Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Praise poem'

A proposta desta dissertação é discutir a polêmica trajetória das vanguardas poéticas brasileiras, representadas pela poesia concreta, neoconcreta, praxis e poema-processo, com base na análise de alguns procedimentos técnicos, conceitos teóricos e princípios formais apresentados nos principais textos (manifestos e plataformas) e práticas poéticas desses movimentos. Feita uma revisão crítica do conceito de vanguarda e suas aporias no contexto da crise do Modernismo na segunda metade do século XX, foram discutidos alguns impasses estético-políticos, teóricos e práticos dessa poesia de vanguarda, diante do cenário sociocultural brasileiro dos anos 1950 e 1960. Se, por um lado, a necessidade programática de afirmar o "novo" nos grupos vanguardistas lançou alguns procedimentos técnicos e princípios formais que, principalmente com a poesia concreta, incidiram no campo da crítica literária e do ensino das letras nas universidades, por outro, retomou e radicalizou velhas categorias futuristas, cubistas, construtivistas e modernistas de 1922.
The proposal of this dissertation is to discuss the polemic course of Brazilian poetry avant-gardes, represented by Concrete, Neoconcrete, Praxis and Process poetries, based on the analysis of some technical procedures, theoretical concepts and formal principles presented in the main texts (manifests and platforms) and poetical practices in these movements. After a critical revision of the concept of avant-garde and its contradictions in the context of the Modernism crisis in the second half of the 20th century, we discussed some esthetic-political, theoretical and practical deadlocks, inside the sociocultural Brazilian scenario during the 1950s and 1960s. If, on one side, the need of stating the "new" in the avant-garde groups created some technical procedures and formal principles that, notably with the concrete poetry, targeted the fields of literary critics and teaching literature at universities, on the other side, resumed and radicalized old futurist, cubist, constructivist and 1922 modernist categories.

Thesis (M.A. (English Studies)) --University of Limpopo, 2012
The mini dissertation seeks to explore the positive and negative qualities of an indigenous African leader as presented in a variety of oral texts including folktales, proverbs and praise poems as well as in the African novels of Mhudi, Maru, Things Fall Apart and Petals of Blood in order to deduce an indigenous African concept of a leader. This research is motivated by the fact that although researchers and academics worldwide acknowledge that it is very difficult to objectively define and discuss the terms ‘leader’ and ‘indigenous leader’ yet many tend to dismiss offhand such indigenous concepts of leadership as ubuntu as primitive, barbaric and irrelevant to modern institutions without examining them in detail.

