“Half-Hanged Mary”
by Margaret Atwood
Poetry Analysis
Name ___________________
Period _______
Directions: After I read the poem, get together with a partner and read the poem again looking for
the following:
Poetic Device
Example(s) from Poem—
Find all that you can!
Significance to the Poem
(in your own words)
Simile (a comparison using
“like” or “as”).
Example: “I didn’t feel the aimed
word hit/and go in like a soft
bullet.”
The simile, “like a soft bullet,”
suggests the violence that can
occur based solely on someone
speaking or making an accusation.
Metaphor (a direct
comparison)
Personification (giving human
qualities to non-human objects
or ideas)
Imagery-language appealing to
the senses
Tone is the speaker’s attitude toward the subject of the work. Write a paragraph stating and
discussing what you think the tone of this poem is and why. Use supporting details from the poem to
back up your opinion. Does the tone stay consistent or does it change in the poem? If you believe it
changes, state the line(s) where this occurs.
Now, in a paragraph, state what you think the theme (message, universal application, etc.) of the
poem is. There is more than one answer to this question!