Chapter 25 "Images"
Writing a Poetry Analysis Essay [40 minutes total]
Your introduction should include a thesis statement and another sentence(s) introducing the poem(s) and author(s). Refrain from writing long, elaborate introductions. Doing so will eat up your writing time, may lead you off topic, and will fail to earn you any points. A strong thesis statement is more important. Provide the necessary background information in 1 to 2 sentences:Thesis
In your thesis, identify the literary element(s) to be analyzed and the approach or direction of the analysis. What message is the poem sending?
Thesis template:
In ["title of poem"] [author(s)' first and last name(s)] uses [literary elements to be analyzed] to [approach and direction of the analysis.
If you have already included the title of the text and full name of the poet in our opening, you don't need to repeat them in the thesis.
Sample opening paragraphs with the thesis statements highlighted:
Body Paragraphs / Concluding Sentence [Allow 15-20 minutes]
Concluding Sentence
Go back and reread the prompt. Then proofread your paper.[3 minutes]
- Read the prompt carefully. Make sure you know what you should be looking for as you read the passage. [Take 1-3 minutes carefully reading the prompt]
- As you read, mark up the poem, keeping in mind the elements the prompt has directed you to look for (if applicable). Underline important phrases and words, circle main ideas, write notes in the margin. You can come up with your own method of underlining, circling, and marking the pages with different marks indicating how you want to use the info. in your essay. How you mark up the passage is up to you, but you should get into the routine of doing it.
- Briefly outline (with a few words or phrases) how you will approach your essay. This should include a thesis statement that addresses the topic in the prompt. You don’t have a lot of time, so be brief - think bullet points, not full sentences. Make sure that the ideas in your thesis and outline effectively address the topic/prompt. [Take 8-10 minutes reading, marking, and outlining]
Your introduction should include a thesis statement and another sentence(s) introducing the poem(s) and author(s). Refrain from writing long, elaborate introductions. Doing so will eat up your writing time, may lead you off topic, and will fail to earn you any points. A strong thesis statement is more important. Provide the necessary background information in 1 to 2 sentences:Thesis
In your thesis, identify the literary element(s) to be analyzed and the approach or direction of the analysis. What message is the poem sending?
Thesis template:
In ["title of poem"] [author(s)' first and last name(s)] uses [literary elements to be analyzed] to [approach and direction of the analysis.
If you have already included the title of the text and full name of the poet in our opening, you don't need to repeat them in the thesis.
Sample opening paragraphs with the thesis statements highlighted:
- Sharon Olds in the poem, "On the Subway", presents a brief encounter between two people of different races which leads to several insights of one participant. This is accomplished through Olds' use of poetic devices, imagery, and imagination.
- The observer and the observed. One has control over the other. In her poem, "On the Subway," Sharon Olds asks her readers to enter the mind of a white woman who observes a young, black an as they travel together, neither knowing the other. Using poetic devices, imagery, and organization, Olds takes the reader on a ride through the contrasts and images that spark the imagination of the white onlooker.
- "An he is black and I am white" establishes the basic contrasts and conflict in Sharon Olds' poem, "On the Subway." Through imagery, organization, and poetic devices, Olds creates contrasting portraits. The narrator's confrontation becomes the reader's also as she reveals her troubling fears and insights through her images and comments concerning her encounter with the black youth.
Body Paragraphs / Concluding Sentence [Allow 15-20 minutes]
- The number of paragraphs will be based on the number of elements you analyze and the number of claims that you make.
- Include quotes from the passage (when appropriate) to support your statements. Quote early and often. Quote specific words/phrases. If the prompt asks for you to address specific elements, make sure those are listed in your outline so you don’t forget to discuss them. Remember that specificity is often the difference between a merely competent essay and an outstanding essay.
- Use transitions between paragraphs and within paragraphs to achieve a logical “flow” of ideas.
- Write in the present tense and maintain it throughout the paper.
