Showing and Telling in Poetry

Showing and Telling in Poetry

By Adam Archer, Fran Sutton, Alasdair Goudie and Alex Pearson

In narrative context, showing refers to detailing aspects related to primary events in order to let the reader generate imagery themselves - rather than detailing, as one would by showing. Showing aids writers in allowing readers to connect naturally with their work, and so engages them more personally.

When showing, it’s advisable to:

•    Use lots of strong, descriptive verbs, for example: ‘trudged’ rather than ‘walked’

•    Give more detail of scene, for instance surrounding objects that relate to the piece

•    Let the reader feel instead of instructing them

•    Don’t over-explain dialogue

The act of telling in poetry in comparison to showing solidifies images in a reader’s imagination which means it’s the difference between the mourner and whom they mourn. Telling refers to curtness of word that is used to make the piece more understandable and simple.

When telling, works often turn out with these aspects:

·        Straightforward, often promoting sentences such as “Bob felt scared.”

·        Detached and uninvolved, giving more factual and objective analysis

·        Direct explanations instead of colorful description

·        More relatable and easier to comprehend

For instance, in Sadaf Halai’s Inheritance, showing is demonstrated in the line ‘a basket of leeches. He never shouted his arrival/like the ice-candy man called Ice!’ At this point in the poem, little has been established about said man- his purpose is unclear. All that is emphasised is his quiet contrast to ‘ice-candy man’s exuberance. This, however, enables the reader to build a comprehension of events based on their own surrounding assumptions and knowledge, without being directly told. Later on, when the full-bodied leech falls from the mother, ‘It made the sound of/a small balloon dropping. My father’. This metaphor allows the reader to link the unknown context of the leech with a known experience they are likely to have. It similarly allows them to bring their own experiences and memories into the piece, granting them greater emotional connection with the poem.

In “Inheritance” the opening line of “1945, Bijnor, a man went door to door with/a basket of leeches” is an example of telling, using a date to indicate time and curtness of explanation, literally explaining an action. Again, lines such as “She has no courage” and “She tells them the best she can”’ are examples of telling, without erring from the meaning intended.

When citing Beowulf as an example of telling, a good amount can immediately be pulled from the text. As a result of the Anglo-Saxon epic being so heavily based in narrative, the reader must be told far more than they are shown, so as not to leave them feeling as if they’re stranded in a sea of alliterative verse, drowning in subtext and interpretation with nothing but a suit of ring mail to keep them afloat. In describing the arrival of Beowulf and his army to Heorot, Seamus Heaney - in his translation - writes ‘It was a paved track, a path that kept them in marching order.’ (Heaney,1999, P.12). In this, he uses the verb ‘paved’, allowing the reader to understand the exact nature of the path they walk upon. The army remain in ‘marching order’, further demonstrating the nature of the path. Though this further ‘shows’ the nature of the path, it ‘tells’ the reader, using the adjective ‘marching’, that the army aren’t just travelling thoughtlessly. They march with a goal. They march with intent. Though, in Beowulf, there are instances of showing, the majority of the narrative unfolds via a system of telling, so as to keep the reader informed on the events taking place.

With the application of telling accompanied with showing, the reader is left with a firmer grasp of the piece, having taken in the poem as an artistic piece, and understandable story. What they read is all they get, in a sense, which mutes the potential emotion and depth a work may have, especially in something as expressive as poetry. The forward and frank nature of telling can destroy the possibility of interpretation and meaning.

In our shared opinion, the usage of showing in poetic format allows the reader to connect on a more intrinsic level with the contexts the poet seeks to introduce and explore within the poem. Within poetry specifically, showing is particularly useful, as the emotionally charged nature of the medium requires a certain level of indirectness. Brusqueness diminishes the meaning of the poem’s content- subtlety enables as broader range of literary analysis and reader interpretation. However, sometimes telling is just as necessary, in order to help the reader figure out what is going on, and prevent them from becoming confused.

Sites Sourced:

 Related links. At: http://www.poetryarchive.org/poet/seamus-heaney (Accessed on 22 January 2017)

 (2014). At: https://www.bl.uk/collection-items/beowulf# (Accessed on 22 January 2017)

Halai, S. (2011) ‘Inheritance’ In: Granta 155 2011

Heaney, S. (2000) Beowulf: A new translation. London: Faber & Faber Poetry.

Poetry. (2011). At: http://sadafhalai.weebly.com/poetry.html (Accessed on 22 January 2017)

Sadaf Halai. At: http://sadafhalai.weebly.com/ (Accessed on 22 January 2017)