Appreciation

You are welcome to the section 8 of this manual, which is closely linked to what you just studied in the previous section. The purpose of this section is to help you to scrutinise the dominant themes of poems and explore how these themes are developed throughout the text.

We will also analyse the impact of diction on meaning, theme and other poetic elements, and this will enhance your understanding of how word choice influences interpretation.

Additionally, we will review literary devices and poetic elements, and apply the knowledge gained to critique and write essays on poetry. By the time you have completed all the content of this section, your ability to analyse and appreciate poetic works critically will be deepened.

KEY IDEAS

• The title of a poem, the poet’s background, diction and the structure of a poem help in identifying the dominant themes in poems.

• Techniques used by poets to develop themes in their poems include imagery, symbolism, repetition, tone and mood.

• The careful and deliberate selection of words enables poems to communicate complex ideas and emotions in a convincing manner.

The following guiding questions will help you to identify themes in poems.

Note

The sample responses from Maya Angelou’s poems, Still I Rise is for illustrative purpose only.

Table 8.1: A table showing questions that can help in identifying themes in poems Question Sample Response Using Maya Angelou’s Still I Rise 1 What is the topic of the poem? The topic of the poem is resilience in the face of oppression.

2 Who is the speaker, and what is their perspective?

The speaker represents a confident and empowered voice, possibly Maya Angelou herself or a collective voice for those who have faced oppression. The tone is defiant and hopeful.

3 What is the speaker trying to tell us about that topic?

The speaker conveys that no matter the hardships, prejudices, or attempts to suppress her, she will continue to rise with dignity and strength.

4 Does the author’s background give any additional insight into the theme?

Yes, Maya Angelou’s life experiences as an African American woman who endured racism, sexism, and personal struggles deeply inform the poem.

5 What does the author’s word choice indicate about the theme?

Angelou uses rich metaphors and symbols to reinforce the theme of resilience. For example, the use of the word dust represents the ability to rise despite being trampled upon.

6 What images or symbols stand out in the poem? What do they represent?

Images like ‘dust,’ ‘oil wells,’ ‘moons,’ and ‘gold mines’ stand out. They symbolise resilience, wealth, and natural beauty, showing the speaker’s strength and worth.

7 Does the structure of the poem lead you to the theme?

Yes, the repetitive and rhythmic structure of the poem mirrors the unyielding rise of the speaker.

8 What details in the poem hint at a message the author might want us to learn?

Details like, “You may write me down in history/With your bitter, twisted lies” suggest overcoming false narratives about the speaker or her community; and “I’m a black ocean, leaping and wide” highlights the speaker’s boundless strength and depth.

9 What is the central message or theme of the poem?

The central theme of the poem is resilience and empowerment. It shows the power of rising above oppression and embracing one’s self-worth and strength.

By the time you finish reflecting on these questions and providing answers to them based on the poem you are looking at, you will be able to analyse the poem and identify the major and minor themes.

Now, let us look at the steps we can follow to identify themes in poetry.

Steps in Identifying themes in Poetry

Step 1: Read the Poem Carefully

a. Read the poem several times to understand its overall meaning.

b. Focus on the surface-level story and emotional tone during the first

i. reading.

Step 2: Understand the Literal Meaning

a. Ask: What is happening in the poem? What is the poem describing?

b. Identify the main subject or situation (e.g., a memory, an event, a feeling).

Step 3: Identify the Speaker and Audience

a. Determine who is speaking in the poem and to whom they are speaking.

b. Consider how the speaker’s perspective might influence the poem’s meaning.

Step 4: Analyse Key Details

Look for:

a. Imagery: Visual, sensory, or descriptive language that evokes

b. emotions or ideas.

c. Symbols: Objects, colours, or events that represent larger concepts.

d. Repetition: Words or phrases that are repeated for emphasis.

e. Figurative Language: Metaphors, similes, and other devices that

f. add depth.

Step 5: Examine the Tone and Mood

a. Tone: What is the speaker’s attitude (e.g., hopeful, nostalgic, angry)?

b. Mood: What feelings does the poem evoke in the reader?

Consider how these elements connect to larger ideas.

Step 6: Look for Big Ideas

a. Identify universal themes or concepts, such as:

Love, loss, nature, identity, freedom, justice, conflict, amongst others.

b. Ask yourself: What does the poet seem to be saying about these topics?

