What is Literature

The term literature comes from the Latin word “litteraturae”

which means writings. In general form, literature is applied to
all fields including philosophical writings, historical writings as
well as other writings. But in literature, it is used to designate
fictional and imaginative writings such as poetry, fiction, and
drama.

Therefore, literature is a work of art expressed in words using

a language creatively to express human realities.
 What is Literature
Or
It is the term that implies creative language and imitated
social realities which can be transmitted in the form of writing
or speech and reflect human experiences. It is distinct from
other works of art such as painting, sculpture, drawing, and so
on. However, both works of art express the culture of a
specific society from which they owe their essence.
 What are the ‘eight (8) major periods’ in the

history of English literature?

The major eight (8) periods in the history of English literature
are:
The Anglo-Saxon or old English period (450–1066)
The Anglo-Norman or middle English period (1066–1500)
The renaissance period (1500–1660)
The neoclassical period (1660–1798)
The romantic period (1798–1837)
The Victorian period (1837–1901)
The modern period (1901-1945)
The contemporary period (1945–today)
 TYPES OF LITERATURE
Originally, there are two types of literature, namely;
A- Oral literature
B- Written literature.
Types of oral literature
The folk tale: this is a short narrative handed down through
oral tradition, passed down from one generation to the next
(human as characters).
The legend: it is a story handed down from the past,
especially one that may not be true but has a historical
derivational/historical background.
Myths: these are stories that originated in ancient times,
especially ones dealing with ideas or beliefs about the origin
of race, things, or events.
Fable: are short stories (tales) often with animals as
characters that convey a moral message.
Epics: these are long narrative poems in an elevated
style/presenting characters of high position in adventures
through their relation to a central heroic figure and their
development of episodes.
Ballads: a form of verse to be sung or recited and
characterized by its presentation of drama in simple narrative
form.
Riddles are puzzling questions, statements, or descriptions
especially ones intended to test the cleverness of those
wishing to solve them. E.g.: It walks on four legs in the
morning, two legs at noon, and three legs in the
evening-human being.
Proverbs: short well-known sayings that state a general truth
or give advice.
Or
These are compact fixed statements that imply question and
answer.
Idioms: a phrase/statement whose meaning is not clear from
the meaning of its individual words and which must be
learned as a unit.
Written literature classification: prominent genres of
literature
A: prose/ novel
A novel is extended fiction prose, a narrative of a considerable
length in which characters and actions as representatives of
real life, are portrayed in a plot of less complexity.
Features of a novel
1. It is featured by fictive narrations
2. It uses characters who are doers of actions or whom the story
evolves around them
3. It is written at a considerable length than other genres of
literature
It is a prose narrative that is briefer than a short novel,
covering a length of twenty or thirty pages, restricted in the
number of characters, and normally deals with one major
event/topic.
B: poetry :
is a composition that evokes emotions and imagination using
vivid, intense language usually arranged in a pattern of words
or lines with a regular repeated accent or stress.
It Is a composition that is characterized by special use of
language and rhythm, rhymes, imagery, metaphor, symbol,
onomatopoeia, meter, and various repetitions.
#It Is the writing that formulates a concentrated imaginative
awareness of experiences, chosen and arranged in a particular
pattern to create a specific emotional response through its
meaning, sound, and rhythm.
# It is a literary genre that uses language in a special way by
employing a lot of figurative expressions.
# It is a literary genre that is in line and metrical form which is
sharper in figurative language use and very economical in the
number of words used compared to other genres.
# It is a way of expressing feelings, emotions, ideas, and other
things that we experience, using language characterized by
imagery and rhythmical sounds.
 Characteristics/features of poetry
Poetry is imaginative
It is rhythmical or metrical in form
It is reflective/reflects experiences
It is rich in figures of speech or figurative language
It arouses emotions
It implies the use of lines/verses in the stanza
It uses repetitive sounds, especially similar sounds like
anadiplosis(Linguistic) and parallelism
Implies poetic license i.e., Allows grammatical errors
It uses concentrated/condensed language, or it is very
economical in the number of words.

