Exploring a poem

Have a piece of paper ready to record your first ideas. 1. Start by reading the poem to yourself out loud if possible. 2. Jot down any ideas that come to mind as you read the poem. Dont worry about meaning, concentrate on anything that the poem may remind you if, any feelings, however unexpected, it suggests; any kind of atmosphere. 3. Now read the poem again and then consider the questions below. Remember ... Each of these points will make a paragraph about the poem. Do not use headings for each paragraph when you write an essay. Each paragraph should flow into the next paragraph. Prove every point you make by using a quotation from the poem. Use the sheet where your first thoughts were recorded. Include these in your work.

When you write an essay about a poem or poems READ THE QUESTION CAREFULLY. You may need to focus more fully on some aspects of the poem than on others, depending on the wording of the question. The essay format you are given here considers all aspects of a poem.

Introduction

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Start your essay by giving the title of the poem and the name of the poet. Try to classify the poem. What sort of poem is it? (e.g. sonnet, limerick, haiku, ode, acrostic, ballad, dramatic monologue, shape etc.) What is the poem about? Summarise the main subject of the poem in just one or two sentences Is it the poets voice speaking in the poem or is it the voice of someone else, real or imagined? Is the poet speaking out to you? Or reflecting to himself / herself? Addressing the world in general? If there is another voice in the poem is it doing the same?

You then need to consider how the poem conveys its message
What is the form and structure? Paragraph 2

How is the poem arranged on the page? (e.g. lines, verses.) What shape is the poem? a short single block? several blocks? Look at the length of the lines - do they make a pattern? Are some lines short - or sprawling across the page? Where are there breaks in the poem? Why do you think that the poet has used this structure are there any obvious reasons why? Rhyme and rhythm Does the poem rhyme? What is the rhyming pattern? (e.g. ABAB or ABCB etc) Why do you think the poet has chosen this rhyme to express his ideas? Why do you think the poet has chosen this rhythm to express his ideas? Do the sound and rhythm of the lines seem light and bouncy, or do the lines move more slowly with heavy rounded sounds and a slow rhythm? Are the sounds and rhythms different at different places in the poem?

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poet961c.doc

Exploring a poem
How do the words used affect the meaning and the impact of the poem? Paragraph 3
1 - Imagery What are the main images (pictures) the poet uses? Look closely for metaphors, similes and personification Which images are particularly striking? Why? Are there parts of the poem that ask you to use your senses of hearing, sight, smell, touch or taste? 2 Diction (very important) Look carefully at the poets choice of words. Quote and explain why have certain words been chosen. Do they create a particular effect or tone? 3 - Alliteration and assonance Are there repeated consonant or vowel sounds within a line or a verse? How do they affect the sound of the poem? Do they link words that form a single idea? 4 - Tense What tense does the poet use past, present or future? Are there any combinations of tenses? Do they provide useful clues for the meaning? 5 - Punctuation Does the punctuation or lack of it - help you see how the poem should be read? Do the lines run into each other without a break, or are the ends sharply marked by punctuation?

Why do you think the poet has written the poem?

Mood

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What is the mood or tone of the poem? Does it feel happy, sad, sentimental, defiant, thoughtful, triumphant, unemotional - or whatever? How does the poet feel about you the reader? Are you being asked to share something personal? Are you being pleaded with, mocked or laughed at, preached at? Is the poem trying to teach you something, persuade you, move you, entertain you or whatever? How does the poet feel about the subject of the poem? Are you being offered a message or a view of things the writer wants you to share or understand? If so, what might this be? Does the title of the poem help you understand the poets purpose?

What is your personal response to the poem?

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How did you react to the poem? Did it move you? make you think about an issue in more depth, or from a different point of view? Did it make you feel? Do you think the poem is effective? Why?

2003 www.teachit.co.uk

poet961c.doc

Exploring a poem
Be ready to write down your first ideas! 1. Read the poem to yourself out loud if possible. 2. Write down what it makes you think about. 3. Read the poem again. Writing an essay: READ THE QUESTION CAREFULLY Remember to prove every point you make by using a quotation from the poem. Write in paragraphs like this: Introduction Give the title of the poem and the name of the poet. What sort of poem is it? (e.g. sonnet, limerick, haiku, ode, acrostic, ballad, dramatic monologue, shape etc.) It is a The poem is about Who is speaking? It is Is the poet just thinking or talking aloud to everyone? The poet is Paragraph 1

How does the poem get its message across?

What is the form and structure? Paragraph 2

What is the layout? (e.g. lines, verses.) What shape is the poem? A short single block / several blocks? The layout is The lines are (short or long? Is there a pattern?) The poet has used this structure because Rhyme and Rhythm Does the poem rhyme? What is the rhyming pattern? (e.g. ABAB or ABCB etc.) o There is / is not a rhyme because o There is a rhythm to the lines. The rhythm helps the poem to The pace / speed of the poem is because

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po e t961c - 7564

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Exploring a poem
How do the words help the poem? 1 - Imagery The main images (pictures) the poet uses are (metaphors, similes and personification) The following images are very important to the poem: because Hearing, sight, smell, touch or taste are needed for the lines 2 Diction (Words) (very important) I think the poet has carefully chosen these words: because 3 - Alliteration and Assonance The repeated consonant or vowel sounds within a line or a verse are They make the poem sound 4 - Tense The poet uses the past /present / future tense. 5 - Punctuation Lots of punctuation / no punctuation helps / does not help me read the poem. Why do you think the poet has written the poem? Mood The mood or tone of the poem is It feels happy /sad / sentimental /defiant / thoughtful / triumphant I think the poem is trying to teach me / persuade me/ move me/ entertain me because The title of the poem helps me to understand the poets purpose because What is your personal response to the poem? I thought the poem was The poem made me It made me feel I think it is / is not effective because
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