Poetry
Analysis
A R G U M E N TAT I V E PA R A G R A P H
What
does it
mean to
analyze a
poem?
1. To make a claim (POINT)
about the poem’s tone, mood,
theme, or overall meaning
2. To find the poetic devices
(figurative language, imagery,
repetition, symbolism, etc) in
the poem that support your
point
Paragraph Breakdown
INTRODUCTION- 1 sentence
Lists the:
• author
• title
• claim (a.k.a. the basic argument you are making)
• “roadmap”: (up to) three devices you will be using as evidence (a.k.a. POINTS) to support your claim
BODY – 6-9 sentences
• 3 POINT statements
• 3 PROOFS (quotes)
• 3 EXPLANATIONS
CONCLUSION – 1 sentence
• Rephrase your topic sentence
Point
Proof
Explanation
x3
Example
Maya Angelou’s poem “Still I Rise” clearly illustrates the power that disenfranchised people, such as women
of color like herself, actually do possess through the use of powerful diction, a traditional rhyme scheme, and
a shifting meter. She shows this through her use of strong diction, such as her use of onomatopoeia
throughout her poem. For example, the terms “trod” and “pumping” in the first 2 stanza show a juxtaposition
of those with power on her, “trod me”, and her power in response, “oil pumping in my living room”. With such
imagery-laden, sound-based power words, the audience can hear the power struggle that the speaker is
winning. Additionally, Angelou uses a classic folk-ballad rhyme scheme of ABCB for most of her stanzas. In
her first stanza, her end words are “history”, “lies”, “dirt”, and “rise”. Her only rhyming words, lies and rise,
also show a juxtaposition of the power of others versus her own power, switching a negative to a positive
result. This not only points to her theme overall, but the simple alternating rhyme scheme used in folk ballads
help the reader feel invited in to the struggle along with her: it’s a folk ‘song’ for all of us who feel a lack of
power in some way. Furthermore, Angelou also uses strong repetition with a change in meter throughout her
poem of her title “Still I Rise”. At the end of each stanza, she reiterates the phrases while shifting her meter
from short syllables to uplifting longer syllables. This shift in the rhyme also shows how the power will shift
from those who oppress her to her uplifting her self. The longer syllable’s effect on the tone of the piece
uplifts the audience with the speaker, creating a poem that is both angry and empowering for the reader. In
conclusion, in ”Still I Rise”, Maya Angelou is able to use strong diction, a classic rhyme scheme, and
changing meter to create a powerful poem that brings others up with her, and shows how we all have power
to control our attitudes. We cannot control others’ actions towards us, but we can control how we react to
them.
Example
[Introduction] Maya Angelou’s poem “Still I Rise” [Claim] clearly illustrates the power that disenfranchised
people, such as women of color like herself, actually do possess through [Point #1] the use of powerful diction,
[Point #2] a traditional rhyme scheme, and [Point #3] a shifting meter . [Proof #1] She shows this through her
use of strong diction, such as her use of onomatopoeia throughout her poem. For example, the terms “trod” and
“pumping” in the first 2 stanza show a juxtaposition of those with power on her, “trod me”, and her power in
response, “oil pumping in my living room”. [Explanation #1] With such imagery-laden, sound-based power
words, the audience can hear the power struggle that the speaker is winning. [Transition] Additionally, [Proof
#2] Angelou uses a classic folk-ballad rhyme scheme of ABCB for most of her stanzas. In her first stanza, her
end words are “history”, “lies”, “dirt”, and “rise”. [Explanation #2] Her only rhyming words, lies and rise, also
show a juxtaposition of the power of others versus her own power, switching a negative to a positive result. This
not only points to her theme overall, but the simple alternating rhyme scheme used in folk ballads help the
reader feel invited in to the struggle along with her: it’s a folk ‘song’ for all of us who feel a lack of power in some
way. [Transition] Furthermore, [Proof #3] Angelou also uses strong repetition with a change in meter
throughout her poem of her title “Still I Rise”. At the end of each stanza, she reiterates the phrases while shifting
her meter from short syllables to uplifting longer syllables. [Explanation #3] This shift in the rhyme also shows
how the power will shift from those who oppress her to her uplifting her self. The longer syllable’s effect on the
tone of the piece uplifts the audience with the speaker, creating a poem that is both angry and empowering for
the reader. [Transition/Conclusion] In conclusion, in ”Still I Rise”, Maya Angelou is able to use strong diction, a
classic rhyme scheme, and changing meter to create a powerful poem that brings others up with her, and shows
how we all have power to control our attitudes. We cannot control others’ actions towards us, but we can control
how we react to them.
This is only a
partial example
but still gives you
another idea of
what an analytical
paragraph looks
and sounds like