How poetry differs from other genres

Poetry uses condensed/concentrated language than the two
other genres of literature
Poetry is written in verses/lines that form stanzas while in
other genres, for instance, novels, words are in paragraphs
Poetry employs poetic license more largely than the other
genres
Poetry is more rhythmical as almost all verses or words are
pronounced in stressed and unstressed syllables in a regular
interval of beats with regular pauses
Poetry is rich in figures and language than novels and play
Poetry uses language that arouses emotion more than other
genres as it implies the use of more elevated language.
Because it uses/involves the five senses of a man (hearing,
smelling, sighting, tasting as well as feeling)
Poetry uses repetitive sounds, especially of musical quality
like rhyme, refrain, etc.
Poetry is a more reflective literary work than other literary
genres.
Poetry as poems in composition can be sung or recited, never
to other genres
Poetry uses the persona as the one who presents/speaks in
the poem(s) but the prose works use characters with their
names
 Terms used in poetry/poetic terms

Poem; it is a piece of writing/composition in verse form,

especially in stanza(s). It is the best words in the best order.
Poet(ess); a person who composes poems.
Persona; is a person who speaks or narrates in the poem.
Poetic license; is the freedom of the poet to break
deliberately the grammar of a particular in use.
Verse; is a single line in a stanza
Stanza; this refers to a group of verses that form a single
unit.
Rhyme; refers to the repetition of similar sounds, especially
Rhythm; is the pattern of stressed and unstressed words in
musical beats, especially in regular intervals.
Refrain; refers to the repetition of similar words/lines at the
end of each stanza
Alliteration; is a repetition of consonant sounds within the
same verse at the initial of words.
Consonance; is the repetition of similar consonant sounds at
the end of verses.
Assonance; is a repetition of similar vowel sounds in the
same verse.
Reiteration; is the repetition of the same word(s) in the
poem.
Parallelism; is the repetition of a line which have a similar
structure with some similar phrases/the use of similar or
identical language, structures, events, or ideas in different
parts of a text.

Mood; this is the state of being/ the atmosphere or emotional

condition created by the piece, within the setting. It may be
sympathy, anger, regret, sadness, etc.
Attitude; the way someone perceives something
Forms of poetry
There are two types of poetry as the broader category according to
perspectives/views, these are;
1- Traditional poetry
2- Modern poetry
Traditional poetry
This refers to poems written by using rules or principles like an equal
number of verses in each stanza and following a rhyming pattern.
It is known as a closed form of writing poems as it is governed by strict
rules or principles.
Modern poetry
It is free verse, an open form of writing poems in which the traditional
strict rules and principles are not followed, and instead are ignored.
But we have types of poetry according to form (structure) and content.
Under this category, we have three major types of poetry, namely;
A- Narrative poetry
B- Lyric or lyrical poetry
C- Dramatic poetry
Narrative poems
These are kinds of poems that tell a story that is presented in the form of
narrating a story. We have many poems (classifications) that belong to
this category like descriptive, didactic, epic, ballad, etc.
Descriptive poems:
These are specific categories of narrative poetry and are presented by
describing/giving features/characteristics of something/things.
Didactic poems:
These are those poems that give instructions and are composed for
educative purposes/issues. For example, “front line” by George Shea
Epic poems:
These are grand heroic poems that try to narrate phenomena or events of
heroes/heroic figures in each society. Or it is a form of poem that
recounts/tells the accomplishment of a heroic figure. It includes an
expansive setting, superhuman feats, gods, and supernatural beings. E.g.
Homer, the Iliad, anonymous, Beowulf, Dante, The Divine
Comedy. Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene, John
Milton, Paradise Lost
Ballad:
Is a poem whereby it involves more than oneself/personal in conversation
or speaking in turn.
These are some of the narrative poetry as there are others like reflective,
and expressive. e.g. “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” by S .T.
Coleridge.
Lyrical poems:
These are those that express strong feelings/emotions of the speaker or
persona. There are three classifications of lyrical poems, which are ode,
elegy, and sonnet.
Ode:
Is a poem that expresses serious issues/addresses a person or celebration
of events e.g. “Ode to a Nightingale” by John Keats.
Elegy:
Is a poem that expresses sorrowful or sad strong feelings,
especially on the death of a close person. Or is it a type of
poem in which a poet mourns the death of a specific person.
For example, Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard by
Thomas Gray
Sonnet:
Is a poem that expresses feelings using fourteen verses/ is a
fourteen-line poem normally with distinctive rhyme skills and a
metrical pattern. There are types of sonnets in English
Literature:
Petrarchan
Shakespearean
Dramatic poetry:
Is a kind of poetry that involves dramatic narrative form and uses more
than oneself/persona. There are two specifications of dramatic poetry;
Monologue:
Refer to poems that are under this category that involve one speaker who
oversees more than him/herself. E.g., “Dover Beach” by Matthew Arnold.
“The sea is calm tonight.
The tide is full, the moon lies fair
Upon the straits; on the French coast the light
Gleams and is gone; the cliffs of England stand,
Glimmering and vast, out in the tranquil bay.
Come to the window, sweet is the night air!”

