At the heart of a poem, sometimes obvious, sometimes hidden, is how you or the speaker in the poem feel about the subject. Sometimes it's a way to speak about the things you love; other times it's to bring up more difficult material. Lisa Martin-DeMoor, a Canadian poet, says:
And Canadian poet, Tim Bowling:
And Canadian poet, Tim Bowling:
For good poets, no matter their style, tone or literary alliances, share one important characteristic: they take life seriously to the extent that they think and feel deeply about it."
--Tim Bowling, from the introduction to Where Words Come From, ed. Tim Bowling, 2002 Nightwoods Editions.
A Critical Reading of a Poem:
We are going to take what we've learned about the elements of poetry and use that knowledge to critically analyze a poem based on a writing prompt. On your provincial exam you will respond to a writing prompt based on a stand-alone text, and quite often the stand-alone text is a poem. For this next assignment, you will annotate a poem, this requires you to examine the elements of the poem closely. An annotated poem includes noting all the elements we've been looking at and more, as the elements contribute to the overall meaning of a poem.
But it's important that when we are examining the elements of a poem, taking the poem apart in order to gain understanding and appreciation of it, we remember to put it back together again. This means that we leave with a big picture understanding of the poem. One of the best ways to do so is to write about the poem/s.
ANALYZING CONTENT/SUBJECT MATTER
a. Thinking about Title and Context
In many poems the title indicates the subject/topic, context/setting and symbol(ism)/theme.
b. Looking up Unfamiliar Words and Allusions
Vocabulary are very important in analyzing poetry. If a word is not known, the meaning of a line or whole poem may be lost or remain unknown. One thing that a critical reader must remember is that poets may use words on more than one level. It is often necessary to read figuratively (metaphorically) as well as literally as those key words have been chosen deliberately by the poet.
c. Paraphrasing Difficult Lines and Stanzas
Typically, on the first reading, some lines will need to be translated or paraphrased into the reader's own words. This will help open-up its meaning.
d. Looking for Key Images, Patterns of Image, and Underlying Conflicts.
What are some of the key images and patterns of images (imagery) in the poem? Sometimes making a simple T-chart of ideas, quoted words, and images clarify the key ideas/conflicts/images, etc.
e. Noting Mood and Tone
In critical reading, it is also useful to consider mood (the feeling the poem creates in the reader) and the tone (the poet's attitude toward his/her subject).
f. Understanding Theme and Purpose
What is the essential meaning of the poem? The title and key images offer clues to the theme. Theme refers to the main idea of the poem, usually summed up in a single sentence, otherwise known as the theme statement or thematic statement. Again, this is where a paraphrase or T-chart will come in handy in clarifying both conflict and theme. Remember, when getting to the theme, it is helpful to remember the following:
- theme should be concisely and accurately stated in as single sentence.
- a theme statement must be an expression of the poem's main points
- there should be no reference to specific images, situations, or characters in the poem. Theme is always expressed as a general statement.
APPRECIATING FORM, TECHNIQUE, AND STYLE
There is more to critical reading of a poem than just the interpretation of theme, meaning, and purpose. You must also comment on form and style--this concerns what you know about poetic terms and concepts, as well as techniques and strategies that are used by poets to develop the poem's content.
a. Reading for Selection and Order of Subject Matter/Organization and Structure
b. Paying Attention to Diction and Images
Diction (word choice) plays a significant role in achieving author purpose.
c. Examining Figures of Speech
Figures of speech expand the possibilities of language and meaning.
d. Noting Use of Sound and Metre to Reinforce Sense and Meaning
e. Understanding Style
The style of the poem refers to the overall texture of the poem or the particular manner in which a poet writes. Style is made up of many elements, the major ones being choice of poem-type, structural choices or effects, diction, imagery, figures of speech, sound effects, tone, and recurring themes.
EVALUATION
The evaluation of a poem is a final summing up of all the critical reader's thoughts about the poem: a judgement about its relevance to our own time, and relevance to the reader.
