music
 Musicians use poetic devices all the time to capture a mood or
convey feeling
 In the same way, poets use various literary techniques to convey
the sense, or meaning of a poem and to convey mood and
feeling.
 These techniques include choice of the speaker, sound, imagery
and figurative language.
Fill out poetic devices worksheet – pair up
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CrTgAWiy
KVU&feature=related
analysis, baby!
Poetic analysis: What is it, and what is its
point?
 A discussion of how the language of a poem
contributes to its meaning to increase understanding
and enjoyment of a poem.
1.
2.
3.
4.
Read the poem silently to yourself.
Reread the poem aloud.
Read the poem again silently to yourself.
Decide what you think the poem is about.

If you have no idea, paraphrase the poem line by
line to help you figure it out.
5. Identify the poetic devices

Mark them on the poem!
1. Stage 1: Reading



Read the poem silently
Read the poem ______
Read the poem ______ again
2. Stage 2: Analyzing

What’s it about? What are the devices used?
Stage 1: Read this poem silently to yourself * Read it aloud * Read it silently again
My Sister Sybil
By Colin West
Sipping soup, my sister Sybil
Seems inclined to drool and dribble.
If it wasn’t for this foible,
Meal-time would be more enjoiable!
My Sister Sybil
By Colin West
Sipping soup, my sister Sybil
Seems inclined to drool and dribble.
If it wasn’t for this foible,
Meal-time would be more enjoiable!
Stage 2:
What is this poem about?
What poetic devices do you see in this poem? (s)
My Sister Sybil
By Colin West
Sipping soup, my sister Sybil A
Seems inclined to drool and dribble. A
If it wasn’t for this foible, B
Meal-time would be more enjoiable! B
Imagery
The Poem
The Activity
Four Little Foxes
By Lew Sarett
Speak gently, Spring, and make no sudden sound
For in my windy valley, yesterday I found
New-born foxes squirming on the ground –
Speak gently.
1.
Reading the poem (x3). Make a note of
the vocabulary you don’t understand.
DISCUSS AT TABLE:
2. What is this poem about?
Does the poem focus on the actions of a
Walk softly, March, forbear the bitter blow;
Her feet within a trap, her blood upon the snow,
The four little foxes saw their mother go –
Walk softly.
Go lightly, Spring, oh, give them no alarm;
When I covered them with boughs to shelter them from harm,
The thin blue foxes suckled at my arm Go lightly.
Step softly, March, with your rampant hurricane;
Nuzzling one another, and whimpering with pain,
The new little foxes are shivering in the rain –
Step softly.
character?
Does the poem describe something?
Does the poem focus on an idea? A feeling?
3.What emotional response does the poem
seem to call up in you?
4.After your first emotional response to the
poem, on what does the poem cause you to
reflect?
5. What poetic devices do you see in this poem?
Four Little Foxes
Poetic Devices
Speak gently, Spring, and make no sudden sound;
For in my windy valley, yesterday I found
New-born foxes squirming on the ground –
gently.
A
A
B
A
Speak
Walk softly, March, forbear the bitter blow;
Her feet within a trap, her blood upon the snow,
The four little foxes saw their mother go –
Walk softly.
Go lightly, Spring, oh, give them no alarm;
When I covered them with boughs to shelter them from harm,
The thin blue foxes suckled at my arm Go lightly.
Step softly, March, with your rampant hurricane;
Nuzzling one another, and whimpering with pain,
The new little foxes are shivering in the rain –
Imagery
Step softly.
 Think of analyzing a poem in 3 easy steps.
 Just remember to P.E.E.!
 P.E.E. stands for:
Point
Evidence
Explanation
STEP 1 - POINT
What is the topic of the paragraph?
STEP 2 - EVIDENCE
What words or phrases or events prove or illustrate
your point?
 The next sentence(s) should give evidence from the text.
It must relate directly to your point!
STEP 3 - EXPLANATION
What does the author want the reader to think or
feel by using those words?
 Explain how the evidence supports your point.
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim
Because it was grassy and wanted wear,
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I marked the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
What is the point of the poem? What is
the topic of its first sentence?
 Two roads can take you in different directions and
sometimes taking the road less travelled is the
best choice
 What words or phrases or events support your point?
(give evidence from the text)
 “Two roads diverged in a yellow wood”. Even through
Frost describes the well-travelled road as pleasant,“… the
other, as just as fair, and having perhaps the better claim
because it was grassy and wanted wear”, he seems to
think the road less travelled is more special: “I shall be
