One of the most common tasks given in many schools is memorizing poetry. Unfortunately, not everyone is able to memorize, such as poetry by Chairil Anwar, easily. While it may seem like you need a lot of study before memorizing your assigned poem, by following and developing the steps in this article, you'll be able to memorize a wide variety of poems quickly and effectively.
Step
Method 1 of 2: Memorizing Formal Poetry
Step 1. Read the assigned poem aloud several times
It is important to remember that all poetry-whether rhyming or non-rhyming-comes from the storytelling tradition. This means, poetry was created to be read and heard. Before television was invented, people entertained themselves by telling stories through poetry. While literacy was not yet widespread in society, there were several characteristics instilled in poetry-from rhyming patterns to metrical shapes-that could help people who cannot read poetry to remember the plot of the poem or story that was read.
- Before you try to remember the assigned poem, read the poem aloud a few times. Then, try rewriting or typing a poem you read in a book or a word-editing app on your computer.
- Don't just read every word; try to present your poetry reading as if you were telling people something. In a quiet scene or setting, lower your tone of voice. Raise your voice as you relate an empathetic moment or incident to the poem. To mark important grooves, use hand gestures. Read the poem theatrically.
- It is important that you read your poetry aloud, rather than just reading silently. By listening to a poem read aloud, you can hear rhymes and rhythms that can help you memorize the poem.
Step 2. Find the meaning of the words you don't understand
Poets are people who love words. Therefore, they often use words that are not commonly used today. If you are required to memorize old poems (especially those of the old or new generation of poets), there is a good chance that you will come across ancient words or grammatical structures that you do not understand. By knowing the meaning of the words or sentences that you find in the poem, you will be able to memorize the poems more easily later. For example, you can read a poem called Not Beta Wise Berperi by Rustam Effendi.
- When reading the first stanza, you may need to look for the meaning of words like 'berperi' (to say), 'madahan' (praise), and 'mair' (death) to understand the message conveyed through the poem.
- The first stanza tells about the writer who feels that he is not a great person or 'wise' because he is not good at composing poetry (praise). The author also emphasizes that he is not a 'slave' in his country who is always subject to regulations or restraints which he considers an 'invitation to mair' (death).
- Sometimes, what makes you unable to understand the meaning of a poem is not the meaning of the words, but the use of metaphors in the poem. Take a look at the fourth stanza of the poem Not Beta Wise Berperi. You may know the word-by-word meaning of the stanza, but you may still find it difficult to understand the message conveyed in the stanza.
- In the stanza, the phrase 'hard for a moment' means 'hard times'. The poet expresses his feelings about the difficulties in life that he often faces because ease does not come.
- In the same stanza, the phrase 'painting mamang' refers to the shadow of fear. The last two lines of the fourth stanza read "Often I find it difficult to persevere, because I am trapped in a painting of a mamang." These two lines describe how the author finds it difficult to 'get close' or take the steps he wants to take because he is trapped in something-rules or restraints-which is one of his fears.
- Overall, the fourth stanza in the poem tells about the writer who often faces difficulties in his life because ease does not come. The author also cannot achieve what he dreams of because he feels constrained by the existing regulations.
- If you are having trouble understanding the meaning of the poem, try reading the instructions or references in your library or on the internet.
Step 3. Learn and live the story told through your poetry
Now that you understand the words you don't normally use, the wording, and the imagery of the poem, you now need to learn the story of the poem. If you don't understand the meaning of the poem, you will have a hard time memorizing the poem because you will have to try to memorize a series of unrelated and meaningless words. Therefore, before you memorize the poem, you should be able to summarize the story in the poem in a simple and direct explanation from your memory. Don't worry if you don't use the same words in the poem; the most important thing is that you draw conclusions from the content of the poem.
- Some poems are narrative works. That is, the poems actually contain a story. One example of narrative poetry is a poem entitled Perahu Kertas by Sapardi Djoko Damono.
- In the poem Paper Boat, the narrator tells of a child who liked to make paper boats when he was a child and once sailed a paper boat in a river. Then, there was an old man who told the boy that the boat would later 'drop over' in many places. The child feels happy and continues to wait for 'news' from the boat he misses. In the end, the son heard the news that his boat was used in a great flood and then stranded on a hill. This poem contains allusions that refer to the Prophet Noah. In addition, this poem has a message about self-devotion to God (represented by a paper boat) which should be shown sincerely (as is the case with a child who likes to make paper boats), although in humans there must always be hope or desire to get something in return.
