Language use does not occur in a vacuum, the message and medium are always of importance. The medium can be formal or informal, spoken or written and so on. Different language use is determined by the different context of operation. In other words, there are variations in language use. For example, the kind of language used in the courtroom will be different from the one used in the classroom and so on. By and large it is obvious that the concept of medium and message is indispensable in stylistics.

Style as a temporal phenomenon According to Babajide (2000) style changes as nothing in life is static abreast of time. Therefore, style can be referred to as being old or new, in or out of vogue, modern or ancient. There are features for certain periods; thus language style changes according to time, and style is recognized by the predominant features of the period. In the world of language, there are Chaucerian and classical epochs, differentiated by features. Old English, Middle English and Modern English periods, Elizabethan, Victorian and Renaissance age with peculiar features: both literary and linguistic. Using any of the aforesaid approaches, stylistic analysis could be conducted by means of the levels of analysis. We therefore explain briefly the levels of stylistic analysis and the elements under them.

2.5 LEVELS OF STYLISTIC ANALYSIS

A text can be stylistically analyzed on different levels. Crystal and Davy (1969 as cited in Alabi2007, p.170) write graphology is the study of writing system or orthography as seen in the various kinds of handwriting or topography. Leech (1969) believes that graphology transcends orthography. It refers to the whole writing system: punctuation and paragraphing as well as spacing.Alabi (2007) added that a graphological discussion of style among other features entails the foregrounding of quotation marks, ellipses periods, hyphens, contracted forms, special structures, full stop, colon, comma, semicolon, question mark, dash, lower case letters, gothic and bold prints, capitalization, small print, spacing, italics and so on.

Phonology: Ofuya (2007) is of the view that phonology describes the ways in which speech sounds are organized in English into a system (p. 14). Lodge (2009, p.8) believes that phonology is the study of linguistic systems: specifically, the way in which sound represents differences of meaning in language. Phonology in stylistics usually deals with analyzing sound patterns in a piece, the systemic use of sounds to form words and utterances in language. Phonological devices are obtained through the repetition exhibited. For example in rhyme elements, alliteration, consonance, assonance and phonaesthesia.Morphology: Mark and Kirsten (2005, p.1) say morphology refers to the mental system involved in word formation or to the branch. Mark and Kirsten (2005, p.1) say morphology refers to the mental system involved in word formation or to the branch of linguistics that deals with words, their internal structure, and how they are formed. Morphological level of analysis is concerned with word formation processes subjected to specific conditions and rules of the processes of affixation the prefix, suffix and the root words, coining, back formation etc.

Lexico-Syntax: This is a word formed by the combination of two different words lexis and syntax. Lexis is the total vocabulary that makes up a language or the body of words known and used by a particular person. Syntax, according to Taller man (1998, p.1) means sentence construction: how words group together to make phrases and sentences. It is also used to mean the study of the syntactic properties of languages; in this sense it is used in the same way as we use stylistics to mean the study of literary style.Lexico-Syntactic patterns may be obtained through various means which include unusual or inverted word order, omission of words and repetition.Lexico-Syntactic choices are obtained through devices such as piling of usual collocates, unusual collocates, archaic words, particular parts of speech, metaphor, simile, oxymoron etc.

2.6 ELEMENTS IN STYLISTIC ANALYSIS

The elements under each of the levels of analysis mentioned above are discussed briefly below.

2.6.1Lexico-syntactic patterns include

Anastrophe: Alabi (2007, p.163) says anastrophe is the inversion of the natural or usual word order. The use of anastrophe secures emphasis and focuses the readers/hearers attention. According to Alabi (2007, p.163) parenthesis entails the insertion of some verbal unit (extra information, and after a thought or a comment) in a position that interrupts the normal syntactical glow of the sentence.Alabi (2007, p. 163) cites that Ellipsis entails the deliberate omission of a word or words, which are readily implied by the content: it is used to create brevity reemphasis or ambiguity. Asyndeton is the deliberate omission of conjunctions between a series of related clauses. Asyndeton produces a hurried rhythm in the sentence. Corbett (1971, p.470) cites Aristotles observation that asyndeton was especially appropriate for the conclusion of a discourse, because there, perhaps more than in other places in the discourse, we may want to produce the emotional reaction that can be stirred by, among other means, rhythm.Alabi (2007, p.164) cites that anaphora entails the repetition of the same word or phrase at the beginnings of successive stages of the chosen pattern. The repetition of the words helps to establish a marked rhythm in the sequence of clauses, this scheme is usually reserved for those passages where the author wants to produce a strong emotional effects. In epizeuxis, according to Alabi (2007, p.165), one repeats a word or phrase without any break at all.