- Address the “so what” factor. For example, in addition to discussing where and how the author uses imagery, discuss what the effect of the imagery is (and don’t simply say it’s to paint a picture for the reader). Usually the “so what” factor has to do with the theme and the effect literary devices have on the reader.
Concluding Sentence
- A conclusion does not have to be a paragraph. It can be your final remark, observation, or reference and may only be a sentence or two.
Go back and reread the prompt. Then proofread your paper.[3 minutes]
Chapter 26 "Figures of Speech
Assessment - Test
You will be given the definitions of each of the figures of speech. For each definition you will
In addition, you'll be asked to apply our regular discussion questions to a new poem which includes figurative language, then write a short explication of the poem.
1st Paragraph
2nd paragraph
You will be given the definitions of each of the figures of speech. For each definition you will
- identify the figure of speech being defined and spell the term correctly (2 pts)
- provide a paraphrased example of that figure of speech from the poetry we have studied, listed below. You should explain clearly and concisely how your paraphrased example shows the figure of speech.
In addition, you'll be asked to apply our regular discussion questions to a new poem which includes figurative language, then write a short explication of the poem.
- Who is the speaker? What is the speaker's perspective? What is the speaker's role in the poem?
- What is the poem's "story"? How does the title relate to the poem?
- What figurative language is used in the poem?
- How does the figurative language contribute to the poem?
1st Paragraph
- Introduce the poem, its poet, and a brief statement about the poems' story
- Identify the speaker of the poem. Use evidence from the poem to justify your statements.
- Explain the poem's story. Use examples from the poem to help you tell the story.
2nd paragraph
- Identify each instance of figurative language used in the poem
- refer to the line directly, explaining how it functions as figurative language
- end by explaining what the figurative language contributes to the poem - how does it contribute to the story, mood, and/or theme.
Simile & Metaphor Definitions | |
File Size: | 69 kb |
File Type: | pptx |
Figures of Speechapostrophe
controlling metaphor extended metaphor hyperbole implied metaphor metaphor metonymy oxymoron paradox personification pun simile synecdoche understatement |
Poems“you fit into me”
“Presentiment” “The Author to Her Book” “The Writer" “Lightning Bugs” “Mirror” “A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning” “The Guitarist Tunes Up” “It Sifts from Leaden Sieves” “Metaphors” "The Pragmatist" “The Hand that Signed the Paper” ”To a Wasp” “The Unkindest Cut” "How Poetry Comes to Me" |
Simile and Metaphor - Group Discussion Questions
Using the following questions, discuss each poem on your handout. Pay particular attention to the poet's use of simile and metaphor.
"The Guitarist Tunes Up"
"It Sifts from Leaden Sieves,"
"Metaphors"
"Toads"
"The Guitarist Tunes Up"
- Who is the speaker and what is the situation?
- To what is the guitarist compared? What type of comparison is used (simile and/or metaphor [implied, extended or controlling])?
- What do the comparisons tell us about the guitarist?
"It Sifts from Leaden Sieves,"
- Who is the speaker and what is the situation?
- What are the characteristics of "it"?
- What type of comparison is used (simile and/or metaphor [implied, extended, or controlling])?
- What is "it"?
- What is the mood of the poem? What words/images develop the mood?
"Metaphors"
- Who is the speaker and what is the situation?
- To what is "I" compared? What type of comparison is used (simile and/or metaphor [implied, extended, or controlling])?
- What do the comparisons tell us about "I"?
- Who is "I"?
- What is the tone of the poem? How does the speaker feel? What words/images develop the tone?
"Toads"
- Who is the speaker and what is the situation?
- The title of the poem is "Toads." What is compared to toads? How are they like toads?
- What type of comparison is used (simile and/or metaphor [implied, extended, or controlling])?
- Why did the poet choose toads as the comparison?
- What is the tone of the poem? How does the speaker feel? What wordsimages develop the tone?