Step 4. Find the relationship between each stanza or part of the poem
Not all poetry is narrative and tells a story in a clear plot (incident 1, then event 2, and so on). However, all poetry must tell or have a message, and the best poems (which are generally commissioned by your teacher) usually have a unique way of moving the plot or progression. Even if there is no clear plot, try to figure out the meaning or message of the poem by understanding the relationship between each stanza or section of the poem. For example, you could read an English poem entitled Year's End by Richard Wilbur.
- This poem begins with a fairly clear description of the background, namely New Year's Eve (represented through the phrase "the dying of the year". The narrator of the poem is walking in an area and looks into a window of a house. Because of the frost that covered the glass, he could only see shapes moving from the window.
- The development and progress of the storyline in this poem is almost entirely shown through associative imagery. Through associative imagery, one image in the poem will be linked to another image through whatever associations the author has. This is different from the story in general with a plot that is developed through the logic or chronology of the story.
- In the poem Year's End, the frosted glass window in the first stanza brings the writer's mind to the image of a frozen lake (second stanza) because the frosted glass window, to the author, looks like the surface of a frozen lake. Then, on the surface of the frozen lake there are several leaves that fall and stick to the surface of the lake when it starts to freeze. The leaves were then stuck to the ground and vibrated in the wind like a perfect masterpiece.
- The perfection described at the end of the second stanza is redefined in the third stanza as 'the perfection in the death of ferns'. In addition to perfection, the picture of the frozen state is again shown in the third stanza; just as the frozen leaves on a lake look like a masterpiece in the second stanza, in the third stanza the ferns freeze and become fossilized. Then, just as fossils freeze, ancient elephants or mammoths froze, with carcasses preserved in the ice.
- The preservation of the carcass described at the end of the third stanza is reiterated in the fourth stanza, depicted as the carcass of a dog preserved in the ruins of Pompeii, a city in Italy that was destroyed by a volcanic eruption. However, the city was not completely destroyed because the forms of buildings in the city remained visible and 'preserved' by volcanic ash.
- The last stanza is taken from the description of the sudden death of the people in Pompeii. They were exposed to volcanic ash and lava, so they simply 'frozen' in place and never knew that death would come suddenly. The last stanza brings the reader back to the atmosphere described in the first stanza: New Year's Eve which is the end of a year. Through the poem, the narrator advises that although we are all stepping into the future, we need to think about the 'end' that may come suddenly, as depicted in the poem through leaves that just freeze in the lake, fossilized ferns and elephant carcasses. ancient times, and the sudden death of the people of Pompeii.
- This poem may be difficult to memorize because it does not have a chronological plot development. However, by understanding the process of association between each stanza, you can remember the plot as follows: looking through a crystal window on New Year's Eve → the leaves on the frozen lake surface like a perfect masterpiece → the perfection of the fossilized ferns and the preserved carcass of an ancient elephant in the ice → human remains preserved by volcanic ash in Pompeii → all the sudden endings must always be remembered, at the end of the year, while we all look to the future.
Step 5. Know the meter pattern in your poem
If you are tasked with memorizing poetry (especially English poetry), you will need to understand the concept of the meter. Metrum (meter) is a rhythm in a line of poetry formed by the 'foot of the meter' or syllables that have different stress patterns. In English, each word has a certain emphasis on the syllable level. The same word can have different meanings if the emphasis is placed on different syllables. The most common example of meter feet in English poetry is iambs. Iamb has two syllables-the first syllable is unstressed, and the second syllable is stressed, so when you read it you sound like a ba-DUM rhythm (like when you say the word 'hel-LO').
- Other common types of meter feet in English poetry are: trochee (DUM-da; 'MORN-ing'), dactyl (DUM-da-da; 'PO-et-ry'), anapest (ba-ba-DUM; 'ev-er-MORE'), and spondee (DUM-DUM; 'PRAISE HIM').
- In English, almost all poetry uses a lot of iambic rhythm patterns. However, some poems also use a variety of meter patterns. This variation is often found in important moments or events in the poem. Try looking for variations in the rhythm pattern of key events in the poem that you need to memorize.
- The meter in poetry is often limited by the number of meter feet in the line of the poem. For example, if there is a line of poetry called iambic pentameter, it means that the line is formed by five (penta) pieces of iamb pattern: ba-DUM ba-DUM ba-DUM ba-DUM ba-DUM. An example of an iambic pentameter line in English poetry is in William Shakespeare's Sonnet 18: "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?"
- Dimeter means there are two feet of the meter in a row; trimer means three feet of the meter; tetrameter means four feet of the meter; hexameter means six feet of meter; and heptameter means seven feet of meter. You will very rarely find a line of poetry with more than seven meter feet.
