In regards to analyzing a literary work, e.g., poetry—what are the meanings of form, structure and language?In my course I am required to...

To answer your question, it is best to look at the
definition of each terms to notice the differences so we can distinguish each from the
other.

Dr. L. Kip Wheeler
states:

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FORM:
The "shape" ...of a particular poem. In most poems (like sonnets), the form consists of
a set number of lines, a set rhyme scheme, and a set meter for each line. In href="http://web.cn.edu/kwheeler/lit_terms_C.html#concrete_poetry_anchor">concrete
poetry, the form of a poem may reflect the theme, topic, or
idea of the words in the actual shape of the text on a piece of
paper.

So, the form of a
poem, for instance, talks about how it is put together and how it will look. An
Elizabethan sonnet will have fourteen lines: made up of three quatrains (three four-line
stanzas) and ending with rhyming couplet (two lines that rhyme at the end of each line);
its rhyme scheme is abab cdcd efef gg. The Italian sonnet will have fourteen lines, but
the form is different.

For a concrete
example of form with a concrete poem, for Easter, a poem might be shaped like a bunny;
for Christmas, it might be shaped like an angel. If the poem is about "Angry Birds," it
could be shaped like the head of an "angry bird." Its shape is its
form.

In terms of structure, this is
must more substantial. According to Lilia Melani, of Brooklyn College, structure
is:

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...[the] framework of a work of
literature; the organization or over-all design of a work. The structure of a play may
fall into logical divisions and also a mechanical division of acts and scenes. Groups of
stories may be set in a larger structure or frame, like The Canterbury
Tales, The Decameron, orThe Arabian
Tales.

For
a more concrete explanation, now we look to the underlying structure that guides the
development of the plot. Though it may seem secondary, it is of primary importance in
shaping the piece of literature. Look at the examples
above.

Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales
is a collection of stories; it's structured around a holy pilgrimage to Thomas Becket's
place of martyrdom at the Canterbury Cathedral. A pilgrimage is a holy journey to a
Christian landmark where people of all socioeconomic levels would
join together to travel to a landmark, often a shrine, to praise God. Because the
structure of the tale is based on the pilgrimage, Chaucer can bring together the poor,
rich, hardworking, honest, dishonest, hypocritical, etc., in one story: all people going
on a pilgrimage.

The structure of the Arabian
Knights or A Thousand and One Nights is structured
around the woman who is trying to save her life, avoiding her execution.To live, she
must tell a new story every night: and does so for one thousand nights to keep him
entertained. As long as she can do so, she will be spared. The structure of the story is
that the woman must tell a new tale each night to save her life. This is structure that
pulls all the different stories together thats she
tells.

Language can mean many
things:

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Language
can be classified in a number of
ways.

There is
denotative and connotative language: what is a
dictionary definition or what is associated with a word that gives it a meaning other
than the dictionary's definition. This can also describe figurative
language which is more poetic and less realistic. Similes and metaphors are
figurative language. Ex. "You are the sunshine of my life." This is a metaphor—the topic
of the song will not give someone sunburn: it's not
literal.

There is also abstract or concrete language, and
literal or figurative.

Language is the wording
you choose to use to write your piece.