Step 7: Pay Attention to Structure

a. Note the poem’s form (e.g., free verse, sonnet) and structure (e.g., stanzas, rhyme, rhythm).

b. Ask yourself: How does the structure emphasise certain ideas or reinforce the message?

Step 8: Consider the Title

Reflect on how the title relates to the poem’s meaning.

Often, you will notice that the title hints at a theme.

Step 9: Reflect on the Central Message

Synthesise all your observations by asking yourself:

a. What is the poem trying to communicate?

b. Is there a lesson, insight, or truth being revealed?

Step10: Articulate the Theme

Express the theme in a complete sentence, focusing on what the poem says about a universal idea. For example, instead of just saying “love,” articulate the theme as “Love requires sacrifice and resilience to endure hardships.”

Activity 8.1

Exploring the Message of a Literary Work

1. Share with a friend some the songs you usually listen to and the movies you love watching. Let your friend do the same. After that tell each other what message or lesson you get from these songs and videos and for your reason for enjoying them.

2. Let your friend join you to use your phones to scan the QR code below to access Wole Soyinka’s Night. Listen to the poem two or three times.

3. Using the questions below, reflect on the content of the poem individually. The

table below can serve as further guidance.

a. What is happening in the poem?

b. What emotions or messages stand out?

c. Are there any repeated words, phrases or images?

4. After your reflections, complete the table below by writing some potential themes and support them with quotes/lines from the poem. Also provide a brief explanation for your identified themes.

Theme Quotes Explanation

5. Use the information you have gathered so far on Soyinka’s Night to prepare a five minutes presentation. Your presentation should include your chosen theme(s), key quotes/lines from the poem and explanations of how those lines/ quotes support your chosen theme(s). Your friends should also do the same.

6. You and your friends should take turns to present your work in the presence of other classmates.

Poets gradually explore, elaborate, and deepen the central idea or message in their poems as the poem progresses. The theme evolves and becomes clearer to the reader through the use of certain techniques.

Let us look at some of the important techniques used by poets to develop their themes.

1. Imagery This is a vivid and descriptive language that appeals to the senses (sight, sound, smell, taste, touch). The purpose of using this is to create mental pictures and evokes emotions that highlight the theme. For example, in Still I Rise, Maya Angelou uses power imagery such as ‘You may tread me in the very dirt/But still, like dust, I’ll rise’ to stress resilience and defiance against oppression.

2. Symbolism The use of objects, characters, or events to represent larger ideas or concepts. The purpose is to encourage deeper interpretation and connect readers to universal themes.

For example, in Once Upon a Time, Gabriel Okara, the use of ‘wear different faces like dresses’ symbolises the deceptive outward appearance people display to hide their true feelings and intentions, highlighting the theme of disconnection from genuine emotions.

3. Tone and Mood

The tone is the poet’s/persona’s attitude toward the subject and the mood is the emotional atmosphere created for the reader. The tone can be one of joy, sorrow, anger or it can be one of optimism. Tone and mood reinforce the theme by shaping how readers feel about the poem’s message.

For example, Maya Angelou’s confident and triumphant tone reinforces the theme of rising above oppression with unwavering resilience and celebrating one’s power and heritage.

4. Figurative Language

This includes metaphors, similes, personification, hyperbole, and other literary devices.

The use of figurative language adds depth and layers of meaning to the poem, making the theme more memorable and powerful. For example, In Langston Hughes’s Dreams, metaphors like “life is a broken-winged bird” emphasise the fragility of aspirations.

5. Repetition Repeating words and phrases highlight key ideas and reinforces the theme by drawing attention to specific elements. Repetition can draw attention to what the poet deems important. For example, in Angelou’s Still I Rise, the repetition of phrases such as ‘I rise’ and “Still I Rise” reinforces the theme of overcoming adversity and asserting one’s strength.

6. Contrast and Juxtaposition

This is the placing of opposing ideas or images close together for comparison. The purpose is to highlight conflicts or tensions central to the theme.

For example, in William Blake’s The Tyger, the juxtaposition of beauty and terror dramatises the duality of creation.

7. Structure and Form

This deals with the organisation of the poem, including its rhyme scheme, line breaks, stanza divisions, and rhythm. The structure of a poem creates emphasis and mirrors the theme through its arrangement.