You will annotate one poem and write a two paragraph analysis of the poem, based on a question provided. Please review the sample analysis below.
How to annotate a poem in MS Word: refer to the image to the left
1. Review Tab
2. Highlight the text you want to comment on
3. Click on "New Comment"
4. Type in the comment box
1. Review Tab
2. Highlight the text you want to comment on
3. Click on "New Comment"
4. Type in the comment box
This activity is part of your practice from the English 12 Provincial exam. Please review the video to the right for help writing the paragraph(s).
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A. Complete the Short Analysis (Critical Reading) of a Poem & Quiz
Read through all four poems provided and complete the accompanying quiz (below) for this section.
Next, choose one of the following poems on the document and respond to the accompanying question (below). Write your full response to the question in paragraph form and in at least 300 words (two paragraphs), support your response with specific (fully integrated) references from the text. Don't forget to include the line number after the quote.
In general: higher level compositions have more sophisticated use of language, quote integration, and ideas; include the title, author, and prompt in your response.
See the marking rubric: Stand-alone Text
Complete a full response to one poem as seen in the example above:
To access the document with the poems, click on each poem below, or on the link to the four poems.
"Summer in the Yakima Valley"
Discuss the use of contrast in the poem. Use paragraph form and support your response with specific reference from the text.
"Prelude to Jumping in the River"
Discuss the jump in “Prelude to Jumping in the River” as a metaphor for making important decisions. Use paragraph form and support your response with specific references to the text
"Personal Helicon"
Discuss the importance of the wells to the speaker in the poem “Personal Helicon.” Use paragraph form and support your response with specific references to the text.
"Ordinary Life"
Discuss irony in the poem “Ordinary Life.” Use paragraph form and support your response with specific references to the text.
Next, choose one of the following poems on the document and respond to the accompanying question (below). Write your full response to the question in paragraph form and in at least 300 words (two paragraphs), support your response with specific (fully integrated) references from the text. Don't forget to include the line number after the quote.
In general: higher level compositions have more sophisticated use of language, quote integration, and ideas; include the title, author, and prompt in your response.
See the marking rubric: Stand-alone Text
Complete a full response to one poem as seen in the example above:
To access the document with the poems, click on each poem below, or on the link to the four poems.
"Summer in the Yakima Valley"
Discuss the use of contrast in the poem. Use paragraph form and support your response with specific reference from the text.
"Prelude to Jumping in the River"
Discuss the jump in “Prelude to Jumping in the River” as a metaphor for making important decisions. Use paragraph form and support your response with specific references to the text
"Personal Helicon"
Discuss the importance of the wells to the speaker in the poem “Personal Helicon.” Use paragraph form and support your response with specific references to the text.
"Ordinary Life"
Discuss irony in the poem “Ordinary Life.” Use paragraph form and support your response with specific references to the text.
NEXT: Please complete all the multiple choice questions for all four poems. Don't forget to include your name in the last question.
B. Literary Terms, Devices & Poetic Forms
Now that you have completed four years of high school English classes, you should know many of the terms that are used in relation to poetry and literature. It is important to ensure that you understand all of them before progressing into a full poetry unit. The assignments in the next few pages will help us to make sure that you know all of the terms that you are responsible for. Below is a list of terms that you should know.