Ma thèse traite d’un aspect de la critique sartrienne : la critique poétique. Elle se présente sous forme de triptyque. En effet, chaque partie traite de la figure d’un poète. Dans les deux premières parties de ma thèse, j’aborde deux poètes du XIXème siècle : Baudelaire et Mallarmé. Les deux livres qui m’ont servi de support pour étudier cette critique poétique sont le Baudelaire de Sartre et Mallarmé, La lucidité et sa face d’ombre. Ces deux essais ont radicalement bouleversé la manière avec laquelle on appréhendait jusqu’à là la figure de ces deux poètes. Si le XIXème siècle en a fait des monstres sacrés qui ont apporté la nouveauté dans le genre poétique, Sartre quant à lui, sape certaines idées reçues. Baudelaire est le premier à qui il s’attaque en dénonçant son désengagement. Il critique son dandysme outrancier qui en a fait selon lui un poète stérile. Cet essai est aussi l’occasion pour Sartre d’exposer sa théorie de l’existentialisme et de montrer que l’Engagement et la Littérature vont de pair et illustrent la liberté de l’Homme. Dans la seconde partie qui traite de Mallarmé, la lucidité et sa face d’ombre, la critique poétique se mêle à la critique historique. Sartre commence par brosser un tableau de la société du XIXème siècle en mettant l’accent sur le désœuvrement de ce siècle. Mallarmé semble comme Baudelaire illustrer une certaine forme de désengagement. Pourtant Sartre semble omettre un élément essentiel, c’est que ces poètes de la deuxième moitié du XIXème siècle font partie de ce que l’on appelle « Les Héritiers de l’athéisme ». Mallarmé dévoile l’absence d’un Dieu en caressant l’idée du suicide. Celui-ci apparaît dans ses poèmes puisque le poète expérimente sa propre mort comme pour réaffirmer l’absence de Dieu. En conséquence, il existe une liberté inhérente à ces deux poètes que sont Baudelaire et Mallarmé, mais cette liberté est bien différente de la liberté sartrienne qui se conçoit comme un absolu. Enfin dans la troisième partie de la thèse, c’est Genet qui est à l’honneur. Sartre manifeste là toute son admiration pour ce génie créateur qui a su assumer pleinement ses choix et qui n’a cessé de revendiquer la singularité de son être. La conception que se fait Genet de l’existence se situe aux antipodes de l’attitude baudelairienne. Chez Genet, la poésie s’est imposée comme un acte libérateur. Sartre n’hésite pas à comparer parfois indirectement les poètes. En effet, à ses yeux Baudelaire ne s’est aucunement illustré dans le mal. Genet, lui, par contre a fait de ce mal une véritable splendeur. Il l’a célébré et a fini par l’incarner. En abordant la destinée singulière de trois poètes, Sartre illustre en même temps sa propre philosophie existentielle. Il démontre l’absence d’un Inconscient qui expliquerait toutes nos actions et réaffirme la liberté absolue de l’Homme
My thesis deals with one aspect of Sartre's critic: the poetic criticism. It has three major parts. The first and the second parts of my thesis discuss two poets of the nineteenth century: Baudelaire and Mallarmé.Baudelaire and Mallarmé, La lucidité et sa face d’ombre represent two principals books which have been support my study. Both essays play a great role to change the way in which we thought about them before Sartre’s studies.The nineteenth century has made Baudelaire and Mallarmé as two most important poets, however Sartre brought innovation and tried to broke our popular belief. In the first part, Sartre has been denouncing Baudelaire’s disengagement.In the second part which deals with Mallarmé, la lucidité et sa face d’ombre,, Sartre describe the poets of second half of the nineteenth century as “The heirs of Atheism” . As a result, Sartre creates a new notion of freedom which is totally different from those of Mallarmé and Baudelaire. Finally, in the third part Sartre chose to express his admiration for Genet because he assumed his responsibility for his choice of being. Genet’s conception of existence is contradicted with that of Baudelaire.To crown it all, Sartre show his existential philosophy throughout these three poets of XIX and XX centuries. In relation to Sartre there is no Unconscious that would explain our actions. Consequently, he confirms the absolute freedom of Man

