What is poetry?

Short literary art in which language is used to evoke emotion or tell a story– SHORT

• Rich with language and emotion• Each word carries more weight

Basic Structure

Built on words, lines, and stanzas

WORDS– Evoke sound and feeling– DENOTATION: literal definition or meaning– CONNOTATION: associated emotional

meaning or feeling• EXAMPLES: home/house, thin/scrawny

Basic Structure

LINES– Give structure to the writing

STANZAS– Groups of lines– Physically separated by white space– Function like a paragraph

Poetry Analysis

Why analyze poetry?How do I analyze poetry?

Steps to Reading Poetry1. I read. You can read along or just listen. Take notes. Write

down words, first impressions, feelings.2. I read aloud. Read along with a pen/cil in hand. Do quick

annotations:1. Underline words/phrases/lines/stanzas of importance.2. Star * next to items you like or agree with3. Question mark ? next to things you think are important, but don’t

understand.3. You read silently to yourself. Go back to your quick annotations

and write: why you thought that text was important, *why you liked that text, or turn your ? into questions.

4. Then, start to paraphrase the poem. Explain what is “going on” in EACH line or stanza, and try to answer the following the questions:

Work in groups to analyze the poem. Consider:

1. Who is the speaker?2. Who is the audience?3. What is the dramatic situation? What is happening in the poem?4. What’s up with the title? Does it illuminate meaning?5. What are the words like? How would you describe the diction, or word

choice of the author? Does the language make the poem seem scary? Happy? Sad? Funny? Bucolic? Academic?

6. What are the images like? Is the imagery pretty? Ugly? Harsh-seeming?7. Is there figurative language? What impact does that have on the meaning?8. Is there a tone to the poem? A feeling? How does that feeling, or tone,

contribute to the overall meaning?9. Is there a contrast or shift in the poem? Are there opposite images or words

that are surprising? Does the poem shift at some later point – start off one way and then talk about something else, in a different way?

10. Look at the title again? Anything illuminated now?

Then: In groups discuss the author’s attitude and purpose for writing the poem.You will have to teach a poem to the class so you need to be able to explain the overall message, or meaning of it, and defend with specific examples.You will also have a timed-write essay on one of these poems – be sure you have good notes on each!

What can be the purpose of a poem?Get readers to emotionally respond in some way to some topic (tone, mood).– EX: feel nostalgic and mournful for the loss of childhood

Get readers to understand something about life (theme)– Ex: understand that authentic love has no beginning, middle, or

endGet readers to think or challenge something (attitude, argument)– Ex: The leaders of this country are fascist pigs

Get readers to understand something about a person or an event (characterization, theme) – The good samaratain, my grandfather, the former basketball

player

How can style support purpose?

Try to not simply say that an artist uses a tool to “draw attention to” or emphasize– This is SUPERFICIAL at best!

Word choice can parallel the tone, Imagery builds empathy for characters, or elicits ___ emotional response from readers, The contrast in language addresses the complexities or absurdities of ____ theme, Hyperbole/understatement make something ridiculous, and therefore can support satire/criticism/argument… etc.

Key Words

Write them down! – Look in your packet at page ____