Title With Care

by

Mona Hodgson

 

 

Most poets feel titles are as integral to a poem as jam is to a peanut butter sandwich. Other poets think of titles as being irrelevant and redundant. Emily Dickinson didn't use titles, although her first editors attached some, most of Emily’s collected poems are simply numbered.

 

 

FUNCTION

 

An untitled poem looks odd on the page—unannounced. Titles function both as an introduction and a reference for the reader. A title labels the poem for the reader, which helps him remember it and refer to it later. The title on your poem is the sign in front of your house, announcing it for sale. Once your poem is on the market you want to draw your reader in without giving too much away. While a good title needn't dazzle readers with fireworks, it must capture their interest and draw them in. 

 

 

REASON

 

Some titles are simply given while others are produced by the demands of the poem. Some are adopted from something read or overheard and others are born out of logic. A title draws attention to itself or it can be matter-of-fact. Flashy or functional. Intriguing or explanatory.

 

 

OPTIONS

 

When Robert Frost titled, Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening, he chose a label that describes the poem and shows action.

 

In A Pact, Ezra Pound's title names the function of the poem. Easter, 1916 by W.B. Yeats indicates a particular time and event.

 

T.S. Eliot's title, The Wasteland, reveals a symbol and subject. As does William Wordsworth in The Daffodils.

 

William Carlos Williams often started a poem with the title as in The Yachts and A Negro Woman. The body of the poem can begin either by repeating that line or simply by flowing on from the title as in the following poem I wrote for a friend.                                            

 

YOU ARE  

 

a breeze that clears polluted air

a mist that refreshes

a spark that warms

a melody in chaos

a light in darkness

wings for my dreams

a precious gift—

my friend. MH

 

In The Arrow And The Song, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow borrowed the images of the arrow and the song from his poem for the title.

 

Some poets lift a phrase or a word from the poem that seems appropriate as a title. Longfellow employed this option in The Children’s Hour.

 

Poets can change a tense or form of a word used in the poem and make it their title. I used this method in titling Shadowed from shadows.

 

Joan Rae Mills used a play on words and turned a cliche inside out for her poem The Heart is Where the Home is.

 

A title may be a good place for a quick explanation or for background information the poet doesn't want to force into the poem itself. Laurence E. Estes did this in his poem, Sunset on the Mountain. His title describes the setting and creates the atmosphere.

 

A poet could use a title to covey place, time, theme, or the name of a specific person, animal, or object. In The Carolinas by Wallace Stevens, O Captain! My Captain by Walt Whitman, and The Turtle by William Carlos Williams provide examples.

 

Or the title may indicate to whom the poem is addressed as in To Flossie by William Carlos Williams.

 

Sometimes a title can be used to identify a situation that the poem itself develops in less direct terms. Separation by Nancy Davis is a small allegory, a story whose events are fictional but represent real events. In the story she and her children crouch high on a rocky ledge. They're watching the father ride the river, caught in its turbulence, beyond their reach. The title points to what the poem is actually about—separation.

 

Try to make your title appropriate, as well as appealing. Often, a title becomes more important after a poem is read because it echoes, maybe even interprets, the contents of the poem. At worst, a title shouldn't hurt a poem or detract from it. At best, it should deepen and highlight the words and lines that follow. 

 

TIMING

 

Many poets, myself included, usually prefer to attach a title after the foundation is laid and the poem is built. Others choose a title before they write the poem, letting it initiate whatever follows. A word of caution: if you choose your title first, you may feel obligated to adhere to its limitations. You may force or stifle the creative process, and miss an opportunity to give your creation a more appropriate title.

 

 

SCRUTINY 

 

Sit down with an anthology or collection of poems. As you study the titles, look at the style the poet chose. What is the title’s relationship to the poem?

 

Next, take a fresh look at your poems and their titles. Which option did you use in choosing your poem’s title? Is your title effective in its function as an introduction and reference? Does your poem need a new sign? If so, have fun with the many options.