En partant de l’une des périodes les plus riches dans l’histoire de l’Islam en termes de créativité et de production poétiques, notre projet vise à mettre au jour les formes qu’a revêtues le rapport entre le poète et le Prince. Pour élucider ce rapport aussi complexe que protéiforme, nous ferons appel à un corpus riche et varié, et on tentera alors d’examiner la question de l’éloge et du blâme à travers trois prismes : la rhétorique, l’éthique et la politique. Le discours encomiastique mobilise la rhétorique afin d’emporter l’adhésion d’un auditoire sur une matière qui n’est pas encore établie. Mais l’effort déployé par l’orateur afin de convaincre l’auditoire ne peut se passer de la toile de fond éthique et du système commun de valeurs dont il procède pour arriver à la persuasion. Quant à la dimension politique, elle se reflète dans la fonction du poète comme « arme verbale » au service du Prince et instrument de légitimation de sa position politique contre ses adversaires réels ou potentiels. Par-delà la fonction de panégyriste officiel, la performativité du discours politique s’étend également à la parole, d’éducation, de réforme voire de critique ouverte qui pourrait évoquer la parrêsia antique. Grâce à un fonds sapiential, la poésie apporte sa contribution au processus de formation de l’homme politique et lui offre un excellent manuel de gouvernement. Quant à la veine contestataire, l’invective, la caricature et la mobilisation de la parole polémique constituent ses principaux ressorts. La veine contestataire traverse le regard que le poète jette sur l’univers de la cour, la politique du Prince ou le rapport entre gouvernants/gouvernés. Qu’il s’agisse de nominations, de projets politiques ou de l’ethos même de l’homme du pouvoir, le poète est toujours présent pour donner son avis. L’injustice d’une décision prise par un juge, le népotisme d’un gouverneur ou la dureté d’un général sont autant d’aspects qui témoignent de la vivacité de la critique du pouvoir par le poète, et du rôle que ce dernier endosse en tant que moralisateur de cette sphère. Le conseil se présente alors comme le moyen de rectifier les décisions ou les orientations générales du Prince et témoigne de l’existence d’une véritable rationalité poétique. Aussi, la rhétorique de l’éloge et du blâme témoigne-elle de l’existence d’une rationalité poétique qui arrive à maturité à l’époque abbasside et parvient à un degré d’efficience oratoire sans précédent en raison d’une conscience accrue du poète de la nécessité de s’impliquer dans la vie politique et de peser sur le cours de l’Histoire
Based on one of the richest periods in the history of Islam in terms of poetic creativity and production, our project seeks to revise the forms that characterized the relationship between the poet and the prince. To elucidate this relationship as complex as it is protean, we will call on a rich and varied corpus, and then examine the question of praise and blame through three prisms: rhetoric, ethics and politics. The encomiastic discourse uses rhetoric to gain an audience’s support for a matter that is not yet established. But the effort required by the orator to convince the audience necessitates the ethical backdrop and common system of values, from which he proceeds to persuade. As for the political dimension, it is reflected in the poet’s function as the “verbal arm” serving the prince and as an instrument legitimizing his political position against real or potential opponents. Beyond the function of official panegyrist, the performativity of political discourse also extends to speech, education, reform, even open criticism that could evoke the antique parrêsia. By virtue of its sapiential substance, poetry contributes to the process forming the politician and offers him an excellent manual to government. As for the dissenting vein, invective, caricature and the mobilization of polemical speech constitute his main resources. The dissenting vein passes through the poet’s gaze on the universe of the court, the prince’s politics and the relationship between governor/governed. Whether it involves nominations, political projects or the very ethos of the man of power, the poet is always present to give his opinion. The injustice of a decision made by a judge, the nepotism of a governor or the harshness of a general are all aspects that demonstrate the poet’s vivacious criticism of power, and the role that the latter assumes as the moralizer of this sphere. The counsel is then presented as a means to rectify the prince’s general decisions or orientations and attests to the existence of a veritable poetic rationality. Furthermore, the rhetoric of praise and blame indicates the existence of a poetic rationality that reached maturity in the Abbasid period and attained an unprecedented degree of oratory efficiency, due to the poet’s growing consciousness of the necessity to be involved in political life and to influence the course of history

The aim of this thesis is to arrive at a characterisation of twentieth century poetry and science by means of a detailed study of the work of four poets who engaged extensively with science and whose writing lives spanned the greater part of the period. The study of science in the work of the four chosen poets, Hugh MacDiarmid (1892 – 1978), Judith Wright (1915 – 2000), Edwin Morgan (1920 – 2010), and Miroslav Holub (1923 – 1998), is preceded by a literature survey and an initial theoretical chapter. This initial part of the thesis outlines the interdisciplinary history of the academic subject of poetry and science, addressing, amongst other things, the challenges presented by the episodes known as the ‘two cultures' and the ‘science wars'. Seeking to offer a perspective on poetry and science more aligned to scientific materialism than is typical in the interdiscipline, a systemic challenge to Thomas Kuhn's The Structure of Scientific Revolutions (1962) is put forward in the first chapter. Additionally, the founding work of poetry and science, I. A. Richards's Science and Poetry (1926), is assessed both in the context in which it was written, and from a contemporary viewpoint; and, as one way to understand science in poetry, a theory of the creative misreading of science is developed, loosely based on Harold Bloom's The Anxiety of Influence (1973). The detailed study of science in poetry commences in Chapter II with Hugh MacDiarmid's late work in English, dating from his period on the Shetland Island of Whalsay (1933 – 1941). The thesis in this chapter is that this work can be seen as a radical integration of poetry and science; this concept is considered in a variety of ways including through a computational model, originally suggested by Robert Crawford. The Australian poet Judith Wright, the subject of Chapter III, is less well known to poetry and science, but a detailed engagement with physics can be identified, including her use of four-dimensional imagery, which has considerable support from background evidence. Biology in her poetry is also studied in the light of recent work by John Holmes. In Chapter IV, science in the poetry of Edwin Morgan is discussed in terms of its origin and development, from the perspective of the mythologised science in his science fiction poetry, and from the ‘hard' technological perspective of his computer poems. Morgan's work is cast in relief by readings which are against the grain of some but not all of his published comments. The thesis rounds on its theme of materialism with the fifth and final chapter which studies the work of Miroslav Holub, a poet and practising scientist in communist-era Prague. Holub's work, it is argued, represents a rare and important literary expression of scientific materialism. The focus on materialism in the thesis is not mechanistic, nor exclusive of the domain of the imagination; instead it frames the contrast between the original science and the transformed poetic version. The thesis is drawn together in a short conclusion.