If you do not already know these terms, you should go through the attached handbook of literary terms and techniques. In the following exercises you will be asked to define key terms, and also provide examples. (Also, literary terms page on this website)
- Alliteration
- Allusion
- Analogy
- Anaphora
- Appositives
- Apostrophe
- Assonance
- Ballad
- Blank Verse
- Cacophony
- Caesura
- Concrete poetry
- Connotation
- Consonance
- Couplet
- Diction
- Dissonance
- Dramatic Monologue
- Elegy
- Enjambment
- Epic
- Epigraph
- Epiphany
- Euphony
- Figurative Language
- Foreshadowing
- Free Verse
- Haiku
- Hyperbole
- Iambic Pentameter
- Imagery
- Irony
- Light Verse
- Limerick
- Lyric Verse
- Metaphor
- Metre
- Metonymy
- Mood
- Narrative Poem
- Ode
- Onomatopoeia
- Oxymoron
- Paradox
- Parallelism
- Parody
- Pathetic Fallacy
- Personification
- Praise Poem
- Prose Poem
- Refrain
- Rhyme / Rhyme Schemes
- Satire
- Simile
- Soliloquy
- Sonnet
- Stanza
- Stream-of-consciousness writing
- Symbol
- Synecdoche
- Tercet
- Theme
- Tone
- Understatement
If you do not already know these terms, you should go through the attached handbook of literary terms and techniques. In the following exercises you will be asked to define key terms, and also provide examples. (Also, literary terms page on this website)
Complete the Literary Terms Practice Quiz Below:
Literary Terms Practice Activity
You should now know all forty of the literary terms listed in the introduction to this unit. You will now demonstrate that you understand the terms when they are used in poetry.
Step One: Choose at Least Five Poems
Step Two: Search and Destroy
Step Three: Make a Decision
Step Four: Commit
You should now know all forty of the literary terms listed in the introduction to this unit. You will now demonstrate that you understand the terms when they are used in poetry.
Step One: Choose at Least Five Poems
- Go to this website: Canadian Poetry Online
- Choose at least five poems to use for your examples
- Copy the text of the poem (including the title and author) and paste it into your assignment
Step Two: Search and Destroy
- Find examples of the literary terms listed in the beginning of this unit (they will also be listed below)
- Highlight the examples and note which literary device is being used. This can be done with the highlight tool, and next to the highlighted word(s) indicate the literary term used. You may want to colour code the literary terms
Step Three: Make a Decision
- Choose the poem that you liked the best
- Write a paragraph response, giving an overview of the poem you liked best (include why you liked it (note any images, use of literary devices that worked for you, and what you think it was trying to portray)
Step Four: Commit
- Make sure that you highlight between 15-25 of the literary terms in your five chosen poems. You may repeat literary terms/poetic devices, but you must include at least 15 different literary terms.
- Be sure that you have included the poet's names, the title and the full text
- When you have everything together, post your assignment on your website
C. Narrating a Poem
Watch the videos, and think about how the poems sounds. You don't have to listen for meaning at this time, focus on the way it sounds, and any feeling that the poem gives you...
Jan Zwicky reading "Bone Song" and "Bee Music," from her collection, Robinson's Crossing Seamus Heaney reading "Death of a Naturalist." Billie Collins: Everyday Moments Caught in Time Spoken Word artist Nereo II reading his poem, "S.W.I.M." |
While poetry is generally about some common human experience, some poetry is written to be spoken and heard. When we think of the poetic devices like assonance, consonance and alliteration, we start to realize that they are related to the sound of the poem. This is also true for meter, rhyme and onomatopoeia. Why would we have sound devices if poetry was only meant to be read? What effect does sound have on humans with the sense of hearing? When you think about it, doesn't poetry tickle at each of the senses? Poems so often describe how things look, feel and even taste.
Just because listening to poetry is so important, we're going to do so now. Here is a chance to listen to beautiful words, and images, and set you up for inspiration. To put you in the poetic state of mind. Sometimes, the best way to make space for writing your own poetry is to listen to others reading theirs. |
TASK: For this assignment, you will need to find a poem that seems to be written to be heard. Please select something that is suitable for a school audience. Follow the directions below to complete the assignment.
Some tips: You can record your narration with an iPod of smart phone into an mp3 format, or you can create a PowerPoint and use the narration features to record your voice, you can take a video of yourself narrating the poem and submit the video file.
If you are stuck for finding poems, try some of the famous poets, here are a few examples, or use your own:
If you want to get extra creative, you could animate the narration, however this is not required.
If you choose...read the poem as a piece of spoken word poetry/slam poetry
What's a poetry slam?
