Comparing Visual and Written Texts
Analyzing a Painting
1. The title of the painting is_______________________________________________
The artist is ____________________________________
2. Write a brief description of the scene depicted in the painting.
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Imagery consists of words or phrases that appeal to any of the five senses.
Mood is the emotional atmosphere in a literary work (how the word makes the reader feel).
Though we most often discuss the terms imagery and mood in connection with literary works, they can be
applied to visual texts as well.
3. Using details in the painting, complete the chart below (include at least 2 details in each circle).
Touch
Sound
Mood
Taste
Smell
Sight
4. Look at the words you wrote in the graphic for Question 3 to describe the mood of the painting.
Think about that mood in the context of what is happening. Then complete the statement:
The mood of the painting can be described as ___________________________, which
demonstrates the idea that ______________________________________________________.
The theme is the central message of a literary work, the idea the author wishes to convey about the
subject. It is expressed as a sentence or general statement about life or human nature. To determine the
theme of a work, the reader must think about all the elements of the work-including mood-to make
inferences about the themes implied in that literary/visual work.
5. Look at the idea you wrote for Question 4 and think about how the details that create the
mood of the painting reveal the artist’s general statement about life or human nature. Then
write a thematic statement about the painting. What does the painting have to say about the
human experience?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
6. List three or more specific details from the painting that support this theme.
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Analyzing a Poem
Read your poem and then answer the following questions below.
1. Notice that there is no end punctuation in the poem and very little capitalization. Read the
poem again to determine how it should be divided into sentences. Add periods and indicate
which words should be capitalized.
2. Write a brief description of the scene depicted in the poem.
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Tone is a writer’s attitude toward a subject, character, or audience. It is conveyed through various literary
elements including the writer’s diction.
Connotation refers to the feelings and attitudes associated with a word beyond its denotation, or
dictionary meaning. The feelings we associate with words can be described as positive, negative, or
neutral.
3. Complete the chart below by listing words from the poem that have positive connotations
and words that have negative connotations.
Positive Connotations
Negative Connotations
4. Based on the words you listed in the chart above, what two words could you use to describe
the tone of this poem?
_________________________________ and _________________________________________
5. Now complete this statement, based on your analysis of the poem:
The tone of the poem can be described as ___________________ and _____________________
which demonstrates the idea that __________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
6. Look at the idea you wrote for Question 5, and then write a thematic statement about the
poem. What does this poem have to say about the human experience?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
7. List three or more words or phrases from the poem that supports this theme.
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Thesis Generator: Now that you’ve analyzed both painting and poem, think about the theme
that you came up with for each. If your painting and poem share the same theme, fill in the first
sentence. If your painting and poem ended up having opposite themes, fill in the second
sentence.
Both (title of painting)_____________________________________________ by (name of painter)
_________________________________ and (title of poem)___________________________________
by (author of poem)______________________________________ use the myth of (description of
myth)___________________________ to show that (your opinion about the subject that must be
proven)________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________.
In the painting (title of painting)_________________________________________, _(name of artist)
_________________________________________ uses the _(description of topic of painting) _______
__________________________________________ to show that _(your opinion about the subject that
must be proven) _______________________________________________________________________,
while in his poem _(title of poem)__________________________________________, _(author of
poem)__________________________________ uses the same scene to show that _(your opinion
about the subject that must be proven) _________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________.