The purpose of this study is to trace and describe the form, origin and history of the praise poem ‘Ba Masemola’. This praise poem was included in the volume Seriti sa Thabantsho (1956). In that period, E. M. Ramaila collected and transcribed traditional praise poems of different groups, such as the Bapedi, the Batau, the Mapulana, and others. During his collection, Ramaila urged these groups not to forget their descent and history, and pointed out that these particulars were all brought together in their praise poems. Of the clans that are represented by their praise poems in this volume, only the Batau are discussed in this study. The Batau is a large group that is in its turn divided into five smaller groups, namely the Mphanama, Masemola, Nchabeleng, Makobe and Bakgaditsi groups. From among these smaller units the ‘Ba Masemola’ are selected for closer examination. Among the praise poems about the ‘Ba Masemola’ different kings are praised, for instance Mokwene, Tseke, Mabowe, and others. Not all these poems will be scrutinised, though occasional reference will be made to them. The most important concepts that are discussed in this study are the following: the praise poem, the narrative poem (poem with epic characteristics) and the epic. These genres share certain characteristics, yet also differ from each other. With regards to the content of the poem, several important characters are praised. The foremost figures that are mentioned here are the praise poet, the praised one and the ‘audience’. Their conduct differentiate them from characters found in (other) narratives works. The actions that are described can be divided into two groups, namely those that operate autonomously from other actions, and those that link with other actions. Nevertheless, all these happenings belong to the past. The milieu in this praise poem largely corresponds to that found in the narrative works, mainly because in the traditional settings, the praise poem is a declamatory piece that has several characteristics in common with the stage performance. In the description of the structural composition of this praise poem, a distinction will be made between the poem as literary work and the poem as verse. In the first case the theme, title and structure of the poem will be examined. The description of the structure of ‘Ba Masemola’ entails the different techniques Ramaila employs to carry across his ‘message’ and elucidates his point of view. In the examination of the verse composition, the first emphasis is on metrical principles that govern form, i.e correspondence and co-ordination, and the way in which Ramaila used them is then illuminated. In the stylistic finish of the poem there is a noticeable emotional charge. This can be mentioned as an important quality of the poem, and brings to the fore the bravery and fearlessness of the clan of GaMasemola.
Dissertation (MA)--University of Pretoria, 2008.
African Languages
unrestricted