And then there is the slam and spoken word side of it all. This is a different sort of performance, and performance is the key here. Words are spoken, most often from memory, in conjunction with dramatic flair and verbal dynamics. Some slams involve audience heckling and cheering, some involve voting for your favourite performance of the night, with prizes at the end. Not for the faint of heart, these can be diverse, controversial, heady experiences to witness, and perhaps even take part in.
Spoken word is a form of poetic performance in which the intent is to persuade, to proclaim, to influence; the poet wants you to come on a journey with them, and they often use rhyme and/or rhythm to get you there.
Here are a few links to check out to experience spoken word. Listen for the performer's use of cadence and timing, two key tools in this genre:
Submission:
You will be marked on the fluidity of your narration, and the quality of your interpretation of the passages. This means that you should put some effort into the intonation of your voice and making the tone match the emotion that the poem is aiming at. Remember, line breaks are a key part of the rhythm and sound of the poem.
- Find a suitable poem (remember that it should use some of the sound devices discussed)
- Copy the text of the poem and include it along with the author's name and the title of the poem
- Record yourself narrating the poem
- Submit the text of the poem along with your narration to your website
Some tips: You can record your narration with an iPod of smart phone into an mp3 format, or you can create a PowerPoint and use the narration features to record your voice, you can take a video of yourself narrating the poem and submit the video file.
If you are stuck for finding poems, try some of the famous poets, here are a few examples, or use your own:
- Robert Frost
- T S Eliot
- E A Poe
- William Wordsworth
- Maya Angelou
- Margaret Atwood
- Silvia Plath
If you want to get extra creative, you could animate the narration, however this is not required.
If you choose...read the poem as a piece of spoken word poetry/slam poetry
What's a poetry slam?
And then there is the slam and spoken word side of it all. This is a different sort of performance, and performance is the key here. Words are spoken, most often from memory, in conjunction with dramatic flair and verbal dynamics. Some slams involve audience heckling and cheering, some involve voting for your favourite performance of the night, with prizes at the end. Not for the faint of heart, these can be diverse, controversial, heady experiences to witness, and perhaps even take part in.
Spoken word is a form of poetic performance in which the intent is to persuade, to proclaim, to influence; the poet wants you to come on a journey with them, and they often use rhyme and/or rhythm to get you there.
Here are a few links to check out to experience spoken word. Listen for the performer's use of cadence and timing, two key tools in this genre:
- Tanya Davis, in Andrea Dorfman's popular short film How to Be Alone.
- Shane Koyczan is a Canadian spoken word artist.
Submission:
You will be marked on the fluidity of your narration, and the quality of your interpretation of the passages. This means that you should put some effort into the intonation of your voice and making the tone match the emotion that the poem is aiming at. Remember, line breaks are a key part of the rhythm and sound of the poem.
D. Your Poetry Anthology
We make decisions every day of our lives; sometimes, every few seconds. Check out an online store and see how you quickly decide how you feel about every single thing that you see on the page. For most of us, this isn't painful. We do it with very little thought or time involved. In fact, it can almost be reflexive.
Now that you've completed the poetry section, it's time to revise and share a sample of your poetry.
Please share a total of five polished poems from your activities so far. You can even write a new poem for your selection. Maybe you want to run with something you started in your free writing activities, or the thoughts that were sparked from writing your impressions of different activities. Or maybe you want to try writing a new free verse poem, using a different opening phrase. It's up to you.
Revision:
This is your opportunity to revise and edit your poetry.
For each of your selections, ask yourself, What works for you in your poem? What can you get rid of? What can you add? Reread your poem, then ask yourself the following questions:
You can do this for any poem. Make sure you save previous drafts of your work; sometimes we can overedit, and then want to return to what we'd started with!
Would you like to self-assess your revised selections? See the Rubrics below for the Poetry
Sharing your writing is the final stage of the writing process — submit your work to your website, and if you are brave, submit it again on our Google+ page.
Now that you've completed the poetry section, it's time to revise and share a sample of your poetry.
