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LF;,RNlNfi!QANALVZ~ANN01ATEPOETR't .J,, •
The dictionary defines annotation as 'the process of adding notes to, giving explanation or commenting on
text' Therefore, 'to annotate' is the action of making marks on a written work, in order to draw attention to c
comment on a word, phrase, line, or any feature which the reader finds interesting, noteworthy, or of possibl
significance. When talking about annotating poetry, it is the process of making notes on the structur1
language and content of a poem.
Annotation is an extremely important tool when analyzing poetry. It is a method which helps the reade
through the process of understanding the structure and meaning of a poem. By marking certain words an
lines on the page, one is able to draw out the underlying structural elements which make up the poem;
therefore helps with analysis and understanding.
You annotate a poem by literally putting pen to paper and adding markings and comments on the poem; thi
can be done by circling, underlining, highlighting, and making notes on the side. It is important to note th
structural elements of the poem and features of language; things such as the rhyme scheme, meter, figurativ
language techniques, sound devices etc.
Before you annotate a poem you must read it ... a few times. Read it first to hear the language and the rhythn
of the lines. Then read it again to comprehend the meaning. Then possibly read it again to enjoy it and furthe
your understanding. Then you are ready to begin annotating.
AN EXAMPLE OF ANNOTATION:
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First, read the poem a few times, then take out a pen and begin to annotate.
* You may want to take out afew dijferent pens, and use a dijferent colorfor each step.
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STEPONE:Tk Tt'tle
Comment on the title. Is it significant? How does it relate to the poem?
What do we learn through the title, before we even read the poem?
Reflect on the connotations of words in the title; underline significant ones.
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STEP TWO: Vnder.Jfand,.,,
fk Mean,,.,
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After each stanz~, briefly_surµmarizethe meaning (ttyto do this in a few words only) .
. O Try to parap~s·e-.the:·whole.• po.elll in :qh'eJiµe. . ..·.
· · ·•, ·. ·. .
_· ;~ _lqentifythe'speaker;.f,µglilight \\'O~ds ~ ~ch'relatito thesp~aker.
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STEP THREE: Sfa"14 Str~W'e
and ~11fe Scikl1fe
Indicate how the poem is divided (or not) into sections. Is it regular or irregular?
Note the rhyme scheme (use corresponding letters for end rhymes: e.g. ABAB CDCD etc.)
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STEP FOUR::t./ne ·Sfr~ii.re
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Comment on the-length of the lines (highlight any lines which are particularly long or short).
O Highlight any line breaks.which .are significant.
o Identify any examples of enjambinent - ~l
STEP FIVE: Tie
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Underline and comment on any figui:_ative language techniques (metaphors, similes, alliteration,
assonance, hyperbole, oxymorons, et _
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Comment on the diction: elements of formal ori-nformal language, colloquialisms, dialect etc.
Circle any notable uses of punctuation and comm~ GQ.!bem.
Identify any repetition (of single words, phrases or whole lines).
STEPSl~ldenft/'f'"f. Tone_
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Circle any words wh1_
ch contnbute-to the tone o_fth~ .poem.
Ar the·end.of each··.~tan~a, write-adjee:tivcs whic~ describe the tone I mood at that point.
Identify·any chaµges Jh,ton~r.
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Once you have annotated and analyzed the poem as much as you can, you -;
will be more able to interpret it and find links between the structural
elements identified and the meaning.
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ANALVZE"fl ANNOTAJE POfTRdV
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by Langston Hughes
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~went down to the river,
5ptaktr atttwtpts stdddt
(t) set down on the bank.
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(Dtried to think but couldn't,
So I jumped in and sank.
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exciam4tu,H marks (shtJws ydlltt<j}
JI came up once and hollere !
l!!.trttttu,H ( AHafhoro} l.I came up twice and criedJ)
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If that water hadn't a-been so cold
,,mtJht'vt": mod.41 ,rv/J ~ e sunk and died.
- shows rossUJdtty
But it was
Cold in that water!
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It was cold!
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1 1 took the elevator
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Sixteen floors above the ground.~
I thought about my baby
And thought~lirg;ump down.
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"baby": HtHt ptH /or Its sui,dd,t,
atttm ts
I stood there and I hollered!
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-RtfetttttJH (AHafhor,) { I stood there and I cried!
Ifit hadn't a-been so h i g h ~ )(J,St;/Wlt rwoH Hot to??
I might've jumped and died.
How SUU)tJ,S ts ht?
But it was
High up there!
"So" u.dt<4tts re.solve. ~since I'm still here livin',
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I guess I will live on.
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~ Id ~ died for love-
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But for livin' I was born
It was high! ...
