English I Honors
Poetry
Style Analysis Essay
You have chosen one poet and three of his or her poems to write a style analysis
essay.
One way to analyze a poet’s style is to study his or her use of form and structure,
figurative language, and sound devices.
Form and structure= speaker, organization (arrangement of words, lines,
stanzas), rhythm, and rhyme
Figurative language= simile, metaphor, personification, allusion, symbol,
extended metaphor
Sound devices= onomatopoeia, alliteration, assonance, and consonance used to
emphasize the meaning of words and to enhance the musical quality of the poem
The essay will be five paragraphs. Note: You will use two poems per body
paragraph. Be sure to include all three somewhere.
I.
Introduction Paragraph- Attention getter, bridge, thesis statement.
A. Attention getter- interesting fact about your poet or quote by your
poet
B. Bridge- Short biographical information about career, education,
and/or specific characteristic of his/her writing. (3-4 sentences)
C. Thesis statement- Use this one. The use of poetic devices
in____________’s poems helps to develop (his or her) unique style.
II.
First Body Paragraph- Form and Structure. Choose one aspect of form
and structure that is common in two of the poems you have chosen.
A. Topic Sentence – _________________ often uses ____________ to
achieve ________________.
Example: Wordsworth often uses specific rhyme
schemes in his poems about nature to achieve a desired mood.
B. Name a poem and what the rhyme scheme does.
Example: An ababcc rhyme scheme in “I Wandered Lonely as a
Cloud”, creates a joyful mood. (Commentary)
C. Lines from the poem as an example.
Example: Rhyme adds to the fun, happy image of the flowers dancing
as “They stretched in never-ending line/ Along the margin of a bay;/
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,/ Tossing their head in sprightly dance
(Wordsworth l. 9-12).
D. Explanation:
Example: His aa rhyme scheme at the end of each stanza adds a singsong joy for the reader to understand the speaker’s happiness in
remembering the daffodils.
E. Name a second poem and the rhyme scheme’s effect.
Example: In contrast, slant rhyme is present in “ Surprised by joyImpatient as the Wind” which has an uneasy mood.
F. Lines from the poem as an example.
Example: The speaker’s serious tone “Surprised by joy- impatient as
the wind/ I turned to share the transport Oh! with whom/But Thee,
deep buried in the silent tomb,/That spot which no vicissitude can
find?” is evident in the first four lines which creates a restless feeling
in the reader (Wordsworth l.1-4).
G. Explanation.
Example: “Wind” and “find” are an effective use of slant rhyme
because the wind stirs up everything, putting it out of order.
H. Summary sentence- Rhyme is a device used by William Wordsworth
to create a desired mood in his nature poems.
III.
Second Body Paragraph- Language of Poetry
A. Topic Sentence
B. Commentary naming specific poem
C. example of lines
D. Explanation
E. Commentary naming specific poem
F. Example of lines
G. Explanation
H. Summary Sentence
IV.
Third Body Paragraph- Sound of Poetry
A. Topic Sentence
B. Commentary naming specific poem
C. example of lines
D. Explanation
E. Commentary naming specific poem
F. Example of lines
G. Explanation
H. Summary Sentence
V. Conclusion Paragraph
A. Restate Thesis
B. Leave the reader with a thought