For example, in E.E. Cummings’s anyone lived in a pretty how town, the unconventional structure reflects themes of individuality and the cyclical nature of life. The rhythmic patterns of the poem also add substance to the idea being expressed about ordinary life.

Activity 8.3

Identifying Themes

1. Use your phone /tablet to search for Gabriel Okara’s poem, Once Upon a Time online and read it a number of times.

2. Relying on the guidelines you have studied, identify the central theme of the poem and write it in your notebook.

3. Discuss with one of your classmates how you think the theme you have identified has been developed in the poem. Did you agree on the theme? If not, what caused the difference of ideas? How did you resolve it?

Activity 8.4

How Themes are Conveyed Let three of your friends join you to discuss how themes are conveyed through elements such imagery, tone, diction and symbolism (use the techniques discussed above as a guide)

Activity 8.5

How Themes are Developed

1. You and a classmate should scan the QR code below to watch a video on Maya Angelou’s Still I Rise. After that, use your phone/tablet to search for S.O.H.

Afriyie-Vidza’s Hearty Garlands online and read it several times aloud.

After that, choose one of the poems and let your friend have the other.

2. Read/study closely your chosen poem for about ten minutes. After that, use the questions below as a guide to discuss with your friend what themes you have identified in your poems and how they have been developed in the poems.

(You can also refer to the content on techniques used by poets to develop their themes).

What is the central theme of the poem?

a. How does the poet use imagery, tone or symbols to develop this

b. theme?

c. What specific lines or phrases contribute to the theme?

2. Write your findings on sticky notes, focusing on the theme and how it is developed through the poem’s elements.

3. Use about seven minutes to do a presentation of your analysis in Point 3 in

Activity 8.4 above in class for feedback.

Activity 8.6

Exploring the Connections Between Different Poems

1. Read both Still I Rise by Maya Angelou and Night by Wole Soyinka and make brief notes on key phrases, images, and lines that are similar.

2. Analyse the two poems using the following guiding questions for each:

a. What is the main theme of each poem?

b. How does the tone, the use of imagery and symbols shape the

c. delivery of the theme?

d. What emotions or messages do you experience while reading the poem?

3. Use the information gathered in point 2 of Activity 8.5 above to create a comparison chart. Your chart should indicate how the poets use different techniques to highlight their themes. (The table below can serve as a guide) Feature Still I Rise by Maya Angelou Night by Wole Soyinka Theme(s) Feature Still I Rise by Maya Angelou Night by Wole Soyinka Tone Imagery Symbolism

4. Write a one-page reflection on the new insight(s) you have gained about theme development in poetry.

Diction is the poet’s tool for crafting a unique voice and experience. Through the careful selection of words, a poet guides readers to not only understand the poem’s meaning but also feel its emotional and sensory impact. Thus, diction transforms a poem from mere words on a page into a more profound artistic expression.

The impact of diction on a poem is significant, as it shapes the poem’s tone, imagery, meaning, and emotional effect. Let us look at how diction influences various aspects of a poem.

Impact of Diction on Meaning

The words chosen by the poet affect the clarity and depth of the poem’s message. The diction situates the poem within a specific emotional, physical and often philosophical context, allowing the reader to uncover deeper meanings. It hints at cultural, historical, or personal contexts, enriching the meaning of the poem. For example, in Maya Angelou’s Still I Rise, words like “rise,” “sassiness,” “haughtiness,” and “black ocean” directly link to ideas of strength, defiance, and triumph, clarifying the poem’s core message of overcoming adversity. In Fleur Adcock’s “Telephone Call,” the simple and straightforward diction reflects the directness and urgency of the speaker’s emotions. Words like “I haven’t bought a lottery ticket for years and years” convey the immediate tension of the situation, making the reader feel the speaker’s anxiety and frustration.

Impact of Diction on Theme

Diction serves as a powerful tool for shaping the theme of a poem. The choice of words can highlight themes such as love, death, nature or social issues. For example, in Gabriel Okara’ Once Upon a Time, the use of nostalgic and contrasting words such as “once upon a time,” “laugh with their hearts,” “ice-block-cold eyes,” and “unlearn.” highlight the loss of genuine human connection and hint at the theme of ‘Loss of Innocence and Authenticity in Modern Society’. And in Maya Angelou’s Still I Rise, the use of assertive and empowering words such as “rise,” “sassiness,” “haughtiness,” and “black ocean” reveal the theme of ‘Resilience and Defiance in the Face of Oppression’.

Impact of Diction on Imagery

Imagery refers to the vivid sensory details that evoke visual, auditory, tactile, olfactory, or gustatory experiences - involving thus the reader’s sight, hearing, touch, smell and taste.

Diction creates specific and powerful imagery. The poet’s choice of descriptive or evocative words helps readers imagine scenes or emotions more vividly. For example, in Maya Angelou’s Still I Rise, words like “moons,” “suns,” and “tides” create natural, cyclical imagery that symbolises resilience and continuity. These images help readers visualise strength and endurance as unstoppable forces. In Wole Soyinka’s Night, words like “velvet dark” and “caress” evoke tactile and visual imagery, painting the night as soft, comforting, and intimate. The imagery reinforces the theme of renewal and introspection.

Impact of Diction on Tone

Tone refers to the attitude revealed in the poem toward the subject or audience, conveyed through word choice. Diction determines the poem’s tone, which can be formal, informal, sombre, joyful, defiant, or reflective. For example, in Maya Angelou’s Still I Rise, the use of bold and defiant language like “I rise” and “sassiness” creates an empowering tone.

However, in Wole Soyinka’s Night, the softer, mysterious diction like “caress” and “velvet dark” evokes a meditative tone.

Impact of Diction on Mood

Mood refers to the emotional atmosphere experienced by the reader, and diction evokes specific emotions. The poet’s word choices directly influence how readers feel while reading the poem. For example, in Soyinka’s Night, words like “rustle of silence” and “renew” create a calm, serene, and reflective mood. This allows the reader to feel a sense of peace and renewal. In Angelou’s Still I Rise, repetitive and empowering phrases like “I rise” and “I’ll rise” create an uplifting and determined mood. And in Okara’s Once Upon a Time, words like “child,” “genuine,” and “empty” evoke a melancholic mood, emphasising the longing for lost innocence.

Activity 8.7

Exploring the Power of Word Choice in Communication

1. Pair with a friend to discuss how the poems read demonstrate the power of words. You can use the following questions to guide your discussions:

a. Why is one’s choice of words important in communication?

b. How can a single word change the tone of a message (e.g., polite vs.

c. rude, formal vs. informal)?

2. Take turns to share one instance from your own lives where word choice made a difference (and thus led to a misunderstanding or clarity).

3. Discuss among yourselves the role of word choice in conveying emotions and intentions. You should also look at how you can apply insights from the activity to improve your everyday communication.

Activity 8.8

Exploring Diction in Poetry

1. Invite two of your friends to join you to have an open discuss the concept of diction. The following questions can provide direction for your discussion:

a. What is diction?

b. How is diction important in poetry?

c. How does word choice affect the reader’s experience?

2. Use your phone to search online for Maya Angelou’s Still I Rise. Together with your friend, read the first two stanzas of the poem several times.

3. Analyse the diction of the poem using the following questions as a guide:

a. Which words or phrases stand out as particularly powerful,

b. unusual, or repeated?

c. How do the words contribute to the poem’s overall impact?

d. What might the purpose have been in choosing these

e. specific words?

f. How does the diction of the poem influence the theme, meaning of

g. the poem, imagery, tone and mood?

4. Present your findings to other member of your class and explain to them how the diction in a poem contributes to poetic element such as theme, meaning, imagery, tone, and mood.

Activity 8.9

Analysing Diction in Prescribed Poems

1. Let three of your classmates join you to form a group of 4 (the group should include mates who are not so strong academically). Each of you should select one of the following poems and use your phone to search for the content online.

a. Night by Wole Soyinka

b. Once Upon a Time by Gabriel Okara

c. Still I Rise by Maya Angelou

d. Telephone Call by Fleur Adcock

2. Take 5–10 minutes to read and familiarise yourself with your selected poem.

3. After each of you reading and familiarising yourselves with a poem, have a general discussion about the poems’ diction using the prompts below.

a. Word Choice: Which words or phrases stand out? What do they suggest about the poet’s intent?

b. Tone: How does the diction create the speaker’s attitude or emotional perspective?

c. Imagery: What vivid mental images or sensory details are created through the poet’s word choices?

d. Theme: How does the diction reinforce the central idea or message of the poem?

e. Mood: What feelings or atmosphere does the diction evoke in the reader or listener?