.
Dialogue:
Refer to poems which are involving more than one speaker or persona.
e.g.
ROMEO: (taking Juliet's hand) if I profane with my unworthiness hand
this holy shrine, the gentle sin is this:
my lips, two blushing pilgrims, ready stand
to smooth that rough touch with a tender kiss.
JULIET: good pilgrim, you do wrong your hand too much,
which mannerly devotion shows in this,
for saints have hands that pilgrims’ hands do touch,
and palm to palm is holy palmers’ kiss.
ROMEO: have not saints lips, and holy palmers too?
JULIET: ay, pilgrim, lips that they must use in prayer.
ROMEO: O, then, dear saint, let lips do what hands do.
They pray; grant thou, lest faith turn to despair.
C: drama/play:
Is a piece of writing performed by actors in a theater,
television, or radio. It ought to be a just and likely image of
human nature, reproducing the passions and humor and the
change of fortune to which it is subjected for the delight and
instructions of mankind.

It refers to the imitation of complete actions adapted to the

sympathetic attention of man, developed in a succession of
continuously related incidents acted and expressed by means
of speech and the symbol actualities and conditions of life.
Elements of drama/play
1-Setting; this refers to the place where the literary work is
set and time referring to the story. Normally, the setting is real
or imaginative in nature. The setting can be specific (e.g., New
York city in 1930) or ambiguous (e.g., A large urban city during
economic hard times). Also refers directly to a description
thereof.
2-Characterization/dramatic personage: is a process of
choosing characters/actors/actresses and shaping them to
represent and portray the intended message. On the other
hand, this is the author’s means of conveying to the reader a
character’s personality, life history, values, physical attributes,
etc. Also refers directly to a description thereof.
3-Plot: this is the arrangement (organization) or series of
events/incidents in a narrative or play/drama. It is a superstructure of
literary work specifically a novel or drama/play.
The plot is the interplay and sequence of events in and actions a story
artistically arranged so that the author may attain a specific aesthetic or
artistic impact. It can be arranged chronologically or chronologically
depending on the author’s interest.
4-Audience: these are the people who receive the desired message
through listening, reading, observing, or watching a drama/play.
5-Diction: this is the choice and use of words in a literary work.
6-Style/technique: refers to the way in how a literary work is
structured/presented by the author/playwright.
7- theme: the main idea or message conveyed by the piece
of writing. A theme is generally stated as a complete sentence;
an idea expressed as a single word or fragmentary phrase is
called a motif.

8- motif: a recurring important idea or image. A motif differs

from a theme in that it can be expressed as a single word or
fragmentary phrase, while a theme usually must be expressed
as a complete sentence.
Differences between drama and play
1-Drama uses a physical setting but play is shaped by words
2-Drama uses actual actions as acted while play uses words to
shape actions
3-Drama has more audiences than play as it involves illiterate
and literate people in society
4-Drama started before the play
The story is easier grasped in drama than in a play
5-Drama is spoken while play is always in written language
6-Drama uses real characters while play uses imaginary
characters shaped by words.
Types of play/drama
There are about four types of drama/play but the first two
types are the major ones of the four
Tragedy:
It is a type of drama that involves the seriousness of
actions/issues and leads the hero of the drama to endanger his
life or end to death or isolation. E.G. “An enemy of the
people” and “death of a salesman”, Shakespeare's
Hamlet
Comedy:
It is a kind of drama that uses humorous/funny actions that can
make people laugh. It is normally characterized by mistaken
identity as well as a happy ending. Shakespeare’s As you
Tragicomedy:
It is the combination of both seriousness and humour but never
the hero to die even when he is faced with dangerous
situations. e.g. The Merchant of Venice, Shakespeare
Melodrama:
This involves the excitement of actions very exaggerated and
musical sounds, elements in the play for entertainment.
Elements of literature
1-Form
2-Contents