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Comes to a c.oHdtJ,S~"-Rtsolvtt.
Though you may hear me holler,
And you may see me cryI'll be.dogged, sweet baby,
If you gonna see me die.
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Life is fine!
Fine as wine!
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Life is fine!
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Poetry
What is poetry?
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Most compressed form of literature
composed of carefully chosen words expressing a large amount of meaning and emotion
an art form
an act of discovery
A poem should be read several times in order to "hear" it and feel its emotions. Part of discovering
a poem, its meaning, its power, is to look at its parts. Though some parts will have more strength
than others, each aspect of a poem contributes to its overall meaning of the poem and effect on the
reader.
Parts of a poem:
1.
Content and Theme
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What the poem is about
The ideas and messages integrated into the poem. In other words, theme and content
relate to the poet's purpose in writing the poem.
2. Poetic Voice and Audience
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The poetic voice is the speaker of the poem. This is the "voice" you hear in the text,
which is not necessarily the poet's, but a character/narrator the poet has created.
The audience is the person or people to whom the speaker is speaking.
3. Tone and Mood
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Both tone and mood greatly influence how the poem effects the reader
The tone tells the reader how the author or narrator of the poem feels
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The mood refers to the atmosphere that the poem creates, th e em otional effect it has on
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the reader.
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Often the tone of the poem will put the reader in a certain moo ·
Dicti~n, syntax, and rhythm are used to establish tone.
4. Diction
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Word choice
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The poet chooses each word carefully so that both its meanmg an sou
the tone and feeling of the poem.
Pay attention to types of words that recur in a poem. For example, a poem may have
several words related to love, death, light, childhood, etc.
When looking at diction, one must consider a words denotation and connotation.
o Denotation - a words dictionary definition
o Connotation - the emotions, thoughts, and ideas associated with and created by
a word. A word can have positive and negative connotation.
• E.g.: Neutral
Positive
Negative
smell
scent
odor
house
home
sty
teenager
adolescent
delinquent
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5. Imagery
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Words and phrases used specifically to help the reader experience each of the senses:
sight, smell, touch, taste, and hearing.
Various figurative/poetic devices (similes, metaphors, personification, alliteration,
assonance, symbolism, and onomatopoeia) can be used to create images.
Imagery can play a particular importance in creating a specific emotional or intellectual
response in the reader; therefore, pay attention to both individual and patterns of
imagery.
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6. Rhyme
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contributes to the musical quality of a poem, influencing the sound of it
The rhyme scheme is the pattern of rhyme in a poem, which can bring a poem together
or emphasize particular elements of the diction or imagery.
The rhyme scheme can also create a jarring effect or a sense of finality to the poem.
Though rhyme usually occurs at the end of a line, it can also occur within the line internal rhyme.
7. Rhythm
• The entire movement or flow of the poem.
• The poet can use rhythm to create many different effects or emphasize a certain aspect
or idea in a poem.
• Poets can use various elements to create a specific rhythm:
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Syllable stress
o Emphatic st~ess: a poe! may choose to place emphasis on a particular word or
phrase to achieve a specific effect such as reinforcing tone or meaning.
Phrasing and punctuation: word order, sentence length, punctuation marks,
repetitions, line and stanza breaks can all contribute to tone and meaning of a
poem.
o Word sounds: a poet may choose words that are short, abrupt, harsh sounding,
soft, or long to create a certain effect.
o Meter: the organization of stressed and unstressed syllables
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8. Form
• the way that the poem is written down on the page
• the way that the lines of the poem are grouped, organized, or structured
• examples of poetic forms are sonnets, ballads, odes, and free verse
9. Other Poetic Devices
• There are a range of other poetic techniques that poets can use to contribute to the
overall effect of the poem. See the poetic devices handout for more information.
Commenting on a Poem
When writing a poetry commentary, it is important to understand that every poem in unique in itself.
Therefore, the aspects that are strong and effective in one poem may differ from those that are
strong and effective in another poem.
You want to examine all of the above notes parts of a poem as well as the importance of the title,
tensions or opposites, and changes or shifts that occur in the poem.
In a poetry commentary, you discuss what you notice when reading the poem, what stands out
about the poem, and how these aspects affect you as the reader and contribute to the overall effect
and meaning of the poem.
(1) Show no fear
Don't be afraid of the poem. Will you understand everything the first time you read the
poem? Nope.
That's part of the fun. The excitement of discovery is part of the process of understanding a
poem.
(2) Read the title. Then, STOP.
Based solely on the title, what do you think this poem will be about? Decide this before you
move forward.