telling this with a sigh somewhere ages and ages hence:
two roads diverged in a wood, and I, I took the one less
traveled by, and that has made all the difference”
What does the author want the reader to think or
feel by using those words?
Explain how the evidence illustrates or proves
your point.
 The passages comparing the two paths leads me to
imagine that he came to this fork in the road a long
time ago and is now reflecting on how taking the road
less travelled was indeed the better choice.
Two roads can take you in different directions and
sometimes taking the road less travelled is the best choice. For
example,“Two roads diverged in a yellow wood”. Even through
Frost describes the well-travelled road as pleasant,“… the other,
as just as fair, and having perhaps the better claim because it
was grassy and wanted wear”, he seems to think the road less
travelled is more special: “I shall be telling this with a sigh
somewhere ages and ages hence: two roads diverged in a
wood, and I, I took the one less traveled by, and that has made
all the difference”. This gives the impression that he came to
this fork in the road a long time ago and is now reflecting on
how taking the road less travelled was indeed the better choice.
Read (3x) / Analyze & P.E.E!
 Keep in mind:
Selection of Speaker
Who is speaking?
What is his/her
attitude?
Sound
Imagery
Examples:
Rhythm
What images are
created to appeal to
our senses?
Sight:
Rhyme
Sound:
Figurative Language
Personification
Taste:
Touch:
Metaphor
Alliteration
Internal Feelings:
Simile
Four Little Foxes & My Sister Sybil
Read
Analyze
 What does it mean? What devices are used? How
does it make you feel? What does your P.E.E tell
you? 
Speak gently, Spring, and make no sudden sound
For in my windy valley, yesterday I found
New-born foxes squirming on the ground –
Speak gently.
Walk softly, March, forbear the bitter blow;
Her feet within a trap, her blood upon the snow,
The four little foxes saw their mother go –
Walk softly.
Go lightly, Spring, oh, give them no alarm;
When I covered them with boughs to shelter them from harm,
The thin blue foxes suckled at my arm Go lightly.
Step softly, March, with your rampant hurricane;
Nuzzling one another, and whimpering with pain,
The new little foxes are shivering in the rain –
Step softly.
In the poem “Four Little Foxes,” Lew Sarett uses
alliteration and personification to encourage Spring
to take care with the newborn foxes: Speak gently,
Spring, and make no sudden sound “. Sarett uses
alliteration by repeating the “s” sound at the
beginning of four words. The repetition of this sound
imitates how he or she would like Spring to speak.
This example also shows personification; Sarett
recreates the gentle manner of speaking to
encourage Spring to ‘speak gently’. This helps the
reader understand how fragile newborn foxes are
and how vulnerable they are in the winter months.
Sipping soup, my sister Sybil
Seems inclined to drool and dribble.
If it wasn’t for this foible,
Meal-time would be more enjoiable!
In the poem “My Sister Sybil,” Colin West uses
alliteration to show how noisily his sister eats.
For example, the poet writes, “Sipping soup, my
sister Sybil/Seems …” West uses alliteration by
repeating the “s” sound at the beginning of five
words. The repetition of this sound imitates the
noise created by a person slurping food loudly.
West recreates the noise he hears at dinner to
help the reader understand what it is like to eat
with his sister.
Analyzing
The Poem
 At your table,
interpret “Oranges”
by Gary Soto.
 http://www.englishf
orums.com/English/
OrangesByGarySoto/
zzrpq/post.htm
1. Read the poem silently, watch video, read silently again
DISCUSS AT TABLES
2. What is this poem about?

Does the poem focus on the actions of a character?

Does the poem describe something?

Does the poem focus on an idea? A feeling?
3.What emotional response does the poem seem to call up in you?
4.After your first emotional response to the poem, on what does
the poem cause you to reflect?
5. What poetic devices do you see in this poem?
*When finished, P.E.E on your own!
 What is the topic of the first line? What is the point?
What words or phrases or events support
your point?
The next sentence should give evidence from
the text. It must relate directly to your point!
What does the author want the reader to
think or feel by using those words?
Explain how the evidence supports your point.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TiKM6gdfBo&feature=related
 Finish Orange P.E.E
 Poetic devices hunt: Find a total of at least 5 poetic
devices in songs!
 Poetic device #1:___________________
 Song name& artist:
 Lyrics:
 Poetic device #1:___________________
 Song name& artist:
 Lyrics:
