Chua, Stanley Lawrence B.

HUMSS 12-Q

Poem Critique: Plie

Theme of Poem:

 Poem is clear about what it is trying to convey. The author used the greek word “In Absentia” at
the end of the poem meaning “not physically present”. Which is very clever in my opinion because
it changed the whole meaning of the poem for me. At the first three stanzas, the author talks
about a dancer having no voice, no control relying purely on instinct, and no right to what they
put on telling me what a dancer truly is. They’re empty like manequins being controlled by music.
 Despite this emptiness, the dancer is still being recognized by the audience. That’s why the author
included a greek word “In Absentia” at the end. This inclusion of the word is what changed and
achored the meaning of the poem. A genius move for the author.

Language:

 The author used a ballet term for the title: Plie. Which I needed to find the meaning to in google.
Plie basically is a transitional step in ballet where in you’ll bent your knees as support for when
you are to jump and land on the floor. I don’t really see the connection of the title to the theme
of the poem but nevertheless its all about dancing so its fairly compatible for the title to be
about ballet.
 Looking at the use of language in the poem itself, the author applied simple words but displayed
great meaning to the readers. I’ve also noticed the use of a greek word at the end of the poem:
“In Absentia”. I want to commend the author for applying this. Its short but gave the poem a
whole new meaning.

Imagery/Figurative Language: The imagery in this poem was very imaginitive. As seen in the first stanza,
“A dancer has no voice” the author justified and described that line with “Just the softest thump of
paper on wood” which is very convincing and metaphorical. A soft thump of paper on wood has nearly
no sound at all thus the dancer moving through the wooden stage having no voice. It also tells us that
the legs of a dancer are like papers which are light and smooth causing no sound when dancing. Such a
clever and imaginitive way of describing dancing.

Voice: The speaker is the author of this poem. The tone was calm despite the message it is carrying. But
its calm tone brings the subtelty of this poem. Which is impressive The author was able to show the real
beauty of dancing by being calm and subtle which for me is the essence of poetry. Bursting emotions
with subtleness.

Lines: The author applied enjambment correctly and wisely. Each line represents a complete and concise
idea. Each stanza succesfully connects each ideas in each line portraying a clear picture of what the
author is trying to say.

Suggestions: Give meaning of the title because some people who don’t dance ballet might not
understand.