MAJOR ESSAY on a Selected Poem

Assignment: The pleasure experienced in listening to or reading poetry comes from the interrelationship of all the literary techniques that the poet uses to present the sense, or meaning, of the poem: choice of speaker, sound, imagery, and figurative language.

Write an essay which analyzes the connection between the techniques of your selected poem and its meaning.

Title of Poem:______________________________________________________________________

Poet:___________________________________________ No. of Lines: _______________________

_____narrative, _____ dramatic, or _____ lyric
_____free verse, _____ blank verse, or _____ regular verse

Step #1: Begin by first jotting down your responses to the poem. At this point, concentrate on the poem's emotional effect on you.

 

 

 

Step #2: Now consider the meaning (main idea, message, moral, theme) of the poem.

 

 

Step #3: Who is the speaker (or persona) of the poem? Describe the kind of person who appears to speak in the poem.

 

 

 

Step #4: What sound devices are used in the poem? These may include rhyme, rhythm, onomatopoeia, alliteration, consonance, assonance, etc.

 

 

 

Step #5: What are the dominant images, or sensory references? Consider not only which senses are appealed to, but also whether the images can be grouped in some way.

 

 

 

Step #6: What kinds of figurative language appears? This might include metaphor, simile, personification, allusion, and so on.

 

 

 

Step #7: Is there any other specific technique that influences the poem's meaning?

 

 

Step #8: Complete this plan page which is due ____________.

Introduction: General discussion of the poem's effect on the reader. Last sentence of the paragraph should be your thesis statement stating the specific techniques used in your poem to convey the meaning of the poem.

Thesis Sentence:

 

 

Body Paragraphs: Each body paragraph should discuss one of the general techniques you have selected. You will support your selection by showing specifically how the technique revealed meaning. Each body paragraph will include two integrated quotes from the poem.

Body Paragraph #1 (Topic Sentence):

 

Partial quotes to be used:

 

 

 

 

Body Paragraph #2 (Topic Sentence):

 

Partial quotes to be used:

 

 

 

 

Body Paragraph #3 (Topic Sentence):

 

Partial quotes to be used:

 

 

 

 

Conclusion: Your conclusion should include a restatement of your thesis in different words. You should broaden your discussion to include at least one of the following ideas:

  • your opinion of the poem
  • what you learned from reading the poem
  • connecting the poem you discussed to another literary work
  • connecting the poem to your own life

 

 

Step #9: Complete a rough draft for a writing group on _____________.

Step #10: Turn in a final draft on ____________.

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