Name: __________________________________________________________________________________
Billy Collins Summer Assignment
American Literature: Poetry
Ms. Avila
Directions: Choose SEVEN poems in the packet and complete the following steps. See the references
section at the back for models, definitions, and other resources.
Step 1)
Read & annotate the poem for the following items:
Title (How does the title relate to the rest of the poem? What is its deeper meaning?)
Paraphrase the poem in 1-2 sentences
Connotation of words (Look up any unknown vocabulary!)
Audience (Who is the audience for this poem?)
Structure/form
Tone/Mood
Theme
Step 2)
Step 3)
Draw the poem.
Make connections to other poems in the packet.
Assessment/Grading
 Students with completed packets may use them as a resource on a timed essay during the first
week of school
 The timed writing grading will be using the Cambridge IGCSE Literature Rubric (attached).
 Listed below are possible essay questions that could appear on the timed writing.
Option 1) Explore how Collins uses humor in TWO of the poems you have studied?
Option 2 Poetry can often make you see ordinary things in a new way. Explore how Collins does this in
TWO of the poems you have studied.
Option 3) Explore how Collins movingly conveys a mood of sadness or regret in TWO of the poems you
have studied.
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Table of Contents
Poem Title
Page Number
Advice to Writers……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….3
Books………………………………………….…………………………………………………………………………………………….4
My Number…………………………...…………………………………………………………………………………………….…….5
Introduction to Poetry (sample poem)………………………………………………………………...……………….……..5
Schoolsville …………………………………………...…………………………………………………………………………….……6
The Man in the Moon
……………………….…………………………………………………….……………………………….....7
The History Teacher
…………………..…………………………………………………………………………………………....7
On Turning Ten …………………..………………………………………………………………………………………..………....8
Forgetfulness…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….9
Candlehat…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….….10
Workshop
………………………………………………………………………………………………………….……………...11-12
Monday Morning …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………...13
Center………………………………………….………………………………………………………………….……………...……....13
Piano Lessons
………………………………………………………………………………………………….……………...……...14
Also in this packet:
TPCASTT handout (instructions on how to annotate a poem)
Poetic device list
List of words used to describe tone
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Mapping and Annotating a Poem
Step 1Read the poem OUT LOUD.
Step 2 Number the lines down the left-hand side of the poem.
Step 3 Identify the persona (speaker) of the poem. (1st person, 3rd person, etc.)
Step 5 Divide into sections.
Step 6 Circle any unfamiliar vocabulary.
Now…you are ready to analyze the poem.
TP-CASTT: Poetry Analysis
Title
Paraphrase
Ponder the title. It is often the key to meaning. What comes to mind when you read
the title?
For each section, paraphrase the poem in one sentence. Translate the plot into your own
words. Do this on the literal level. What is happening in each section?
Connotation Poems have multiple layers of meaning. Once you’ve written down the plot on the
literal level, contemplate the poem for figurative meaning; what is the significance of
the metaphors, similes, and other poetic devices in the poem? Identify the techniques used
and EXPLAIN what you see them contributing to the poem; trust your opinion!
Audience
This really means TONE. What is the writer’s and/or speaker’s attitude towards the
subject? Does it change or remain the same? This is often the key to interpreting a
theme.
Structure
What is the form of the poem? Is there rhyme? Is it free-verse? How does the poet use
stanzas, line breaks, punctuation, etc ., to create effect.
Tone
What is the writer’s and/or speaker’s attitude towards the subject? Does it change or
remain the same? This is often the key to interpreting a theme.
Theme
Determine what the poem is saying; recognize the human experience,
motivation, or condition suggested by the poem. Remember that theme is a complete
statement of the human condition. What is the poem saying about life and what it
means to be human? There can be more than one correct answer, but you must be able
to back up your theme with evidence from the poem.
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allusion: a casual and brief reference to a famous historical or literary figure or event. The best sources for allusions are
literature, history, Greek mythology, and the Bible
alliteration: the recurrence of initial consonant sounds-the repetition is usually limited to two words Example: “Ah, what a
delicious day!”
anaphora: repetition of word(s) for meaning Example: “blood” in Book the Second
apostrophe: A direct address to an absent or dead person or to an object, quality, or idea
Example: “O Captain, My Captain” was written upon the death of Abraham Lincoln (Whitman)
assonance: repetition of similar vowel sounds in a sequence of nearby words. Example: “sainted radiant maiden”
cacophony: the clash of discordant or harsh sounds within a sentence or phrase
connotation/denotation: the literary (dictionary) meaning of a word is its denotation. The connotation of a word involves
feelings and emotions associated with it.