2.6.2Lexico-syntactic choices

Pun- Alabi (2007, p.167) states that punis the genetic name for the figure of speech in which the writer playson words. It is a figurative expression in which a speaker plays on a word or phrase to suggest double meanings. A speaker may also play on two or more semantically different but orthographically or phonologically similar words to construct a thought provoking statement. It is often employed to display linguistic process or verbal dexterity and ultimately entertains the audience. Anthimeria In the words of Alabi (2007, p.168) this is the substitution of one part of speech for another. Employing a part of speech in a sentence or a group of words instead of another. Periphrasis (antonomasia) Alabi (2007, p.168) says this is the substitution of a descriptive word or a phrase for a proper name or of a proper name for a quality associated with the name. It can also be described as an expression in which a celebrated person, event or place is used to represent another person, place or event as a result of a similar quality present in them.Hyperbole Alabi (2007, p.168) cites that this is the use of exaggerated words, a figurative expression in which a fact or a situation is blown out of proportion. It is an overstatement of a fact in the course of emphasizing it or as a result of over enthusiasm for it. Hyperbole gives emphasis or produces humor. Personification invests abstractions or inanimate object with human qualities. In other words a quality associated with man is given to a nonliving phenomenon thereby making it look like a person. It is also called prosopoeia and personification stirs emotions. Paradox Alabi (2007, p.168) says this is a seemingly contradictory statement, which happens to be true. Paradox is a kind of expanded oxymoron. It is also an expression which is obviously absurd or unreasonable, but will become logical or reasonable on a closer look or a deeper thought. Synecdoche Alabi (2007, p.167) believes that this is the employment of part of the referent to stand for the whole or vice versa.According to Alabi (2007, p.168) oxymorons a figure of speech in which two contradicting words are placed side by side in a statement thereby making it sound self contradicting. In other words oxymoron yokes two terms which are ordinarily contradictory. Alabi (2007, p.167) believes that both metaphor and simile are related to the topic of similarity, for although the comparison is made between two words of unlike nature. Metaphor gives clearness and liveliness to words. Alabi (2007, p.166) says that archaic or difficult words are used to show level of education or social accomplishment, they are attention focusing. Synonyms, hyponyms/hyponyms are part of lexical means of achieving cohesion in discourse. They are means of unifying the discourse. The deliberate preponderant choice of particular parts of speech in discourse sometimes gives precise and accurate descriptions. They are means of achieving cohesion in discourse.2.6.3Phonological devices

According to Abrams (1981, p.163), the Standard English rhyme consists in the identifying, in rhyming words, of the last stressed vowel and of all the speech sounds following that vowel. End rhymes occur at the end of a verse-line while internal rhymes occur within a verse-line. Alliteration is generally taken to be the repetition of the initial consonant in two or more adjacent words.Consonance is a half rhyme in which final consonants are repeated but with different preceding vowels. Assonance is also a half rhyme realized by repeating the same (stressed) vowel but with different final consonant in a sequence of nearby words. Phonaesthesia (secondary onomatopoeia) are those sounds, which are felt to be appropriate to the meaning of their words. The repetition of sounds of words helps in linking related words to reinforce meaning. It provides tone and musical color and it aids memorability.2.6.4Graphological Devices

Punctuation marks are used in writing to divide sentences and phrases. It also refers to the system of using the punctuation marks. Paragraph involves a section of a piece of writing, usually consisting of several sentences dealing with a single idea. The first sentence of a paragraph starts on a new line.2.6.5 Morphological devices Include

