In an essay of two to three pages, analyze the poem that you presented to the class.
Do not go on-line and do research. I will know if you do (trust me, I have my ways).
Be sure to identify poetic devices (as appropriate) and look for multiple meanings (of words, lines, and even the entire poem).
Identify the name of the poem, the author’s name, the date it was published, and any special information the reader should know about the poem or its author (based on the research that you did for homework).
When you analyze the poem, look at it stanza by stanza, then line-by-line. Define unusual words or phrases. Remember that meaning is compacted in a poem, so a single word can carry great depth in meaning.
Look at the posted example for how your essay should be structured.
Use MLA Format:
Name and date at the top of the first page.
Double space
Font: Times New Roman, 12 point
No extra space between paragraphs.
Standard one-inch margins.
This is worth 100 points, so put extra effort into this.
Due Monday October 3, 2016

Poetic Terminology

Form – the organization of a poem. Includes meter, number of lines, and rhyme scheme.

Meter – organization of rhythm in a poem. Includes number of syllables per line and the accenting of the syllables in each line.

Rhyme – the repetition of the same or similar sounds.

Ballad – a short simple narrative poem, typically romantic and musical in nature.

Blank Verse – unrhymed verse.

Couplet – two lines of verse, usually in the same meter, joined by rhyme.

Doggerel – trivial, badly written verse that is sometimes humorous.

Elegy – a poem of lament or grave meditation.

Epic – a narrative poem that tells a series of heroic exploits.

Epitaph – a short poem to be inscribed on a tomb.

Free Verse – does not obey the rules of metrical verse.

Lyric – a poem composed to be sung and expressive of the personal feeling of the author.

Ode – a type of lyric poem that enthusiastically praises a person or thing.

Pastoral – a poem about shepherds in praise of the life they lead.

Sonnet – a fourteen line poem with a prescribed rhyme scheme (e.g. octave and sextet) that explores a particular idea or concept.

Alliteration – repeated use of the same consonant sound for a specific effect.

I have stood still and stopped the sound of feet
Robert Frost, Acquainted with the Night

Allusion – a brief and indirect reference to a person, place, thing or idea of historical, cultural, literary or political significance.

Assonance – repetition of the same vowel for a specific effect.

And so, all the night-tide, I lie down by the side
Of my darling, my darling, my life and my bride.
Edgar Allen Poe, Annabelle Lee

Irony – a statement that contradicts the actual attitude of the speaker or a situation that contrasts what is expected with what occurs and often with overtones of mockery.

Onomatopoeia – the use of words that imitate the sound of something.

Knock, knock. Baa. Beep. Honk. Click. Crackle.

Satire – ridiculing something that the author holds in contempt.

Hyperbole – a deliberate overstatement.

…as big as a house. I’m so hungry I could eat a horse.

Metaphor – an indirect comparison.

All the world is a stage and we are merely players.

A dead metaphor is an overused expression.

Life is no bed of roses.

Metonymy – a form of symbolism where something closely associated with something else stands for the thing itself.

The White House = the president of the USA. Lend me your ears. Sleep together.

Oxymoron – a contradiction of terms. Described through a combination of opposites.

Jumbo Shrimp. Same Difference. Silent Scream.

Personification – human characteristics attributed to non-human things.

The heavens wept. Fear knocked on the door. Sky full of dancing stars.

Simile – direct comparison using like or as.

Ugly as sin, Tall like a tree.

Symbolism – a word or image that is used to represent something else, usually to extend the idea of the thing represented.