The form Consists of the following:

1-Setting
2-Style
3-Plot
4-Diction
5-Linguistic techniques
6-Characterization
Style:
In a normal sense, style is a method of doing or performing something,
especially in the arts or science. In a literary work, technique/style refers
to the way the work has been structured. There are many styles being
used in presenting literary works, some of them are as discussed below:

Flashback:
this is an interjected scene that takes the narrative back in time from the
current point the story has reached. Not only that but also flashback can
be defined as a chronological movement back in time so that a
chronologically earlier incident is related later in the text.
Generally, a flashback is referred to as the insertion of an earlier event
into the chronological structure of a novel, play, or film.
Oral traditional style:
Straightforward: this is the style in which a story is told from
the beginning, middle, and to its end. It is a common and older
used literary technique, unlike others.

Overshadowing:
It is a literary technique that involves showing a little insight
into what the work of art is comprised of and then giving
detailed information as the work is developed
Plot:
This refers to an arrangement (organization) of events in a
narrative or play. It is clearly reflected through conflicts,
physical, moral, or personal conflict. A story is what happens, a
plot is the actions.
Plot is an interplay and sequence of events in a story artfully
arranged so that the author may attain the desired aesthetic or
artistic effect. It is built through the following;
1- Exposition is the point that involves defining the setting
and characterization.
2-Imposing problem/conflict: the point where the writer
starts to develop the story using conflicting ideas of two
characters/sides.
3-Rising action:
this involves developing actions/events from the
problem/conflicting ideas to other new developed problems.
4-Climax:
the highest point of interest that the story centers. Or it is the
turning point in a story, at which the end result becomes
inevitable, usually where something suddenly goes terribly
wrong; the “dramatic high point” of a story.
5-Falling actions:
the point where the interest of the reader starts to go/drop
down.
Resolution/denouncement: the point in which solutions of
the problem are found and suggestions are given out.
Characterization
This is the artistic technique that refers to the creation of imaginary
persons so that they exist for the reader as life-like.
How do we determine characters?
Behavior, trait, or features
His/her words, what he/she speaks/says
His/her actions/deeds, what he/she does
His/her name
What is said by other characters to another
His/her own monologue
What he/she thinks in an armchair
Physical movement
Psychological set up/background which is the mental pictures of that
character
Types of characters
1-Protagonist character:
these are characters that carry the burden/side of the majority as they
are used on behalf of society's interests.
2-Antagonist characters:
are those characters that tend to go against the protagonist characters
and they are selfish, defending their interests.
3-Main characters:
these are characters that are seen throughout the work whether
protagonist or antagonist and are used to send/convey the intended
message to the society through their conflicting ideas.
4-Minor characters:
are helping characters who help the main characters to carry a message.
5-Round characters:
are those characters that change their personality in the work
of art. They develop from one stage to another. In another way,
they are known as developing characters.
6-Flat characters:
are those characters that do not change throughout the entire
work of art as they are static in nature. However, they can
sometimes be called static characters.
7-Stock characters:
are borrowed characters from another field like from oral
tradition.
Figurative language :
The language of literature always is not direct. It is a connotative language that implies
indirect meaning/literary meaning rather than direct/literal or denotative meaning. And it
is that language that is referred to as figurative language/literary meaning.
Hence, for the interpretation to obtain meaning in any literary work, it must be done
through:
1-Association
2-Context
3-Impact
4-Figurative language includes the following;
5-Imagery
6-Figures of speech
7-Proverbs
8-Riddles
9-Sayings
10-Idioms
Imagery:

It is the figurative language that when it is used, paints a mental picture or

image in the mind of the reader/listener. Or

Imagery refers to the use of language to represent descriptive things, actions, or

even abstract ideas. It is a language that describes something in detail, using
words to substitute for and create sensory stimulation, including visual imagery
and sound imagery. Also refers to specific and recurring types of images, such
as food imagery and nature imagery.
It involves mental picture language, for example;

“Her body has unusual black, like soot

With terrifying rashes,

And chronic sores.