(3)
Read the poem all the way through.
It's okay if you don't understand everything. Just read to get the gist, or general idea of the
poem's meaning. You'll dig deeper into details or confusing passages later.
(4)
Annotate
Read the poem again, but this time underline, highlight, or write comments in the margins
next to anything that you:
- really like
-reminds you of something else
-think is interesting
-find confusing
-suspect might be important but don't know why
(5)
Look up any words you don't know
(6)
Identify the speaker
- Figure out who is speaking in the poem.
- What do you know about this speaker?
- What is the speaker's tone (attitude)?
- How does the speaker impact the message or theme of the poem?
(7)
Notice shifts or changes
- Does the speaker use a hinge word, such as "but" or "however," to change the momentum
or meaning of the poem?
- Does the verb tense change at all?
- Pay special attention to the idea that comes immediately after one of these hinge or shift
words.
(8) Figure out the structure
- What's interesting about the rhyme scheme, the metre of the lines (the beat), or the
physical layout of the text and use of white space on the page?
- How might these elements contribute to the poem's overall message or theme?
(9) Read the poem one more time, aloud if possible.
- What new meaning or insight can you now see in the work?
Critical Terms for Poetry
f- Alliteration:
the repetition of consonants in words and phrases.
Eg. Eeter E12er 12icked a 12eck of 12ick/ed 12e122er.
Allusion:
a reference to a place, person, or event that is
historical, literary, religious, or mythical.
Assonance:
the repetition of vowel sounds in words and phrases.
Eg. and hg_wls and hg_l/g_s /g_ng and loud
Blank verse:
unrhymed poetry written in iambic pentameter.
Connotation:
the emotions, thoughts, and ideas associated and
created by a word.
Neutral
Positive
Negative
Smell
scent
odor
Teenager
Couplet:
young man/woman
delinquent/juvenl!e
two lines of poetry together. A rhyming couplet is two
lines of poetry together which rhyme.
'1f Diction:
Form:
the vocabulary chosen by a writer.
the shape or pattern in which a poem is written (also
called structure
Free verse:
poetry which seems to have no set pattern, stanzas or
rhyme scheme.
Hyperbole:
huge exaggeration or overstatement.
Iambic pentameter: a line of poetry made up
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f ten syllables with
alternating light or heavy beats.
Eg. Is this the face that launched a thousand ships?
{- Imagery:
writing that creates a picture in the mind, usually
through the use of comparisons.
Internal rhyme:
Juxtaposition:
rhyme that occurs in the middle of a line of poetry
placing two things close together, usually to see how
they compare or contrast.
t- Metaphor:
a comparison that says one thing is another thing.
Eg. The moon was a ghostly galleon tossed upon cloudy
seas.
Metonymy:
A play on words based on association.
Eg. He has always loved the stage. Stage= theatre,
He will follow the cross. Cross = Christianity
Metre:
a regular rhythm in verse; the measurement of poetry.
Mood:
the overall feeling generated by a written or spoken
piece.
Onomatopoeia:
words which describe sounds and also sound like that
which they describe.
Eg. splash screech crash, howl.
Oxymoron:
the linking together of contradictory or opposite words.
Eg. bitter-sweet, mute music.
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Paradox:
the joining tog eth er of ideas
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or concepts which appear
to be contradictory, but actually make sense in another
way.
Eg. One short sleep past, we wake eternally
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"J Personification:
· t s are given human characteristics.
obJee
Eg. Old Father Time, the wind moaned, England mourns
for her dead, the walls have ears.
Prose:
a piece of continuous writing which is not verse or
dialogue.
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Quatrain:
four lines of poetry.
Rhyme scheme:
the distinctive pattern of rhyme in a poem.
Rhythm:
the movement of language in speech, verse or prose,
regular beat.
Simile:
a comparison which use the words like or as.
Eg. He ran like the wind
Situational Irony: When you think one thing will happen, but the opposite
occurs.
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Sonnet:
a poem of fourteen lines written in iambic pentameter
Stanza:
sections of poetry comprising a group of verse lines.
Structure
how a poem is laid out - i.e.: rhyme scheme, number of
stanzas, etc.
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Symbolism:
objects which are used to represent something else.
Eg. a flag symbolises its country; in his poem 'Time',
Shelley uses the sea to represent time.
often with
Syntax:
Sentence structure
Theme:
the central idea or message the writer is trying to put
across.
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Tone:
the poet's attitude towards the subject of the poem.
This is indicated with the words chosen to describe the
subject.
Understatement: the opposite of exaggeration; making something seem
less important that it really is.
Verbal Irony:
Saying one thing, but meaning the opposite.