- Count how many syllables and rhythm patterns are in each line, then determine the meter type of the poem. This way, it will be easier for you to learn the rhythm of the poem.
- For example, there are major differences between poems written in an iambic tetrameter pattern, such as In Memorian A. H. H. by Alfred Lord Tennyson and dactylic dimeter patterned poems, such as Alfred Lord Tennyson's The Charge of the Light Brigade.
- As you did in step one, read the poem aloud several times, but also pay attention to the music or the rhythm of each line. Read the poem several times until you can read it naturally and guess the music, including metrical variations to the poem, such as when you listen to or sing your favorite song.
Step 6. Memorize the formal structure of your poem
Formal poetry, also known as metric rhyme, is poetry written following a pattern of combinations of rhyme, stanza length, and meter. Now that you know the meter of your poem, now you need to pay attention to the rhyming pattern of the poem which can tell you how many lines are in each stanza. Use internet clues or references to see if the poem you're memorizing is an example of a particular poetic form-for example, Petrarchan's sonnet, villanel, or sestina. Your poem may also have a different form, or it may be a poem whose formal structure does not fall into the categories of poetry, but which the particular poet used to write the poem on purpose.
- There are many reliable sources on the internet to learn more about the formal structure of the poetry you're memorizing.
- By memorizing the formal structure of the poem, you can train your memory for the next word or phrase that comes up when you suddenly forget your memory while reading the poem.
- For example, if you try to read Muhammad Yamin's poem Shepherd, but suddenly get stuck at the end of the second line because you forgot, you just need to remember that the poem is a Petrarchan sonnet that starts with the A-B-B-A rhyme pattern.
- Since the first line ends with the word 'real' and the second line ends with the word 'dendang', you can guess that the third line will end with a word that rhymes with the word 'dendang' and the fourth line will end with a word that rhymes with the word 'real'.
- You can recall the rhythm of the poem's music (for example, iambic pentameter) to help you hum the rhythm until you can recall a forgotten line: “A man in the middle of a field; / no shirt open head."
Step 7. Reread your poem aloud several times
Now you will feel the difference reading the poem compared to when you first read it because now you have a deeper understanding of the story, meaning and message of the poem, as well as its rhythm and musicality, and formal structure.
- Read your poem at a slow, theatrical pace, and use all your knowledge of the poem to improve your performance. The more you experience the theatrical performance of a poem, the easier it will become in your mind.
- As each line of the poem begins to read naturally without you having to look at the page of the poem, try reading the poem more often from your memory.
- Don't be afraid to revisit your poetry pages if necessary. Use the page of the poem as a guide to exercise your memory for as long as you need it.
- As you continue to read the poem aloud over and over, you will eventually feel that more and more lines of the poem can be read from your memory.
- Make a natural transition or change from reading poetry directly through notes to reading through memory.
- Once you have successfully recited your poem from memory, continue reading the poem at least five to six more times to make sure your reading is perfect.
Method 2 of 2: Memorizing Free Poems
Step 1. Know that memorizing free verse is more difficult than memorizing formal poetry
Free verse became popular after the modernist movement in the early 20th century, when poets such as Ezra Pound stated that the rules of rhyme pattern, meter pattern, and stanza structure that dominated poetry throughout history were unable to describe anything close to truth or reality. As a result, most of the poems written in the last hundred years lack rhyme, regular rhythm patterns, or stanza rules, making them more difficult to memorize.
- Even if you have successfully memorized formal poetry like the previous sonnets, don't immediately assume that memorizing free verse will be as easy as memorizing formal poetry.
- Be prepared to try even harder.
- If you can choose which poems to memorize as a class assignment and you have a busy schedule, it's a good idea to choose formal poetry over free rhymes.
Step 2. Read your poem aloud several times
As you would when memorizing formal poetry, you need to start by understanding the rhythm of your free rhyme. However, there are only a few formal characteristics in free verse, so other poetry (besides free) will be easier to memorize. This is in line with the words of T. S. Elliot: “No verse is free for the man who wants to do a good job.”. The meaning of the utterance is that all types of language, including everyday spoken language, can be analyzed to find out the patterns and rhythms of the meter that are made at the subconscious level, and a good poet is able to know the musicality of the lines of poetry, even without the existence of parameters of the structure of the poem. stiff: “What sort of a line that would be which would not scan at all I cannot say.” (Which line of poetry can't be researched to find out what I can't say?)
- When reading your poem aloud, try to follow how the poet reads his own poem. Does the poet use commas to slow down the speed of the poem, or does the poem need to be read at a fast, uninterrupted tempo?