In the works of Osundare (1983, p.28) cited on Alabi (2007:166), he asserts that Soyinka employs compounds in a way that boosts the baffling compactness of his work. What Soyinka collapses into compounds i.e. simple compounds (Unhyphenated or hyphenated) or multiple compounds are shown to be potentially longer expressions and structures. Affixation is a process of forming new words by putting certain morphemes before and/or after some words, while adding certain morphemes after some others i.e. prefix and suffix respectively. We have two popular types of morphological operations (affixation) in English which are inflection and derivational. Inflected forms of English words are variants of one and the same word. Inflecting a word does not necessarily cause it to change its category.A derivational suffix is a morpheme that usually changes the class of a word to which it is added. Coinages are newly created words. Coinage is a process of forming new word. The above discussed elements will form the basis of the analysis in the next chapter.Introduction Shelleys To a Skylark

I have chosen B.P Shelleys ode To a Skylark for stylistic analysis in this research. Shelleys To a Skylark is indeed one of the most remarkable lyrics of Shelley. It was written in the spring of 120 and is ranked with his two other famous lyrics:Ode to the West Wind and Ode to The Cloud.To a Skylark is representative of Shelleys thought and style in his major poetry.To a skylark is one of the prominent lyrics in English poetry. Edmund Gosse remarks that it is a piece of supreme poetry and embodies the best qualities of Shelleys lyrical genius. For its melodious charm, imaginative conception, spontaneity of emotional expression and metrical power, it remains unsurpassed in English poetry. In this famous ode Shelley addresses the skylark that he regards as a spirit of song and joy. It soars high up in the sky with the first streak of dawn and from her high tower in the sky pours forth down upon the earth a flood of sweetest harmony in which there is no lack of perfection.To a Skylark is an intensively lyrical poem. Shelley, like Wordsworth, regards nature as being infused with a spiritual ability which animates all things, and he finds the spirit of love which exists solely for his own happiness. The poem begins on a note Hail to the blithe spirit. Romantic poetry is not only imaginative but it is also lyrical. The skylark for Shelley is not only a money a bird but also an embodied joy, a transcendent being, which pours forth melodic strains as it flies higher and higher in the sky. The skylark unlike most other birds, flies straight into the sky like an arrow and it sings all the more as it goes higher.Shelley tells us that the skylarks upward flight begins as the sun rises (In the golden light of sun of the sunken sun thou dost and run), dissolving the darkness of the night. But the great interest is that the skylark becomes invisible like star of heave in the broad day light, and its sweet music that is audible. Its invisibility adds to the mystical nature of the bird.The poet reveals his bewilderment regarding the bird when he says what thou art we know not, what is most like thee. In stanza 8 to 12, Shelley compares the bird to a poet who flies high into the regions of elevated thoughts, a high born maiden who pours forth her heart from a place tower to a deflowered which makes the air redolent ninth its sweet fragrance. Furthermore, the bird is compared to the delightful sound of the spring rains on twinkling grass, because the sound of skylark song is more beautiful than all the joyous, and clear and fresh.In line no 56-60 the speaker asks it to teach the world its thoughts. Before he never heard such a sweet and beautiful voice beautiful song, wedding songs, are nothing empty sounds compared to the skylarks song. What the speaker asks causes the bird to make so wonderful a sound. According to speakers the skylark apparently has never experienced, it must have some special knowledge of death of what is to come that enables it to sing such a joyous and sweet song as we human do not know. In line 26 and pine for what is not, we want something that is most beautiful and charming but even our own laughter there is always some pain. The most beautiful line and what of our songs? Our sweetest one is about sadness but even if we renounced hatred. Pride and fear even if we never shed a tear, we could never be as joyful as the skylark. Its sound is better, sweeter and more beautiful than all those of others.The speaker concludes by asking the skylark, teach me half the gladnesss knows with such knowledge, the speaker could present to the world a harmonious madness that all would listen to.CHAPTER 3

DATA ANALYSIS

3THE AIM OF STYLISTIC ANALYSIS

The basic aim of stylistic analysis is to find out the linguistics elements in a text and to show its function to help in doing literary criticism of the particular text. The method is approved by Stankiewicz (as cited in Anjanikamer Sinha). It says the poetic text is the most dynamic and open ended type of message and not a hermetically closed and self- reflection structure. Sinha further explains the point that a theory of stylistics should not only tell us what the structure of a text but also what it is. Only then it indicates what makes a text dynamic and open ended. (Language style and discourse) It is not only acceptable but an essential apparatus for literary critics. So the aim and the purpose of stylistics is not only to analyze text from linguistic point of view but also to tell us how these linguistic elements help to infer the meaning and understand the theme that has blended with the linguistic features.