Largely based on material recorded during an internationally sponsored inter-university research tour through the Sesotho speaking area of southern Africa in August 2000, this thesis explores the state of the Basotho oral poetry, the dithoko `praise poems', the difela `mine workers' chants' and the diboko `family odes' at the beginning of the 21st century. Unlike the classical dithoko which were inspired by the wars or the battles in which the Basotho fought as well as cannibalism, those composed at the beginning of the 21st century are inspired by socio-economic and political situations of the poets. Lack of wars has resulted in the poets turning the praising to their chiefs and themselves. Changing socio-economic conditions inspired the difela compositions. The diboko though still a living tradition among the rural Basotho are not adhered to by some who are affected by modernism. Performance of the three oral genres has shifted from the natural settings such as the battlefield, working parties, traditional courts, assemblies, etc., to organized annual festivals such as Morija Arts & Cultural Festival which constitute the Basotho's `popular culture'. The subject-matter and themes of the dithoko have shifted from warfare to traditional chiefs, current heroic deeds of the poets, current political situations and religion. The difela are characterized by inclusion of new subject-matter. The diboko still play an important function as carriers of the names of the ancestors, the tribal idiosyncrasy of the clan and the history associated with the clan's establishment. The three Basotho oral genres demonstrate an emergence of a new phenomenon whereby one genre penetrates another, a phenomenon which may be called `migration of texts'. The last chapter explores the insights emanating from the entire research, and discusses suggestions on what should be done to ensure that the Basotho oral genres are maintained and improved. The video footage of the poets recorded at various places of the Free State and Lesotho have contributed to the success of the research. The thesis serves as a contribution to the Basotho's dynamic oral poetry on which scholars will hopefully do further research in the near future.
African Languages
D. Litt et Phil. (African Languages)

Eiselen (1932: 1) commented that the Black population of South Africa attached a particular religious value to the dolos art. He consequently collected some of the dolos sayings, but did not delve deeper into them. 1932 can hence be considered to be an important year with regard to this genre in the traditional literature of the Bapedi. The aim of this mini-dissertation is to investigate and discuss the design of the traditional dolos sayings in particular, because this research area in Sepedi literature has been neglected. In addition to a discussion of the dolos art, an attempt will be made to also find out what this form of art means to the people concerned. An adapted narratological model will be used for the interpretation of the various sayings; i.e. the content, the compilation and the meaning of the dolos sayings will be discussed. In an investigation of this kind, it is inevitable that attention will also be paid to the praise poem as a commendation. In this case, a distinction between the traditional and the modern forms of this genre is made of necessity. This distinction is based mainly on the fact that the modern praise poem sings the praise of present-day subjects, while kings, heroes, counsellor, animals, different kinds of objects and last but not least, dolosses are extolled in the traditional praise poem. A set of dolosses consists of 42 pieces, four of which are not only important but also indispensable in such a set. They are Moremogolo (male), Selomi (male), Mmakgadi (female) and Selomi (female). When the dolosses are thrown, they land in a specific way. This is called the landing of the dolosses, which is then interpreted and explained by the dolos master. Dolos sayings resort under the traditional praise poem as a separate genre. They are mainly short sayings and are not divided into stanzas. The verse form of the dolos saying by its nature differs from that of the European verse. The form of the dolos saying is, amongst other things, determined by the fact that these sayings never came into being in a written form; they were recitations. For the rest, those verse form principles that characterise them as verses, namely coordination and correspondence, are indeed applied by the reciter. The principle of coordination determines in this case that the caesura divides the dolos saying into 2 or 3 mutually dependent metrical units. The correspondence principle reconciles the various mutually dependent metrical units with one another through an equal number of syllable and length peaks plus the repetition of word stems or words. In the investigation, special attention was paid to the structuring of the dependent metrical units. When long measure repetition is investigated in the stanza of the traditional poem, it is indicated how this form of repetition in the metrical units brings about a solid unit through the repetition of a single word. This means that the lines of poetry inside the stanza are also bound together by this repetition. The important functions of repetition are emphasis and the reinforcement of the core information of the line being repeated. When dependent metrical units are repeated in the dolos saying, it is particularly the last line or a section thereof that is involved in this. At the same time it is a very important characteristic (resp.metre) of the dolos saying. Finally, linking is also looked at in so far as it brings about the second or subsequent line within the stanza.
Dissertation (MA (Sepedi))--University of Pretoria, 2007.
African Languages
unrestricted

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wisconsin, 1999.
Poem by Montefeltro-Malatesta, O glorious padre, almo doctore, in praise of Saint Jerome, is taken from text of Newberry Library MS 122, with additional information from MS 125. Description based on print version record.

