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Poem setting

The setting of a poem can range from a specific, real-world place that actually exists to an allegorical (figurative language that says something but actually means something else) type of setting. Physical settings in the real world help set the mood of the poem - a poem set in a beautiful nature scene may relax the reader and help to open them to wonderful descriptions of some aspect of nature. At the other end of the spectrum, a poem set in the aftermath of a bloody battle sets a black mood, full of death and suffering.

More abstract settings can take place in the heart of a love-struck Romeo, or a grief-ridden widower. Here the description of the settings may be more abstract, although sometimes poets will describe something like the heart using everyday language, which makes working out the setting even harder.

Settings can sometimes be symbolic or representative, even allegorical (representing abstract ideas by characters or events) - a description of a little stream that gradually dries up might refer to the withering and drying up of a person in old age.