Please share a total of five polished poems from your activities so far. You can even write a new poem for your selection. Maybe you want to run with something you started in your free writing activities, or the thoughts that were sparked from writing your impressions of different activities. Or maybe you want to try writing a new free verse poem, using a different opening phrase. It's up to you.
Revision:
This is your opportunity to revise and edit your poetry.
For each of your selections, ask yourself, What works for you in your poem? What can you get rid of? What can you add? Reread your poem, then ask yourself the following questions:
- Does it have "small talk" at its beginning? So often when we meet someone, we spend the first few minutes getting through the talk of weather, etc. before getting to what really matters -- if we're lucky. Check your poem for unneeded words.
- Often we end up avoiding the bigger topics altogether, because it's uncomfortable to delve into the truth. Does your poem avoid what really matters?
- Can you reverse its order, or find a new beginning point?
- Where is the magic?
- Does it need a haircut? Can you rid it of unneccesary explanations, or words that you rush over as you read it aloud?
- Or does it need more clothes? More, i.e., appositives, enrichment, polish, tattoos, piercings.... Have you used the best words? Sometimes we overuse a word; check for this, and if it's true, try another word in its place. Consult a thesaurus if necessary. Thesaurus.com is a great resource.
- Can you change it into a poem using a specific form or technique? You can go back to any that we've discussed, anything from the repetition of a common word, an anaphora, to a sonnet. Or go further, via your own research.
- Can you alter the line lengths for effect? Remember, longer lines tend to speed the reader up, while shorter ones slow them down, calling more attention to each word.
- How is its rhythm? Read it aloud again. Does it roll off your tongue easily, or are there any places where you could change a word to make it less clunky or difficult to say?
- Is there an element of surprise in the poem somewhere? In other words, have you steered away from cliches and given the reader a little jolt of freshness, in language or subject matter or use of form?
- Are you really getting at what matters most to you, what mattered most while you wrote it? If that's been lost, how can you get it back? Try a new approach. "Try looking at it another way," James' parents always said in Roald Dahl's wonderful book, James and the Giant Peach. Perhaps write from a different point of view. For example, if you're writing about a bird in the garden, write from the bird's POV.
- Is it time to let it sit for a little while? Time can heal and/or reveal. Sometimes, what it takes is a break. Put your poem away and give it a rest for a day or so. Or a week. Or a month. Often when you return to it, you'll have "fresh eyes" for it, and will see where things can be made stronger.
You can do this for any poem. Make sure you save previous drafts of your work; sometimes we can overedit, and then want to return to what we'd started with!
Would you like to self-assess your revised selections? See the Rubrics below for the Poetry
Sharing your writing is the final stage of the writing process — submit your work to your website, and if you are brave, submit it again on our Google+ page.
Formatting Your Collection
Now work on making your poems all look the same as far as general style is concerned. This means choosing a font, a font size, and spacing that is conducive to reading poetry. I recommend going simpler. Cutesy or elaborate fonts are just distracting. Try a simple font. that is easy to read. Usually poems are written single-spaced, but not always. Remember, try to think about what effect you want the poem to achieve, and use spacing to its full effect.
Titling Your Collection
After choosing your poems it is important to give titles to your poems. Please see below: "Embracing Titles."
Now check to make sure each poem has a title, or some way of marking them as separate entities.
Next, come up with a title for the whole collection of your work. This can be challenging and also fun! What words capture the essence of your poetry? Maybe it's a title of one of the poems. You could then call it "Blue Monday and other poems." Or a line from a poem can also work well as a title. You'll make a title page. You'll include your name and course information on the title page, too.
Now work on making your poems all look the same as far as general style is concerned. This means choosing a font, a font size, and spacing that is conducive to reading poetry. I recommend going simpler. Cutesy or elaborate fonts are just distracting. Try a simple font. that is easy to read. Usually poems are written single-spaced, but not always. Remember, try to think about what effect you want the poem to achieve, and use spacing to its full effect.
Titling Your Collection
After choosing your poems it is important to give titles to your poems. Please see below: "Embracing Titles."