- In English poetry, free rhymes generally describe the natural rhythm of speech-as natural as possible-so that free rhymes mostly use an iambic meter which is very similar to the natural rhythm of speech in English. Is this reflected in the assigned poem?
- Or, does this poem have a rhythm that turns out to be different from the iambic meter? For example, James Dickey is known as a poet who often inserts 'surprise' lines of anapestic trimmers throughout the free rhymes he writes. An example of a poem by James Dickey that has a changing meter pattern is The Lifeguard. This poem is largely composed of iambic lines, but is interspersed with anapestic trimmer and dimeter lines which read: “In a STable of BOATS I lie STILL”; “the LEAP of a FISH from its SHAdow”; “with my FOOT on the WATer I FEEL.”
- Read your poem aloud and over and over again until you get to the musical rhythm the poet intended.
Step 3. Find the meaning of words or references that you don't understand
Since free verse is a fairly recent piece of literature, chances are you won't come across ancient words that you don't know. Some branches of free verse are poems that try as much as possible to imitate the common conversational style of language rather than the poetic style of language. William Wordsworth, the influential pioneer of free poetry, said that poetry is just like "someone talking to someone else." However, because poets try to push boundaries on language, they often use vocabulary that tends to be rarely used to make their works more artistic. Therefore, make good use of your dictionary.
- Modern and contemporary poetry tend to have high allusions. Therefore, pay attention and check the references that you do not understand. Generally, free verse contains classical references to Greek, Roman, and Egyptian mythology, as well as references to the Bible. Look up the meaning of any available references to deepen your understanding of the meaning of your lines of poetry.
- For example, Toto Sudarto Bachtiar's poem Unknown Hero has an allusion that may be difficult to understand without looking at the references in the poem (eg “Today is November 10”). (Besides, this poem may also be difficult to memorize)
- Again, this search for meaning and references is meant to ensure that you understand the poem before you try to memorize it. Surely it will be easier to memorize poetry that you do understand, right?
Step 4. Find the important or memorable parts of your poem
Since you can't really rely on rhyme or poetry to train your memory, try to find important points in the poem to use as a reference for your memory. Examine the poem carefully for parts that you may like or surprise. Try to separate the sections from the whole poem, so that you get a separate line or phrase that is unique to each section, regardless of how you separate the sections. If the poem you're memorizing is written in one long stanza, you can choose a unique picture or phrase for every four lines of the poem, or even for each line, regardless of how many lines of poetry describe that unique picture.
- For example, try reading the poem entitled Body by Mansur Samin. For this poem, we can immediately note the main images found along the lines of the poem.
- My eyes swelled; quiet hall; lying corpse; the night is getting quieter; boisterous steps galloping; confusion with airplanes; noise and running spikes; my eyes landed on the corpse; tough attitude of the students; on his sleeves black bands and sampas; a white paper with the names: Arief Rahman Hakim; on the way back to the East; drizzling; the shirt was wet; look at the Salemba buildings; the hall of the University of Indonesia; mourning ceremony.
- Notice how these phrases convey important images and are key to the movement of the poem's flow.
- By memorizing these key phrases before you try to read the poem from memory, you will have important keys that can help you remember the flow of the poem if you ever get stuck in forgetting.
- Memorize the wording of these important phrases correctly, according to the order in the poem. This way, you can get a brief outline of the poem, so it will be easier for you to draw conclusions from the poem you memorized later.
Step 5. Use the key phrases you got earlier to conclude your poem
Like when you're memorizing a formal poem, you need to understand well the story or meaning behind the assigned free rhyme before you try to memorize it. This way, if you suddenly forget a word while you're reading the rhyme, you can recall the conclusions you made to train your memory for what word came next. Focus on using the key phrases that came from the previous steps in writing the conclusion to the poem and make sure you are able to explain the bond or relationship between one phrase and the next in your own language.
Try presenting the poem like a play to help you remember the chronological plot of the poem, especially if the poem assigned is a narrative poem. For example, you can read the poem Aku by Chairil Anwar. Although it is not a narrative poem, this poem has been widely presented, either in the form of poetry musicals or in theatrical poetry performances. I am a poem that may be difficult to memorize. This poem can be said to be a half rhyme because it has a rhyme, but the pattern is not always the same
Step 6. Reread your poem several times
You should already start memorizing the poem because you have prepared a list of key phrases to use in your conclusion. Continue reading the poem aloud and, in subsequent readings, try to rely more on the key phrases at hand without looking at the notes.
- Don't feel pressured if you haven't read your poem perfectly on the first reading. If you feel depressed, try to relax for a moment and rest for five minutes so that your mind is refreshed.
- Remember to use the description or key phrases and conclusions that you have made to help you memorize each line in your poem.