3.1 Analysis of the Poem

The speaker seems a bit jealous of the freedom of the

skylark, which travels where it pleases. It doesnt

matter when or wherewhether it is dusk (the

sunken sun) or morning (the silver sphere refers to

the morning star)the speaker feels that the skylark

is always flying high above. Even if we do not see it,

or even hear it, we feel it is there.

The speaker admits to not knowing whether the bird

is happy, however, or from where it receives its joy.

He puts five stanzas in the middle of the poem in

metaphors, comparing the skylark to other living

objects in nature (poets, a maiden, worms, and

roses), which express love, pain, and sorrow. None of

them, however, has the expressive ability of the

singing bird. The poet hopes to learn about the realm of spirit from the bird, plainly asking to teach

him how it manages to continue on with its rapture so divine without ever wavering in pain or

sorrow. Even the happiest of human songs, like a wedding song (Chorus hymeneal), does not

compare to the song of a skylark.

The song of the skylark, rather than the skylark itself, is what holds all the power. It is the song

that can have the light of thought of the poet, the soothing love of the maiden, invisible

existence as the glow-worm golden, and the aura of a rose. It is this power to awaken so many

different parts in nature, and make them aware to the human mind, that Shelley wants to be

taught.

Eventually, the speaker seems to come to terms with the idea that in some ways, ignorance can be

bliss. Yet, this makes the skylarks joy inhuman. We look before and after, and pine for what is

not, but a bird lives in the moment. Nevertheless, recognizing the beauty in the simple brain of

this skylark, the speaker would be happy to know only half its gladness, seeking the ability to

inspire others the way he was inspired by the bird.

This poem goes hand-in-hand with Ode to the West Wind in that Shelley uses objects in nature as

a catalyst for both inspiration and introspection as to what his own purpose is as poet. Immediately

referring to the skylark as a blithe spirit makes the bird a supernatural object Shelley is doting

upon. As he watches the bird climb higher and higher into the sky, he begins to employ natural

metaphors commonly found in religion and mythology to describe the aesthetic beauty and poetic

devotion he has for this unbodied joy.

The bird continues its upward flight until it is no longer visible, turning its song into climatic-like

events in nature: like a cloud of fire, like the golden lightning, like a star in heaven, and keen

as the arrows from the morning star. These metaphoric elements help create the myth and power

of the skylark, and represent it as a kind of celestial being.

What thou art we know not; What is most like thee? is Shelley showing his vulnerability as a poet

and his jealousy of the blithe ignorance of the bird. Setting up the closing stanzas, where he admits

to wanting only half of its gladness, the redirection of the poem into the mind of the poet rather

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than a description of its subject reflects the struggle Shelley has with the intellectual side of

experience. Like Keats nightingale, Shelleys skylark is a window into the poets understanding of

the relationship between sadness and joy, experience and knowledge, and his desire to only be

under the influence of joy and knowledge, even though he knows that is not possible. Finally,

beyond recognizing the difference between himself and the glorious song of the skylark, Shelley

keeps the hope that someday his words will be heard and heeded the way he is listening to and

being inspired by his avian muse.

The fifteenth stanza, the question stanza, marks the beginning of Shelleys separation of the

mortal from the spiritual. Asking questions creates room for the poet to provide answers. The

answer he comes up with is that we, unlike the song of the skylark, are mortals capable of

dreaming sweet melodies. It is not good enough to have unreflective joy, and thus even our

sincerest laughter is often accompanied with our saddest thought, yet this is the reality we must

Acknowledge.