hyperbole: a figure of speech in which deliberate exaggeration is used for emphasis. Example: waiting for ages * tons of
money * a flood of tears * I nearly died laughing* I tried a thousand times
imagery: representation through language of sensory experience either visual, sound (auditory image), smell (olfactory
image), taste (gustatory image), touch (tactile image), or internal sensation (organic image), or movement or tension in
muscles (kinesthetic image).
juxtaposition: two items placed side by side to create an effect, reveal an attitude, or accomplish a purpose Example: “It was
the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness…” (Dickens 13).
metaphor: a comparison is made between two seemingly unrelated subjects without using like or as. Example: “All the
world’s a stage” (Shakespeare) extended metaphor: metaphor that are carried over many lines
metonymy: the substitution of one term for another that is generally associated with it.
Example: “suits” instead of businessmen
onomatopoeia: the use of words which in their pronunciation suggest their meaning Example: hiss, bang, crunch, buzz, snap,
crackle, pop, etc…
parallelism: use of two or more words, phrases, or sentences with the same grammatical structure Example: “Before, a joy
proposed; behind, a dream denied”
personification: the metaphorical representation of an animal or inanimate object as having human attributes—attributes of
form, character, feelings, behavior, and so on—as the name implies, a thing or idea is treated as a person Example: The tree
cried aloud, begging for attention.
simile: a figure of speech in which one thing is likened to another, in such a way as to clarify and enhance an image. It is an
explicit comparison, recognizable by the use of “like” or “as.” Example: Her vanity bled like a rusty nail.
synecdoche: a form of metonymy in which a part of an entity is used to refer to the whole
Example: “wheels” for “my car”
synaesthesia: the use of one kind of sensory experience to describe another Example: “heard melodies are sweet” (Keats)
symbolism: an object, animate or inanimate, which represents or stands for something else
theme: The essential idea, group of ideas, or philosophy that the writer wants the reader to understand from the story she is
telling.
tone: the attitude of style or expression used to write
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LIST OF TONE WORDS
abhorring
curt
accusatory
cynical
acerbic
derisive
admiring
derogatory
adoring
desolate
allusive
despairing
ambiguous
desperate
ambivalent
detached
antagonistic
diabolic
anxious
didactic
apathetic
diffident
apologetic
direct
apprehensive
disappointed
audacious
disbelieving
authoritative
disdainful
baffled
disgusted
bantering
disrespectful
belligerent
dramatic
bemused
dreary
benevolent
earnest
bewildered
ebullient
biting
ecstatic
bitter
effusive
blithe
elated
blunt
elegiac
brisk
elevated
brusque
eloquent
burlesque
empathetic
candid
encouraging
casual
enraged
celebratory
eulogistic
ceremonial
euphoric
cheery
evasive
colloquial
exhilarated
commanding
expectant
compassionate
exuberant
complimentary
facetious
conceited
factual
conciliatory
fanciful
condemnatory
fatalistic
condescending
fearful
confident
fervent
confused
flippant
contemptuous
forceful
contented
foreboding
contentious
formal
conversational
forthright
critical
frantic
frivolous
frustrated
ghoulish
giddy
gleeful
gloomy
grave
grim
harsh
haughty
hilarious
holier-than-thou
hollow
hopeful
hopeless
horrific
hostile
impartial
impatient
incisive
incredulous
indifferent
indignant
inflammatory
informal
informative
insecure
insipid
insistent
insolent
instructive
intimate
introspective
ironic
irreverent
jocund
joking
jovial
joyful
joyous
laudatory
learned
lethargic
lighthearted
lively
lofty
ludicrous
lugubrious
lyrical
matter-of-fact
meditative
melancholic
mirthful
mock-heroic
mocking
mock-serious
modest
moralistic
mournful
mysterious
nostalgic
objective
ominous
optimistic
outraged
outspoken
paranoid
passionate
pathetic
patronizing
pedantic
pensive
pessimistic
petty
placid
playful
poignant
pompous
powerful
pretentious
proud
provocative
psychotic
questioning
reassuring
reflective
reminiscent
resigned
respectful
restrained
reticent
reverent
risible
romantic
sanguine
sarcastic
sardonic
satiric
scholarly
scornful
seductive
self-assured
self-deprecating
sentimental
serene
severe
shocked
shocking
sinister
skeptical
sly
solemn
somber
speculative
sprightly
stable
stately
stern
stolid
straightforward
strident
subdued
suspicious
sympathetic
taunting
tender
tense
terse
thoughtful
threatening
timorous
tragic
tranquil
turgid
unambiguous
uncaring
uncertain
unconcerned
understated
unsympathetic
urgent
venerative
vexed
vibrant
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violent
vitriolic
whimsical
wistful
worshipful
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