This study begins by tracing the biographical histories of various persons who have been the subjects of Zulu praise poems. These histories are then studied in relation to the praise poems themselves. Various literary theories are then discussed and assessed to see how they have contributed to the study of written praise poems. The respective characteristics of oral and written praise poems are then identified and examined. The communicative aspects of praise poetry are also identified. The internal and external aspects of poetry are traced and examined in various examples of poetry. A clear distinction between oral and written poetry in terms of sender and recipient is drawn; poetry transmitted in writing can reach a wide audience at schools and universities, as well as the community at large while oral poetry does not have this potential. Imagery is widely employed in written praise poetry. These images range from references to wild animals such as the buffalo and elephant but also to domestic animals. The various colours of birds' feathers are also used in praise poetry to indicate celebrity and honour. Snakes, butterflies and house-crickets are used to symbolize certain movements of praised people, although some of these images may appear to be inappropriate. The study concludes with the examination of imagery as used in written Zulu praise poetry.
MA, PU vir CHO, 1991

The study sets to establish trends with regard to the role of the praise singer, the changes with regard to the traditional praise singer's rendition/performance and the material or content of his/her poetry. Thus the study highlights the distinction observed between the praise singer of the past and the present praise singer. The study also shows that the praise singer's performance, in terms of his/her role and content, is in the state of flux. The study also demonstrates that the singer of the past and the present praise singer have the same role and their chants or poetry or songs have the same effect. It also highlights situations where praises are chanted in modern times. These are graduation ceremonies, weddings, political gatherings and traditional ceremonies, for example, the annual rain making ceremonies. These events or occasions are inextricably linked to traditional praises. The study also highlights the fact that traditional praises present the history and heroic deeds of members of the clan to which the beneficiary belongs. They also express the deep feeling of royalty and loyalty. Like in the past they boost morale.
African Languages
M.A. (African Languages)

The diploma thesis is concerned with the symphonic poem Praga, Op. 26 composed by Josef Suk in 1904 in need to create a music image of Prague at the turn of the 19th and the 20th century. The thesis deals with the current research and literature situation and it presents Suk as a composer and a musician at the turn of the century. The crucial part of the thesis informs about circumstances of Praga's origin, its premieres, publication and reviews in newspapers at the beginning of the 20th century. It is particularly concerned with the description of the form and the analysis of Suk's composition. In following two chapters, Praga is set into a broader context. The first of them describes the city of Prague and its depiction in artworks at the turn of the 19th and the 20th century. The second contextual chapter discusses Suk's symphonic poem in the connection with the Hussite movement tradition formed at that time and with a Hussite song Kdož jste boží bojovníci (Ye Who Are God's Warriors) infiltrating into the awareness of the cultured and educated society during the 19th century.

This thesis is an exploratory examination of the social characteristics of 139 poets featured in a selection of five small press Canadian literary journals. The investigation charts and analyzes the demographics of 64 poets who were published in 1967, and 75 poets who were published in four small press literary magazines in 2010. The 2010 magazines were purposely sampled as representatives of specific geographical areas in Canada (i.e., the West Coast, the Prairies, Central Canada, and the East Coast). The results indicate that in 1967 female poets were less likely to be published; however, 43 years later, this bias has been rectified. Another notable difference between the two groups of poets is that in 1967 ethnic minorities were more likely to be published. Educational achievement was an important factor for both the 1967 and 2010 poets, as was location, occupation and editorial duties.
Graduate

The period after the February 1948 posed great changes for the cultural sphere, the groups and clubs were dissolved, artists who did not want to squeeze into the limits of socialist realism had no choice than to close themselves in the privacy of their homes and studios. After 1950, however, a group of friends around Jiří Kolář formed in Prague, who shared the same views on political and cultural development and, despite various artistic orientations, captured everyday experiences in pictures or texts. The thesis focuses on the friendship of Jiří Kolář, Vladimír Fuka, Eva Fuka, Zdeněk Urbánek, Jan Rychlík, Kamil LhoJan Hanč, Josef Schwarz-Červinka, Emanuel Frynta and others, and tries to portray this period of time, their mutual inspirations and relationships, and especially the extremely creative atmosphere, which was originated in this friendly circle. The thesis is based on diary entries, drawings, collages, poems and literary texts, which they created together and for each other in this unique, free and inspiring environment.