3.2ANALYSIS ON THE LEVEL OF SYNTAX/GRAMMAR

For its detailed stylistic analysis, the morphological level of the poem is a better ground to start with. The rest of the linguistic levels are considered later on for instance, grammatical deviations, foregrounding, graph logical and phonological deviations. My initial interpretation of the poem, To a Skylark came about solely as a consequence of looking at the lexis of the poem.The smallest unit that carries linguistic information is said to be morpheme. There are two types of morphemes: free and bound. Free morphemes can stand alone but bound morphemes cannot stand independently. Free morphemes are divided as lexical morphemes (generally known as open class words) such as noun, verb, adjective etc. Mostly writers play with them and manipulate them according to their own purpose. And functional morphemes (known as closed class words) function as mortar between lexical morphemes. They work more like sentence glue to link words together in a meaningful order. Writers do not interfere with them usually. They are determiners, prepositions, conjunctions and so on. Let's consider open class words in the poem. We focus first on nouns and noun phrases used in the poem. Table 1 includes all the nouns in detail.3.3DISTRIBUTION OF NOUN PHRASES IN POEM

Shelley has chosen title for the poem To a Skylark because it can be derived from the verb Galan which means to sing and that is how the song of Skylark became a source of inspiration for the poem. The first part of the word Skylark can also be associated to the noun gale which means an extremely strong wind. It gives us the idea that the speaker is moved by a gale of emotions and imagination.HailPraiseHigherFaint

PoorestNearToo much

SingingGoldenWinged

SoarPale people

Float, runUnseenTwinkling

MeltsShrillJoyous

HearKeenClear

NarrowsSilver

SeeHardlySweet

FeelClearDivine

RainsAll

KnowLoud

IsLonely

To seeOut

ShowersOver flowed

SingingBight

To sympathy

HeededHidden

SoothingUnbidden

ScatteringWroght

ScreenHigh born

EmboweredSecret

DefloweredSweet

GivesOverflow

MakesGolden

WasUnbeholden

SurponAerial

TeachGreen

LandWarm

Heavy

Sweet

AbstractIf we deem over the chart of lexics gathered from the poem we see in table one abstract noun in plenty as compare to the others. Abstract nouns are names of those things which do not have any concrete or material existence. These nouns prove the idea that imagination or fancy is one of the major themes of the poem. Shelley himself upholds the theme by saying that blith spirit - Bird thou never went.On the other hand there are nouns that one way or the other covers the semantic area of the world of men. These nouns are very few in number and there is no such word or noun that suggests the idea of immense pleasure. The third group of nouns is a kind of link between the world of world of men and the world of fancy.

Scent

Sounds

Music

Sprint

Thought

Love

Ruptured

Thus we can derive that Skylark is partly a spirit whose extreme pleasure has become a source of inspiration and partly a mortal being which has realized death a source of undergoing into eternity.In the second table we see verbs that are mostly stave verb. Very few action verbs have been used. This comparison makes us comprehend the dilemma of the poem. From avoiding action verbs we conclude that to achieve perfect happiness it does not need any effort. But it is something that is natural. By putting efforts we cannot access the natural and perfect joy that a skylark enjoys.Near the end of the poem in line 96, 98 are rhyming lines which very apply repeal a parallel structure of modifier + pre-conjunction + determiner + noun.Line 96 = better than all measuresLine 98 = better than all treasures| e z a r |There is also a perfect repetition of structure as well as sound save the two sounds of |me| and |tr|. In the two lines the whole theme has been concluded that happiness does not lie in wealth and money but it is a God-gifted and an exemption from all these things.It has been demonstrated that repetition is the fundamental element in the ode To a Skylark as it has been found from the very beginning to the end of the poem. It not only emphasizes structures, words and ideas but also gives us the impression of poetic inspiration fancy and yearning for unbound pleasure. Every structure in the poem represents the particular image that is described in its surface structure.3.4PHONOLOGICAL ANALYSIS

The poem consists of twenty one short stanzas of five lines each. The rhyming scheme of a b, a b runs throughout the poem which has added to its regularity the dominant sound meter in the poem is trochaic tetrameter in initial four lines of each stanza but the fifth stanza. Suddenly rises from tetra to pentameter. The sound meter goes straight throughout the poems such asHailToTheeBlitheSpirit

