07-22-2012, 05:51 AM
A critique without a rationale is no critique at all, it is just an uninformed opinion.
Here is a very brief list of some catchall categories one can use that they may find helpful if they have difficulty trying to put into words what they want to convey:
It (this word, this phrase) is disruptive to the reading (in other words I had to pause to figure out what it meant)
It (usually a phrase) was unclear (I could not extract any meaning from it)
Did not appear germane (seemed to have nothing to do with the the rest of the poem).
Forced cleverness (seemed more about using clever metaphors, or phrases, than saying something vital about the topic)
The format used did not seem the best for the topic (using iambic tetrameter with rhyming couplets for a serious topic)
Lack of clarity or confusion caused by poor grammar/tense/ punctuation.
Spelling errors.
Unintentional or unnecessary ambiguity.
Overly vague (not giving enough information for the reader to make sense of the poem)
Excesses use of obscure, and undocumented allusions.
Use of archaic or rarely used words when more common words would do just as well.
Allowing the form to be detrimental to the content through such things as forced rhymes, or phrasing/syntax that has nothing to do with the poem, or is out of character.
Trite or cliche phrasing (unless part of the character's way of speaking, or for some other intended purpose to illustrate a point).
Just a start but some may find these useful.
*With thanks to Erthona
Here is a very brief list of some catchall categories one can use that they may find helpful if they have difficulty trying to put into words what they want to convey:
It (this word, this phrase) is disruptive to the reading (in other words I had to pause to figure out what it meant)
It (usually a phrase) was unclear (I could not extract any meaning from it)
Did not appear germane (seemed to have nothing to do with the the rest of the poem).
Forced cleverness (seemed more about using clever metaphors, or phrases, than saying something vital about the topic)
The format used did not seem the best for the topic (using iambic tetrameter with rhyming couplets for a serious topic)
Lack of clarity or confusion caused by poor grammar/tense/ punctuation.
Spelling errors.
Unintentional or unnecessary ambiguity.
Overly vague (not giving enough information for the reader to make sense of the poem)
Excesses use of obscure, and undocumented allusions.
Use of archaic or rarely used words when more common words would do just as well.
Allowing the form to be detrimental to the content through such things as forced rhymes, or phrasing/syntax that has nothing to do with the poem, or is out of character.
Trite or cliche phrasing (unless part of the character's way of speaking, or for some other intended purpose to illustrate a point).
Just a start but some may find these useful.
*With thanks to Erthona
It could be worse