She is getting thinner, thinner, and thinner

Than a mosquito body”

When a person reads the above verses, he/she may paint a picture/image of a
person who is thinner or becoming thinner than a mosquito's body as well as
her body is terribly destroyed by rashes and black scars like soot.
Figures of speech
Is the use of language that one thing refers to in terms of another which it
symbolically resembles.
There are many figures of speech in literature, below are some of them;
A metaphor is a figure of speech that directly compares two unlike things
without using conjunctions. For example;
He is a lion
She is a green snake in the green grass.
Simile: is a comparison of two unlike things using conjunctions. It is an
indirect relationship where one thing or idea is expressed as similar. Similes
usually contain words like “like” or “as,” but not always.
He looks like a dog
She is as slow as a snail
Symbolism:: the use of specific symbols, ideas, objects or events to
represent/suggest, or stand for something else. For example;
Blood sacrifice, relationship
Rain/water-life/hope
Personification: a figure of speech that gives or endows objects, animals, ideas,
or things the ability to do a thing like human beings. Or
Is the giving of attributes to inanimate that they do not deserve (inanimate
means non-animals e.g., Stones, trees, etc.). For example;
Hyena said, let me eat
The mountain rose majestically
All the birds sang sorrowfully
Hyperbole/overstatement is a figure of speech that involves an exaggeration of things, ideas,
or events. For example;
John invited billions of people to his party
Ayoub always eats ten dishes of food
Euphemism: is a figure of speech that is used to reduce the harshness of words that could be
spoken in public. For example;
Passed away instead of died
Family way instead of pregnant
Vagina/female reproductive organ instead of cunt
Metonymy: is a figure of speech characterized by the substitution of one item closely related
to another. For example;
Crown-king/queen
Statehouse- president
Chair-leadership
Irony: is the figure of speech that tells/speaks the opposite of what is meant to
be. It is where an event that occurs is unexpected, and which is in absurd or
mocking opposition to what is expected or appropriate. For example;

A man of the people-enemy

An enemy of the people-friend

Satire: it is a figure of speech/literary term that uses humour or wit to ridicule

human vices, follies, or weaknesses. It is used to improve human institutions or
humanity.
Sarcasm: is a figure of speech that uses language and inflicts, wounding as well
as tormenting a person. For example;

Despite your richness but you have not even a single child!

Do you think you are so special? If so, you are deducing yourself!

No one can marry such kind of a person as you!

Onomatopoeia: refers to the formation of words referring to the sounds

produced by the originator of the words. For example;

The hissing of a snake

The bang of the door

De personification: this is a figure of speech that gives a human being inanimate (non-
human) characteristics or behaviours. For example;
He barked like a rabid dog
She has a long neck like a giraffe
Apostrophe: an explanation in which a person is addressing an absence or dead human being
or a non-human creature as if they can hear or reply. For example;
They visit us in a dream
The dead never come back
Paradox: this is a contradictory statement that has some truth when interpreted, where a
situation is created that cannot possibly exist because different elements of it cancel each
other out.
You will kill him with your kindness
Let us develop a dangerous habit of unselfishness
Allusion: the comparison of an ordinary person or event with a past famous or notorious
person or event. For example;
The use of biblical/ Quranic terms
Synecdoche: the substitution of a meaning where a part of an entity is mentioned to mean
the whole entity or the whole entity is mentioned to mean its part. For example;
I employ many hands because I have many mouths to feed
Tanzania won a gold medal in the marathon
Oxymoron: a statement in which elements of opposite meanings are used. For example;
Let us agree not to disagree
Sick health
Cold fire
Allegory: a story that has two meanings, one open and direct meaning, and
another indirect, hidden but intended meaning, where every aspect of a story is
representative, usually symbolic, of something else, usually a larger abstract
concept or important historical/geopolitical event.

Understatement: this is a figure of speech that describes or represents

something being smaller or less significant than it really is. Consider the
examples below;

She is becoming thinner and thinner than a mosquito body.

He is shorter than he can sit on a paracetamol tablet.