BirdThouNeverWert

ThatFromHeavenOrNearIt

In profuse strains of unpremeditated artThe continuous rhyming and sound pattern signifies not exhausting and never ending flight and its sweet song.3.5CONSONANCE OF |M|, |T|

The frequent repetition of assonance |li| sound produces and euphonic effect in the poem as in line 25 we hardly see but we feel that it is there. The same sound pattern has been repeated again in line 55. Makes faint with too much sweet those heavy winged thieves thus the repetition of |eel| sound produces a please euphonic effect that pleases the ear. Furthermore the same effect is produced by |k| and |d| in line 76 and 47 respectively.3.6REPETITION

Repetition is the most important and abundant feature in this poem, which helps a poem, emphasizes and puts stress on the main problem of a poem; and its significant features in line 6 we see the first lexical repetition in the poem. In this case we are dealing with a lexical repetition.3.7HIGHER STILL AND HIGHER

The modifier higher is used in its comparative form that each time the bird goes further up towards the sky it keeps on its journey towards the heights of the sky. In line 10 the same idea occurs in a structural repetition.Line 10: And singing still does soarAnd soaring every singestHere we see the two clauses manifest, a structure conjunction + present participial + copula. The same structure is repeated in one sentence. There is another structure that has been frequently repeated in the poem.Preposition + indefinite article + (modifier) + noun as in line 36, 41, 46, 51, 8, ,8 ,18, 15In line 36, 51, the modifier has been used attributively whereas in 41 and 46 it is used as predicatively. The slight variation signals to the temporal or slight pause in the flight of the bird; however, the bird goes on upwards keep on singing.The structural repetition also exhibits the fact that the bird never feels bored by repeating the same song and journey. As a reader does not get bore with this repeated structure. Rather a reader enjoys its slight rhythmic variation. In these repeated structures different nouns have been used.Line 8 A cloud of fireLine 15 Unbodied joyLine 18 A star of heavenLine 36 Poet hidden Line 41 High born maidenLine 46 Glow warm goldenLine 51 Rose emboweredWe divided these nouns into two groups. Poet, maiden is the first group that gives us the idea of the world of men. Group two includes nouns namely joy, cloud, glow, rose, star. These nouns suggest the world of nature or the world of skylark. This proves that the author reinforces through the use of these two kinds of nouns the idea of two different worlds.Such as the world of men that is nothing but pain and worries and the world of skylark or nature that means only happiness. In the above line Shelly talks of pleasure but in a very sad melancholic tone. Similarly the assonance |li| sound also suggests the effect of the bird song and the state of the speaker being deeply inspired. Shelley talks of the human passion, sorrows and joys in the line our sweetest songs are those that tell of saddest thought in this particular line stop |t| and plosive |s| are two dominant sounds. Though both are two different and contrasting sounds but their combination creates musicality that is difficult to pronounce but is pleasing. Thus from the brief study of the sound of the poem we have derived that the musicality, and sound of the poem very closely resemble the sweet sound of a skylark and the main theme of the poem that is inspiration.3.8IMAGERY/COMPOUND

To produce a pictorial effect in the poem the speaker has made a deliberate use of compound nouns and modifiers frequently and has succeeded to achieve his goal to a great extent. The phrase cloud of fire is a kind of oxymoron and collocation deviation for both the words represent two different and contrasting ideas. Cloud is something that is cold and fire is fire that is hot. So a fire cannot be cold, nor can cloud be hot; but it seems as if it is a cloud of fire. It means that its reality is different than what it seems in line 16, modifying male purple even is a successful effort to draw a visual image of evening; the alliteration of |p| sound further beautifies its charm, and the words bring a visual image in front of our mental eyes which makes us fully enjoy the line. The same technique has been practiced again in line 29 and 30.Stanza 12 is the best example of phonaesthesia. For instance, we feel auditory image in these lines as:sound of vernal showers on the twinkling grassWe feel and hear the very sound of rain that falls on the lush green waving, dancing and fluttering grass. The rainfall and fluttering of grass produce a mutual sweet musical noise. They very noise has been in the form of words in the referred line. Stanza 11 reveals a very colorful image of sight. As the speaker says that:Like a rose embowered Line 51 and 52 describe the sight of flowers that wins our admiration. The words rose embowered in its own green leaves capture the very state and scenery of the spring flower. Phrases such as by warm winds, till the scent it gives are a slight touch of thermal and olfactory images respectively.We can sum up that the poem is replete with various kinds of images which enhance its beauty and charm. The various similes and metaphors have been described in such words and compounds that help a reader to enjoy the very essence. Theme of the poem as the poet enjoys the song of the skylark.3.9RHETORICAL DEVICES