Now check to make sure each poem has a title, or some way of marking them as separate entities.
Next, come up with a title for the whole collection of your work. This can be challenging and also fun! What words capture the essence of your poetry? Maybe it's a title of one of the poems. You could then call it "Blue Monday and other poems." Or a line from a poem can also work well as a title. You'll make a title page. You'll include your name and course information on the title page, too.
Embracing Titles
Titles are important. Your poems should have titles — carefully chosen titles. Here's why:
Imagine that you have just watched an award-winning movie, maybe an epic tale where the central character overcomes tremendous oppression and eventually becomes the leader of a massive social-change movement. The film inspires you to be a better person, and at many points, moves you to tears.
The title of the movie is Untitled.
Now visualize yourself at an art gallery, and there, on the feature wall is a large white canvas, that appears to have nothing on it. You look more closely and you see in the middle, almost touching, two tiny speckled dots. Each dot is surprisingly ornate, multi-coloured and phosphorescent.
The title of the piece is Marriage.
Which title is better?
Which title makes you feel something?
Most people would say that the title, Marriage makes you feel surprised, then excited to see a metaphoric connection to the artwork. The title adds meaning, humour, insight….
Title your poems for impact. For invitation. For a little hint at what's to come. Your reader will thank you.
Here are some possible ways to decide on titles:
For more thoughts on this topic, see the article on Working Titles over at Magma Poetry Magazine.
Titles are important. Your poems should have titles — carefully chosen titles. Here's why:
Imagine that you have just watched an award-winning movie, maybe an epic tale where the central character overcomes tremendous oppression and eventually becomes the leader of a massive social-change movement. The film inspires you to be a better person, and at many points, moves you to tears.
The title of the movie is Untitled.
Now visualize yourself at an art gallery, and there, on the feature wall is a large white canvas, that appears to have nothing on it. You look more closely and you see in the middle, almost touching, two tiny speckled dots. Each dot is surprisingly ornate, multi-coloured and phosphorescent.
The title of the piece is Marriage.
Which title is better?
Which title makes you feel something?
Most people would say that the title, Marriage makes you feel surprised, then excited to see a metaphoric connection to the artwork. The title adds meaning, humour, insight….
Title your poems for impact. For invitation. For a little hint at what's to come. Your reader will thank you.
Here are some possible ways to decide on titles:
- Use the first line of the poem as the title — this tells you reader that that line is really important. Ex., Margaret Atwood's "You Fit Into Me."
- Like the Marriage painting, use your title to state the topic.
- Use the central metaphor. For example, John Donne's poem, The Flea.
- Write a long title for effect. James Wright's poem, Lying in a Hammock at William Duffy's Farm in Pine Island, Minnesota.
- Set the scene with your title. For example, Michael Ondaatje's To a Sad Daughter.
- Allude to another poem, painting, history, or book with your title. Example:Nude Descending a Staircase, by X J Kennedy.
- Play on words. Example, What to Wear Where.
For more thoughts on this topic, see the article on Working Titles over at Magma Poetry Magazine.
Proofreading
Proofreading is the last stage of editing. It's essential. Many times writers and editors will discover errors in a piece after it has been published. This is embarrassing, and as mentioned earlier, it can be costly. Most readers will dismiss a piece of work that has too many errors in it, and employers, especially, will not consider hiring a person who can't be bothered to check their spelling or grammar.
Proofreading is the last stage of editing. It's essential. Many times writers and editors will discover errors in a piece after it has been published. This is embarrassing, and as mentioned earlier, it can be costly. Most readers will dismiss a piece of work that has too many errors in it, and employers, especially, will not consider hiring a person who can't be bothered to check their spelling or grammar.
Submitting your Final Work:
Rubric for general poetry submissions
- Submit a collection of poems: five of your favourite/best poems (at least) on your website, including your self-assessment (for one poem).
- One of these poems must be your identity poem. Identity poem rubric
- Complete a full self-assessment on your collection of poems
Rubric for general poetry submissions