Tone:

This is the fundamental attitude that the poet takes toward his subject or audience and
to his entire understanding to communicate his feelings. Tone can be expressed in the
following ways;
Ironical tone
Satirical tone
Sarcastic tone
Humorous tone
Wit tone
Happiness, anger, seriousness, sorrow, sadness, regret, etc.
Stanza
Is a poetic unit made up of several lines? Stanzas also are categorized according
to several lines/verses it contains. They include;
Couplet-2lines
Triplet-3lines
Quatrain-4lines
Quintent-5lines
Sestet-6lines
Septet-7lines
Octave-8lines
Etc.
Practical analysis/criticism of poems
There are several things that you are required to consider when you are analyzing a poem.
The following are important things to consider:
1- A dictionary
2-The detailed checklist
This is the list of procedures and technicalities to be employed/considered in poetry
analysis. They include the following:

1-The title of a poem:

the title sometimes may help you to get a clue on what the poem is about. It is also more
helpful to the reader for predicting the content of a given poem. However, it is not
necessarily that every title can suggest the content of the poem as titles are ironic.
2-Form/structure:
this refers to how the poem is constructed specifically in considering the verses and/or
stanzas it contains. It may have fourteen or fewer and more verses, perhaps.
General message/content; this is referred to as the core message a poem contains.
Other possible themes; are supplementary issues discussed in a poem. They are sometimes
known as motifs.
3-The speaker/persona:
is the one who speaks in a poem. He/she may be a passive person who only narrates about a
problem/situation without him/herself being affected by it. Also, he/she can be an active
person who is directly affected by the topic of discussion.
4-Language use/diction:
this refers to the way language is used to mold a poem. This is so crucial in literature;
language use is very influential in molding the message the artist wants to convey. It
includes the level of formality (i.e., Formal or informal/standard or non-standard), figures of
speech as well as imagery.
5-Musical devices:
here a reader is ought to pay much attention to issues like rhyme, rhythm,
refrain, assonance, consonance, alliteration, reiteration, parallelism, etc.

6-Tone/mood/attitude of the persona:

understanding of tone/mood/attitude can help a reader to determine the
message, a poet intended to convey to his/her audience.

7-Relevance of the poem:

a reader is supposed to relate the motifs with his/her contemporary society. The
poem may only be relevant if it reflects the social reality in the reader’s society.
Examples on poem’s critical appreciation

EAT MORE by Joe Corrie

Eat more fruit, the slogan says
More fish, more beef, more bread
But I'm on unemployment pay
My third year now and Wed.

And also, I wonder when I see

The slogan when I pass
The only one that would suit me
Eat more bloody grass.
Critical criticism
Who speaks in the poem?
The one who speaks in this poem is an active person who is directly affected by
unemployment, and he is complaining about eating a balanced diet while he cannot afford it
due to his poor financial position.
What is the tone/mood/attitude of the speaker?
The persona’s tone/mood/attitude is sadness/anger (anger) and seriousness because he is
complaining about the situation of unemployment that makes him fail to afford to eat a
balanced diet.
How is the poem organized (structured)?
The poem is organized into two stanzas with four verses in each stanza.
Comment on the language use:
The language used in a poem is ordinary or standard language because it uses common
words. Also, it follows grammatical rules like punctuation.
However, there is the use of figurative language which includes the following;

Imagery; can be depicted by the description of the slogan as well as the diet contents
specifically in the first stanza.

Figures of speech; there are a lot of figures of speech depicted in this poem, and they
include;

Symbolism e.g., “Bloody grass” to symbolize the lower class (poor) and “fish, beef and
bread” to symbolize the upper class in the society (rich) as well as the balanced diet.

Personification; this is vividly in the first verse of the first stanza as the poet says;

“Eat more fruit, the slogan says

More fish, more beef, more bread”

What is the content/general idea/topic of the poem?
The general idea/content of the poem is unemployment which results in
poverty, exploitation, protest, conflict, etc.
What are the poetic features used in this poem?
Different poetic features used in this poem, include the following:
Rhyme; the rhymes used are; the “a b a b” rhyming scheme in the first stanza
and “c d c d” rhymes in the second stanza/last stanza.
Repetition of similar sounds e.g.
The alliteration of “m” and “b” in the second verse of the first stanza
More fish, more beef, more bread
Reiteration; eat, more, slogan.
 Consonance; e.g. “D” in the second and fourth verse of the first stanza;

“Eat more fruit, the slogan says

More fish, more beef, more bread

But I’m on unemployment pay

My third year now and wed.”

Assonance; this is seen in the second verse of the first stanza as shown below;

“Eat more fruit, the slogan says

More fish, more beef, more bread

What is the type of this poem?

It is a lyric poem that is short and expresses strong feelings/ideas of a persona.

Is the poem relevant to your contemporary society?

The poem is so relevant to our contemporary society as in most cases people in

power insist on the implementation of different slogans without even
considering their affordability to the common people.
Thank you
Nusaibah