Shelley has practiced his hand on a few rhetorical devices in the poem. In the very first line he addresses the kind and has used apostrophe. Hail to the blithe spirit, the line has been analyzed under the discussion on morphological ground. The same device has been used in the poem from time to time, such as bird thou never went lines 2 thou in lines 7, 14, 20 they in lines 20, 27, 25, 72, thee in line 79.Such words show a direct address in the poem. The addresser seems very much interested in the bird. These address words also suggest the fact that there is a vast difference between you and I between the addressor and the addressee. The addressee possesses some extra ordinary quality that the addresser is longing for. Similarly the method of using directive verbs as teach me (line, 101) signifies the close communication in the poem. In stanza 15 Shelley has put many rhetorical questions. What objects .. ? (Stanza, 15). Through asking questions in this way, the speaker has successfully transferred his passion and feelings into the reader. This technique enhances curiosity and interest of a reader in the bird.A reader becomes as keen to know about the nature and source of the birds joy as Shelley himself. Stylistic analysis of the poem amply enables us to understand its main tension, which is a hunt for perfect joy. At the end of this search and exploration the speaker realizes that being mortal we never achieve this perfect joy. He claims that if he achieves this perfect joy he will sing as stirring and stimulating song as the bird does.CHAPTER 4

SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION

4.1 SUMMARY

This work has partially been able to use the elements of stylistics under lexicon-syntactic patterns and choices, phonological, morphological and graph logical devices to analyze the poem Shelleys To a Skylark. The display of stylistics in the poem, the function and the effects in the poem their functions and their effects in the poem have been the major focus of this research work.The first chapter is the introductory aspect where the general introduction/background to the study, research problem, aims and objectives/statement of purpose, scope of the study, justification, research methodology, data description and the biography of the poet are given briefly.Chapter two comprises a review of related literature, a theoretical framework on which the analysis is based; the elements upon which the data are analyzed are explained briefly. A statistical analysis of data is done in Chapter three. Seven (7) poems of Whole Soyinka collected from a Selection are analyzed using the above mentioned levels of stylistic analysis.In conclusion, this work reveals that the choice of words in any piece of writing is very important. Words are capable of expressing thoughts and feelings effectively and passing across the intended message of the writer to the hearer/reader of the work. It also reveals that putting all these into consideration can thus make any piece of writing to be efficient and fulfilled.4.2 CONCLUSION

Since we have analyzed the poem To a skylark stylistically, now we are in a position to give some conclusion to what we have discussed. After the introductory chapter, we briefly discussed what stylistics is. We have proved it in the light of writings of prominent stylisticians that it is a field of study which functions as a bridge between linguistics and literary criticism. A slight touch is given to the history and origin of the field. The term style and its effects on the definition of stylistic are discussed in detail. The second part of the research consists of the analysis of the poem. First the aim of the poem is mentioned. Shelleys age and its stylistic trends are talked about. The literary theme and idea of the poem is discussed, and then in the following chapters it is shown that how stylistic analysis of a poem explains the theme and ideas of the poem. It even highlights the elements that we might otherwise miss. Analyzing the poem stylistically also highlights how the minute features of the poem contribute to the poem which we usually ignore and consider as common. Stylistics, then, is helpful to explain those parts of the poem, which, we are otherwise unable to understand.BIBLIOGRAPHY