4. After your general discussion, have a more specific discussion using the prompts below.

Wole Soyinka’s Night

a. How are descriptive and evocative words used to portray the natural world and its mysteries?

b. How does the diction reflect the interplay between beauty and fear at night?

Gabriel Okara’s Once Upon a Time

a. How does the choice of words convey nostalgia and disillusionment?

b. Discuss the contrast between the diction used to describe the past and the present.

Maya Angelou’s Still I Rise

a. How does the use of bold and rhythmic diction express defiance and empowerment?

b. How do repeated phrases like “I rise” enhance the poem’s message and mood?

Fleur Adcock’s Telephone Call

a. How does the conversational and precise diction create tension and build the reader’s curiosity?

b. What role does diction play in reflecting the speaker’s emotions and internal conflict?

5. After all the poems have been discussed, make brief notes on them and share with your class for feedback.

Activity 8.10

Analysing the Impact of Diction

Observe the picture of fishbone diagram below as a tool for analysing the impact of diction. After that, use the poem you analysed in Activity 8.9 to fill in the fishbone diagram. Write the title at the head of the fish and use the bones to note how specific words influence each category

Figure 8.1: A picture illustrating the fishbone diagram

Literary Devices

The content of the charts below will help you refresh your memory on the literary devices and poetic elements you studied in year one.

Figure 8.2: A chart showing some brief explanations of some literary devices with Examples.

QR code to notes on Literary Devices Poetic Elements

Figure 8.3 A chart showing some poetic elements.

Activity 8.11

Literary and Poetic Devices in Wole Soyinka’s Night

1. Join three of your friends to form a group of four. Each of you should take one of the following devices to focus on:

a. Simile

b. Symbolism

c. Stanza

d. Structure

2. As a group, access and read Wole Soyinka’s Night aloud, taking turns reading stanzas to ensure everyone is familiar with the text. Each person should analyse the poem based on his or her assigned device. After that, each should share its findings with the group, explaining how the assigned device is used and its effect on the poem.

3. After the individual work, do a more detailed analysis of Wole Soyinka’s Night as a group. Use the following guidelines to direct the group focus:

Simile

• Identify similes in the poem.

• Discuss what two things are being compared and how the comparison enhances the imagery or meaning.

• Example prompt: How does Soyinka’s use of similes deepen the reader’s understanding of the night’s atmosphere?

Symbolism

• Identify symbols in the poem (e.g., “night” itself, specific imagery).

• Discuss what these symbols might represent in the context of the poem.

• Example prompt: What does night symbolise in the poem, and how does this contribute to the theme?

Stanza

• Analyse the poem’s stanzaic structure.

• Discuss how the length and organisation of stanzas affect the flow and meaning of the poem.

• Example prompt: How does the stanza arrangement emphasise key moments or shifts in the poem?

Structure

• Examine the overall structure of the poem, including line breaks, rhythm, and progression of ideas.

• Discuss how the structure influences the reader’s experience and understanding.

• Example prompt: How does the structure mirror or contrast with the themes explored in the poem?

4. Write a brief group summary of how these devices contribute to the poem’s overall impact and share with your class for feedback.

Guide to Critique a poem Critiquing a poem involves analysing their themes, structure, language, and emotional impact. The simple steps below will guide you to critique a poem with greater ease.

STEP 1: Read the Poem Closely

Read the poem several times, aloud, if possible, to grasp its rhythm and nuances. Then write down your immediate feelings and impressions.

STEP 2: Understand the Context

Research briefly the poet’s life, era, and cultural influences and consider the time and setting in which the poem was written.

STEP 3: Analyse the Theme

Identify the central theme or message of the poem. Look for secondary ideas or motifs and relate the themes to broader social, cultural, or personal issues.

STEP 4: Examine the Structure

Note the poem’s structure (e.g., sonnet, free verse, haiku). Look carefully at the arrangement of stanzas and how they contribute to the flow and observe rhyme schemes and meter patterns.

STEP 5: Study the Language and Imagery

At this point, focus on the poet’s choice of words and their connotations. Identify metaphors, similes, personification, and symbolism and note how sensory details affect the poem.

STEP 6: Explore Sound Devices

Examine the repetition of sounds (alliteration, assonance). You also have to identify words that mimic sounds if any (onomatopoeia) and note whether the sounds are harmonious or discordant (euphony or cacophony).

