Poetry Analysis Rubric
Each of the following elements of poetry analysis will be rated as:
A = Outstanding/Excellent
B = Well Done
C = Adequate
D/F = Incomplete
Title: what does it mean? Suggest? What does it lend to the poem
Opening slide (image) along with appearances suggests the tone or meaning of the poem
Poem is given, read, and vocabulary explained
Literal Meaning—based on denotative words, what is the poem about, at least superficially?
Give initial reaction and reason for this reaction.
Who is the speaker? How is this discerned?
What is the setting of the poem—or are there any other key points readers need to know?
What is the TONE of the poem? What words suggest the tone?
What other connotative words are there? Do they have a positive or negative impact on the audience/reader?
Are there any metaphors? What do they represent?
What is the style of the poem?
Are the images in the power point explained or are they appropriate to the poem?
Where does the shift in the poem? Is the shift in tone, action in the poem or other?
What does the poem seem to be saying about man or life in the poem—that is, what is the theme of the poem?
Showing posts with label Poetry. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Poetry. Show all posts
Monday, November 1, 2010
Thursday, October 21, 2010
NOTHING GOLD CAN STAY
NOTHING GOLD CAN STAY by Robert Frost
Nature's first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leaf's a flower;
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay.
Nature's first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leaf's a flower;
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay.
Poetry Analysis Worksheet
Poetry Analysis Worksheet
What does the title mean?
Take a look at the title and reflect on what it means.
2. Put it in your own words
Read the poem two or three times. You will see something different each time you read the poem. Write a brief paraphrase of the poem. Highlight or list some of the words (nouns, verbs, phrases) that are important to understanding the poem.
3. What do you think the poem means?
Now think about the meaning of the poem, not just the obvious meaning of each word but what they mean beyond the literal. Do these words suggest something else?
Answer these questions and provide evidence—lines, words, phrases from the poem--for your answers:
• Who is the speaker of the poem? • What is he/she talking about?
• Why do you think the author wrote the poem?
• When is the poem happening and where is the poem happening?
• What is the poet’s attitude or tone in the poem?
• How does the poem shift from person to person or between different times or places?
Most poems tell us about a poet’s understanding of an experience so the beginning will be different then the end. The change or shift may be in feelings, language (slang to formal), or connotation (positive to negative). Explain how these shifts convey the poem’s message.
4. Poetic devices:
Identify different poetic devices and how they convey the poem’s message.
• Simile – comparison using like or as
• Metaphor – a direct comparison
• Personification – giving human qualities to nonhuman things
• Tone – what emotion does the speaker use as he talks
• Point of view – who is the telling the poem
• Imagery – creating pictures with words
• Alliteration – repeating the same letter
5. Theme
Identify the theme (central idea) of the poem. How does the theme convey the poem’s message?
6. Look at the title again
Now look at the title again. Do you now have a different interpretation of the title?
7. Begin preparing your analysis & your powerpoint
Copyright 2009 IRA/NCTE. All rights reserved.
ReadWriteThink materials may be reproduced for educational purposes.
What does the title mean?
Take a look at the title and reflect on what it means.
2. Put it in your own words
Read the poem two or three times. You will see something different each time you read the poem. Write a brief paraphrase of the poem. Highlight or list some of the words (nouns, verbs, phrases) that are important to understanding the poem.
3. What do you think the poem means?
Now think about the meaning of the poem, not just the obvious meaning of each word but what they mean beyond the literal. Do these words suggest something else?
Answer these questions and provide evidence—lines, words, phrases from the poem--for your answers:
• Who is the speaker of the poem? • What is he/she talking about?
• Why do you think the author wrote the poem?
• When is the poem happening and where is the poem happening?
• What is the poet’s attitude or tone in the poem?
• How does the poem shift from person to person or between different times or places?
Most poems tell us about a poet’s understanding of an experience so the beginning will be different then the end. The change or shift may be in feelings, language (slang to formal), or connotation (positive to negative). Explain how these shifts convey the poem’s message.
4. Poetic devices:
Identify different poetic devices and how they convey the poem’s message.
