Research Article

A STYLISTIC INVESTIGATION INTO THE POEMS OF THE MENTALLY ILL PATIENTS

Volume: 15 Number: 3 September 15, 2026
EN TR

A STYLISTIC INVESTIGATION INTO THE POEMS OF THE MENTALLY ILL PATIENTS

Abstract

This study aims to examine the use of figurative language in Akıl Hastalarının Yazdıkları Şiirler: İnilti (1964), a collection of poems written by patients with mental illness, from a stylistic perspective. Using Leech and Short’s (2007) stylistics checklist, the analysis focuses on tropes of comparison (metaphor, simile, personification, apostrophe), association (metonymy, synecdoche, symbol, allegory), and contrast (paradox, hyperbole, litotes, irony). The qualitative analysis of 112 poems shows dense, and at times unconventional, figurative patterns: metaphors and similes translate inner unrest into concrete images, personification and apostrophe blur the boundary between self and world, and associative or contrastive tropes reorganize fragmented experiences into symbolic forms. The findings suggest that figurative language shapes how patients express their inner lives, consistent with Pennebaker et al.’s (2003) view that unconscious states surface in language and with Bakare’s (2009) observation that poetic expression can disclose aspects of mental life not easily conveyed directly.

Keywords

References

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  6. Bakare, M. O. (2009). Morbid and insight poetry: A glimpse at schizophrenia through the window of poetry. Journal of Creativity in Mental Health, 4(3), 217-224. https://doi.org/10.1080/15401380903192671
  7. Bethlehem, L. S. (1996). Simile and figurative language. Poetics Today, 17(2), 203-240. https://doi.org/10.2307/1773211
  8. Bezar, L., Iqbal, M., & Hussain, S. (2023). Stylistic analysis of humour in Pakistani English fiction: Linguistic deviation as a comic strategy. Journal of Language and Literary Studies, 14(2), 45-63. https://doi.org/10.xxxx/jlls.2023.002

Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

Linguistics (Other), Literary Studies (Other), New Turkish Language (Turkish of Old Anatolia, Ottoman, Turkiye)

Journal Section

Research Article

Publication Date

September 15, 2026

Submission Date

September 27, 2025

Acceptance Date

December 21, 2025

Published in Issue

Year 2026 Volume: 15 Number: 3

APA
Güçlü, R., & Küçüksakarya, E. (2026). A STYLISTIC INVESTIGATION INTO THE POEMS OF THE MENTALLY ILL PATIENTS. Uluslararası Türkçe Edebiyat Kültür Eğitim (TEKE) Dergisi, 15(3), 769-793. https://doi.org/10.7884/teke.1792171
AMA
1.Güçlü R, Küçüksakarya E. A STYLISTIC INVESTIGATION INTO THE POEMS OF THE MENTALLY ILL PATIENTS. TEKE. 2026;15(3):769-793. doi:10.7884/teke.1792171
Chicago
Güçlü, Ruhan, and Esra Küçüksakarya. 2026. “A STYLISTIC INVESTIGATION INTO THE POEMS OF THE MENTALLY ILL PATIENTS”. Uluslararası Türkçe Edebiyat Kültür Eğitim (TEKE) Dergisi 15 (3): 769-93. https://doi.org/10.7884/teke.1792171.
EndNote
Güçlü R, Küçüksakarya E (September 1, 2026) A STYLISTIC INVESTIGATION INTO THE POEMS OF THE MENTALLY ILL PATIENTS. Uluslararası Türkçe Edebiyat Kültür Eğitim (TEKE) Dergisi 15 3 769–793.
IEEE
[1]R. Güçlü and E. Küçüksakarya, “A STYLISTIC INVESTIGATION INTO THE POEMS OF THE MENTALLY ILL PATIENTS”, TEKE, vol. 15, no. 3, pp. 769–793, Sept. 2026, doi: 10.7884/teke.1792171.
ISNAD
Güçlü, Ruhan - Küçüksakarya, Esra. “A STYLISTIC INVESTIGATION INTO THE POEMS OF THE MENTALLY ILL PATIENTS”. Uluslararası Türkçe Edebiyat Kültür Eğitim (TEKE) Dergisi 15/3 (September 1, 2026): 769-793. https://doi.org/10.7884/teke.1792171.
JAMA
1.Güçlü R, Küçüksakarya E. A STYLISTIC INVESTIGATION INTO THE POEMS OF THE MENTALLY ILL PATIENTS. TEKE. 2026;15:769–793.
MLA
Güçlü, Ruhan, and Esra Küçüksakarya. “A STYLISTIC INVESTIGATION INTO THE POEMS OF THE MENTALLY ILL PATIENTS”. Uluslararası Türkçe Edebiyat Kültür Eğitim (TEKE) Dergisi, vol. 15, no. 3, Sept. 2026, pp. 769-93, doi:10.7884/teke.1792171.
Vancouver
1.Ruhan Güçlü, Esra Küçüksakarya. A STYLISTIC INVESTIGATION INTO THE POEMS OF THE MENTALLY ILL PATIENTS. TEKE. 2026 Sep. 1;15(3):769-93. doi:10.7884/teke.1792171