STEP 7: Analyse the Tone

Determine the poem’s mood (e.g., joyful, melancholic, angry). Note who is speaking and their attitude towards the subject.

STEP 8: Consider the Audience

Whom was the poem written for? How might different audiences interpret it? Examine the poem to find answers to these crucial questions.

STEP 9: Critique the Effectiveness

Highlight what works well in the poem (e.g., vivid imagery, emotional depth) and point out areas where the poem may fall short or be unclear.

STEP 10: Conclude Thoughtfully

Summarise your overall thoughts about the poem and reflect on how the poem resonates with you personally or intellectually.

Writing a Critique Essay

Writing a poem critique essay involves analysing and evaluating the poem’s literary elements, themes, and impact. Here’s a structured guide to help you write an insightful and cohesive essay.

1. Introduction Begin with a brief overview of the poem, including its title, author, and a concise summary of its content or subject. Clearly state your main argument or thesis, which outlines the approach you will be taking to the task.

2. Body Paragraphs

Organise the body of your essay into focused paragraphs, each addressing a specific element of the poem such as:

a. Theme: Analyse the central theme or message and its relevance.

b. Structure: Examine the form, stanza arrangement, rhyme scheme, and meter, discussing how they shape the poem.

c. Language and Imagery: Evaluate the poet’s word choice, figurative language (e.g., metaphors, similes), and imagery.

d. Tone and Sound: Explore the tone, mood, and sound devices (e.g., alliteration, onomatopoeia) and their contribution to the poem’s impact. Use detailed analysis and examples from the text to support your points, explaining how the elements work together to unify the poem. Note any areas where the poem fell short or left you feeling disappointed by it.

3. Conclusion Summarise the overall conclusions of your analysis and offer any further reflections on your main argument. At this point, give your overall perspective on the poem and its effectiveness. End with the poem’s impact, its success in achieving its purpose and, if appropriate, its significance within the broader context of poetry. At this point you should allow your own personal judgement to be clear.

4. Revision After drafting your essay, revise it for clarity, coherence, and depth of analysis. Remove any needless repetition. Ensure that your critique is well-organised and supported by evidence from the poem and that you don’t appear to change your mind on the way through your work. Pay attention to your grammar, style, and the logic of your arguments.

Figure 8.4: A chart showing the outline of a critique essay https://papercoach.net/blog/poetry-analysis This website offers a helpful extension.

Activity 8.12

Purpose for Critiquing a Poem

Let one of your friends join you to go through the steps for critiquing a poem (provided above in the content). After that, discuss with him/her the purpose of critiquing a poem. The following prompts can serve as a guide.

1. Why are these components important for understanding a poem?

2. How does a guide like this help readers analyse poetry more effectively?

3. Which section do you think is the most essential when critiquing poetry?

Activity 8.13

Critiquing a Poem

1. Invite four of your friends to join you to form a group of five to discuss the guide for critiquing a poem (provided in content). Your discussion should focus on how to analyse the:

a. theme and message,

b. form and structure,

c. language and imagery,

d. tone and voice

e. emotional impact of a poem.

2. After the discussion, each of you should scan the QR code below to access Okara’s poem, Once Upon a Time and read it silently. After the reading, each of you should take one of the five sections above.

3. Take turns to read the poem aloud. After the reading, analyse the poem using the questions under the 5 sections below. As you do the analysis, jot down key points.

a. Theme and Message: What is the poem about? What is its underlying message?

b. Form and Structure: How is the poem organised? Does the structure support the meaning?

c. Language and Imagery: What kinds of language (e.g., figurative, descriptive) and imagery are used?

d. Tone and Voice: What is the poem’s tone (e.g., joyful, sombre)? Who is speaking?

e. Emotional Impact: How does the poem make the reader feel? What emotions does it evoke?

4. After the analysis, compile all your points into a well written essay which might be presented to the whole class for feedback.

1. List five guided questions used in critiquing poems.

2. Write a one-page essay on what you think might be the motivation of a poet to choose simple everyday words in creating a poem.

3. Apply the critiquing guide to analyse Wole Soyinka’s poem, Night.

4. Create a five-stanza poem about your hometown using words to suggest the place as lively and busy - or if you wish, to suggest the opposite.