• Simile – comparison using like or as
• Metaphor – a direct comparison
• Personification – giving human qualities to nonhuman things
• Tone – what emotion does the speaker use as he talks
• Point of view – who is the telling the poem
• Imagery – creating pictures with words
• Alliteration – repeating the same letter
5. Theme
Identify the theme (central idea) of the poem. How does the theme convey the poem’s message?
6. Look at the title again
Now look at the title again. Do you now have a different interpretation of the title?
7. Begin preparing your analysis & your powerpoint
Copyright 2009 IRA/NCTE. All rights reserved.
ReadWriteThink materials may be reproduced for educational purposes.
Elements of Poetry - continued
Shift in poetry - A change that is often intentional
point of view, scenery, mood,...
Initial reaction
Title of the Poem
• Is the title's meaning obvious? For example, does it mention a single setting and action, such as W. S. Merwin's "The Drunk in the Furnace" or James A. Wright's "Autumn Begins in Martins Ferry, Ohio"?
• Does it imply multiple possibilities? For example, Jean Toomer's "Georgia Dusk," which refers to a time of day as well as to dark-skinned people.
• Does it strike a balance, as in Rita Dove's "Beulah and Thomas"?
• Is there an obvious antithesis, as with Robert Frost's "Fire and Ice"?
• Is there historical significance to the title? For example, Robert Lowell's "The Quaker Graveyard in Nantucket."
source (don’t go into shock): http://www.cliffsnotes.com/WileyCDA/LitNote/American-Poets-of-the-20th-Century-How-to-Analyze-Poetry-Title-of-the-Poem.id-11,pageNum-4.html
Style of the Poem
Into what category does the poem fit — for example, Carl Sandburg's imagism in "Fog" or Gwendolyn Brooks' epic "The Anniad"? Readers should apply definitions of the many categories to determine which describes the poem's length and style:
• Is it an epic, a long poem about a great person or national hero?
• Is it a lyric, a short, musical verse?
• Is it a narrative, a poem that tells a story?
• Is it a haiku, an intense, lyrical three-line verse of seventeen syllables?
• Is it confessional? For example, does it examine personal memories and experiences?
source (don’t go into shock): Read more: http://www.cliffsnotes.com/study_guide/literature/American-Poets-of-the-20th-Century-How-to-Analyze-Poetry-Style-of-the-Poem.id-11,pageNum-3.html#ixzz12zULqUUE
Tone
Paraphrase
Literal vs. Figurative Meaning
Paradox
point of view, scenery, mood,...
Initial reaction
Title of the Poem
• Is the title's meaning obvious? For example, does it mention a single setting and action, such as W. S. Merwin's "The Drunk in the Furnace" or James A. Wright's "Autumn Begins in Martins Ferry, Ohio"?
• Does it imply multiple possibilities? For example, Jean Toomer's "Georgia Dusk," which refers to a time of day as well as to dark-skinned people.
• Does it strike a balance, as in Rita Dove's "Beulah and Thomas"?
• Is there an obvious antithesis, as with Robert Frost's "Fire and Ice"?
• Is there historical significance to the title? For example, Robert Lowell's "The Quaker Graveyard in Nantucket."
source (don’t go into shock): http://www.cliffsnotes.com/WileyCDA/LitNote/American-Poets-of-the-20th-Century-How-to-Analyze-Poetry-Title-of-the-Poem.id-11,pageNum-4.html
Style of the Poem
Into what category does the poem fit — for example, Carl Sandburg's imagism in "Fog" or Gwendolyn Brooks' epic "The Anniad"? Readers should apply definitions of the many categories to determine which describes the poem's length and style:
• Is it an epic, a long poem about a great person or national hero?
• Is it a lyric, a short, musical verse?
• Is it a narrative, a poem that tells a story?
• Is it a haiku, an intense, lyrical three-line verse of seventeen syllables?
• Is it confessional? For example, does it examine personal memories and experiences?
source (don’t go into shock): Read more: http://www.cliffsnotes.com/study_guide/literature/American-Poets-of-the-20th-Century-How-to-Analyze-Poetry-Style-of-the-Poem.id-11,pageNum-3.html#ixzz12zULqUUE
Tone
Paraphrase
Literal vs. Figurative Meaning
Paradox
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