Introduction
Jo Shapcott is a prolific poet who had won national poetry more than once. He was trained both in Britain and America, Shapcott writes about Smells, Identity, Sexual politics, Myths, Language as well as Bodies. He uses both surrealist and feminist wit to create poetic themes, styles, powerful imaginative and original pieces of literary work. Shapcott is the author of these famous poems, namely, The Sting, I Tell the Bees, The Threshold, CCD, Going about with the Bees, and also the Hive. Although these poems seem to talk about the same thing and share common thematic concerns, they vary in different aspects as shown across the entire paper. The paper aims to compare the six poems by Jo Shapcott based on their thematic concerns, literary stylistic devices and the lessons that the readers and audience can deduct from them as well as their relationship to the contemporary society.
Analysis of "Telling the Bees"
‘Telling the Bees’ gives an insight on how people are usually curious about bees. The poem uses first-person narration with the ‘I’ as the persona, hence making the poem to appear real to the reader, easy to remember, memorable and relatable to the immediate society. Using the persona ‘I’ makes the reader feel connected with the literary piece as if the reader is the persona. Comparing Telling the Bees
Connecting with the Reader with other poems by Shapccot where he has used a third-party persona, the reader finds it difficult to relate the poem to the immediate environment. “It’s over, honies,...and now you’re mine’’ (9).
Use of Puns and Metaphors
When the reader perceives himself/herself as the persona, the poem becomes more interesting the mood is easily developed out of the emotions and attachments that the reader creates with the poem. In this poem, Telling the Bees, the poet has used puns to make it more exciting and interesting to read. Puns are not displayed in CCD
Metaphors and Emotions and some other poems but the poet has employed other styles to make them interesting and enjoyable to read. Telling the Bees emphases on the curiosity of human beings to witness what bees leave on their hives when they move away. It is startling that not even one bee is left behind, in the view of the persona, when they leave their hive. It is out of this context that the title, Telling the Bees, was birthed because the bees are not as informed as of the observer. Metaphors are used too in the poem; the persona carries a book with all the information pertaining to bees which implies that when the bees are away, the persona, ‘I’, carries away the beehive and the honey. The sole purpose for using metaphors in poems is to elucidate emotions and feelings and create a relationship between the persona and the bees.
Analysis of "The Threshold"
The Threshold
Comparisons with "Telling the Bees"
is another literary work of Jo Shapcott and in so many ways it is similar to Telling the Bees but sharply contrasted because they concentrate on the life of the bees around and away from the hives respectively. Inasmuch as both the poems are educative and enlightening readers about the life of the bees, the poet depicts bees as creatures with a very unique way of communication, a language that human beings are not well conversant with. Across the poem, metaphors have been used to elucidate emotions and feelings of the reader, the poem achieved its mood through metaphors and similes. ‘...astronomy of pollen’ (4)
Juxtaposition and Different Themes
Telling the Bees expounds on the golden opportunity granted to the persona while the bees are away from the hives, The Threshold enlighten the reader about the action of the bees when they find an intruder around the hives when they return. The Threshold, equally educate readers about the forms of bees' communication which include a particular kind of movement and dances, these languages of the bees maybe so useful to aspiring or bee farmers. The use of juxtaposition adopted by the poet is useful in the development of characters in the poem. The duos appear to very similar because they both address the bees but in essence, they are different and filled with different themes and styles which are intended to communicate different information.
Analysis of "The Hive"
The Hive
Comparison with "The Threshold"
is the third in the list and is similar to The Threshold in that they both talk about what happens when the bees return to their hives. Just like Telling the Bees and The Threshold, use of metaphor is employed in The Hive too. The difference that exists between The Hive and The Threshold is that one talk about what happens inside the hive on the return of the bees while the other talks about the external activities when bees return to the hive respectively. The use of metaphor in this poem aimed at stirring feelings and to call up impressive visual images, for example, ‘I smelled of bee bread and royal jelly’ (14) and ‘.........the colony grew in my body....’ (17).
The Hive as a Palace
The poem, The Hive, has also been compared to a palace because the queen mother of bees is bestowed to be in charge of the whole hive. The queen bee is accorded the necessary security just like kingdom palaces are strongly guarded. The poet also uses a very unique rhyming scheme in writing The Hive, a stylistic device that makes the poem easy to remember and interesting to read. In The Threshold, The Hive,
Punctuation and Writing Styles
and Telling the Bees, the poet didn’t obey the punctuation rules in constructing sentences and paragraphs to bring out the real meaning of each literary work.