Abrams, M.H.. (1981), A Glossary of literary Terms Newyork: Holt, Rinehartand Winston.Alabi, V.A. (2007), Lexico-syntactic, phonological and graphological patterns,choices And devices in Discourse. O. Obafemi, G.A. Ajadi, V.A. Alabi(eds.), Critical Perspectives on English Language & Literature, Ilorin: TheDepartment of English, university of Ilorin.Aronoff, M. and Fudeman, K., (2005), What is Morphology?, Malden, USA,UK,Carlton, Australia: Blackwell publishers.Carter, R. (ed.), (1982), An introductory Readers in Stylistics: Newyork: GeorgeAllen & Unwin (publishers) Ltd.Carter, R. (1988), What is Stylistics and why can we teach it in different ways, M.Short (ed.), Reading, Analysing & teaching literature, Newyork and UK:Longman Group.Corbett, E.P.J. (1971), Classical Rhetoric for the Modern Student: Newyork:OUP.Freeman, D.C. (ed.) (1971), Linguistics and literary Style, New York: Holt,Rinehart & Winston.Haynes, J. (1989), Introducing Stylistics, London & New York: Unwin HymanLA.Longman.Lodge, K. (2009), A Critical Introduction to Phonetics, London & New York:Continuum international publishing GrogeTallerman, M. (1998), Understanding Syntax, London & UK: Holder EducationLtd.Toolan, M. (1998), Language in literature- An introduction to Stylistics, U.K &London: Hodder Education.Widdowson, H.G. (1975), Stylistics and the teaching of literature, London:Longman Group Ltd.Appendix 1

POEM SHELLELY TO A SKYLARK

1. Hail to thee blithe spiritBird thou never wertThat from Heaven, or near it,pourest the full heartin profuse strains of unpremeditated art .2. higher still and higherfrom the earth thou springestthe blue deep thou wingest,and singing still dost soar, and soaring ever singest,3. in the golden lightningof the sunken sunoer which clouds are brightening,thou dost float and run;like an unbodied joy whose race is just begun4. the pale purple evenmelts around the flight;like a star of heavenin the broad daylightthou art unseen, but yet I hear the shrill delight,5. keen as are the arrowsof that silver sphere,whose intense lamp narrowsin the white dawn clearuntil we hardly see-we feel that it is there.6. all the earth and airwith thy voice is loudas, when night is bare,from one lonely cloudthe moon rains out her beams, and heaven is overflowed.7.What thou art we know not,what is most like thee?From rainbow clouds there flow notDrops so bright to seeAs from thy presence showers a rain of melody8.Like a poet hiddenIn the light of thoughtSinging hymns unbiddenTill the world is wrought9.To sympathy with hopes and fears it heeded notLike a high born maidenIn a palace towerSoothing her love-ladenSoul in secret hourWith music sweet as love, which overflows her bower?10. like a glow worm goldenIn a dell of dew,Scattering unbeholdenIts aerial hueAmong the flowers and grass, which screen it from the view!11.Like a rose emboweredIn its own green leavesBy warm winds defloweredTill the scent it givesMakes faint with too much sweet those heavy winged thieves12.Sound of vernal showersOn the twinkling grassRain-awakened flowersAll that ever wasJoyous, and clear, and fresh, thy music doth surpass13.Teach us, spirit or birdWhat sweet thoughts is thaneI have never heardPraise of love or wineThat panted forth a flood of rapture so divine14.Chorus hymeneal,Or triumphal chant,Matched with thine would be allBut are empty vauntA thing wherein we feel there is some hidden want15.What objects are the fountainsOf thy happy strain?What fields, or waves, or mountains?What shapes of sky or plain?What love of thine own kind? What ignorance of pain?16.With thy clear keen joyanceLanguor cannot beShadow of annoyanceNever came near theeThou lowest but neer knew loves sad satiety17.Waking or asleep,Thou of death must deemThings more true and deepThan we mortals dreamOr how could thy notes flow in such a crystal stream?18.We look before and afterAnd pine for what is notOur sincerest laughterWith some pain is fraughtOur sweetest songs are those that tell of saddest thought19.Yet if we could scornHate, and pride, and fearIf we were things bornNot to shed a tearI know not how thy joy we ever should come near20.Better than all measuresOf delightful soundBetter than all treasuresThat in books are foundThy skill to poet were, thou scorner of the ground!21.Teach me half the gladnessThat thy brain must knowSuch harmonious madnessFrom my lips would flow

The world should listen then as I am listening now

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