Analysis of "Going about with the Bees"
Going about with the Bees
Comparison with Other Poems
is similar to the above-mentioned poems while it also aims to educate readers on the ongoing activities in the hive but different in the sense that it enlighten the audience on the importance of hive and honey. Apart from metaphor as a style, personification is broadly used in this piece of literary work to aid in creating mood and feelings in the poem. Personification means allowing non-human things to take on human traits, for example, ‘...waved their antennae’ (22).
Hard Work and Rest
From the context of the poem, it implies that after a long work in the hive, bees get out of the hive to rest because the hive is now composed of wax and honey, which are all crucial and valuable to human beings. Honey is in short supply in the global market but with undeniably bigger demand. It has a lot of uses that range from medicinal to domestic as explained in the poem. This poem also empathizes on the sweet fruits of hard-work hence enlighten the audience about the outcome of hard work and the importance of rest. Unlike the other poems, the poet uses assonance in this poem which accelerates the musical effect of this poem. ‘Passers-by with briefcase...’ (10) and ‘.....over paper and leather.’ (11).
Musical Effects and Rhythm
Although assonance aids the audience in developing an interest in the poem, it also makes the poem memorable and helps in the creation of rhythm.
Analysis of "CCD"
CCD
Similarities and Differences
continues with the activities that bees partake inside the hive and in this way; CDD is similar to Going about with the Bees the Threshold, and
Use of Rhyme and Hyperbole
The Hive but different from Telling the Bees which majorly concentrates on the activities that are taking place while the bees are away. What makes CDD unique is because it presents the almost fully prepared honey. It also shares a persona with Telling the Bees, ‘My body.....became a thing for bones’ (12).
Rhyming Schemes and Emphasizing Meaning
The statement, apart from revealing the persona also shows that after the complete preparation of honey, bees flee the hive and not even an iota of honey or hive is left behind. Rhymes have been employed by the poet, not only to make the poem memorable but also to elucidate the feeling and emotion of the audience and readers of the poem, ‘...twitch, and mismatch (2).
Use of Hyperbole for Contrast
The poet also uses hyperbole to help the audience and readers to deeply understand the poem because it contrasts statement and words for deeper understanding ‘...honeycomb.....dissolved into blood...’ (6). Although CDD continues with the work of honey preparation, an activity that takes place inside the hive, the information, styles, and themes herein are completely different from the latter. The poet has also employed the use of short lines in this poem which structurally distinct the poem from the rest
Analysis of "The Sting"
The Sting enlightens readers and audience on the dangers that the bees are succumbed. Through the poem, advantages of bees in the society are applauded even though they are dangerous and most feared because of their sting. The poet revealed that bees are very dangerous when they are protecting the queen mother which in most cases occur when bees as looking for a place to build a hive. The Sting
Grand Summary of the Poems
is like a grand summary of these poems in the essence that the first poem, Telling the Bees, is talking about the activities that take place when the bees are not around the hive, the second poem, The Threshold, elaborates on the activities that take place when the bees are back. The third poem, The Hive, explains the activities that take place inside the hive. The fourth poem, Going About with the Bees, highlights the general process of honey preparation inside the hive. The fifth poem, CDD, shows the near completion and importance of honey and the sixth poem, completes the life circle of bees under one queen mother. In The Sting, an array of styles has been employed to aid in communicating the desired information to the audience and readers. Paradox has been used by the poet to provoke a new thought ‘The sting is no sting’ (9).
Repetitions and Alliterations
The poet adopts longer lines while writing The Sting filled with alliterations and repetitions that make the poem memorable and easy to understand. Repetitions and alliterations also evoke the musical tones of the poem thus makes the poem entertaining, ‘..when, wild’ and repetition, ‘....the sting’ (12).
Conclusion
Conclusively, the above six poems by Jo Shapcott bore similarities in structure and theme and differences in styles of literary writing. It can be as well assumed that these poems talk about the process involved in preparing honey and its effects or the lifestyle of bees in forests. Different literary styles have been used by the poet to communicate important information to the reader and audience as well as to stress the important points of the poem. Metaphors, alliterations, juxtaposition, personification, rhyming schemes, repetition, similes among other are used by the poet to deeply and poetically relay information to the reader. These poems are interconnected and clearly define a path that is so dear to bees and useful to humanity.
Works Cited
https://poetrysociety.org.uk/poems/six-bee-poems/
Jo Shapcott. Six Bee Poems. 2011
