“Professors of Poetry” Project
Names__________________________________________________________________
Poem Title:__________________________________________
Pg._______
Poem Author:________________________________________
Directions: Working in pairs, you will become “professors of poetry” for a day. Your
pair’s task is to create a presentation that fully explains and analyzes a poem. The
presentation should include artwork and music that reflect the overall aesthetics of the
poem as well as an interactive handout that requires guided note-taking by your audience.
After the presentation, you should be prepared to answer questions about your poem from
other students and the teacher.
Steps for completing the task:
1. Choose a poem from a selected list (see below)
2. Respond to the poem
3. Assign tasks (explicator, artist, etc…)
4. Analyze the poem
5. Create the components of the presentation (explication, artwork, music, handout)
6. Present to the class (this includes a reading of the poem along with the other elements)
7. Facilitate a class discussion
Choose from the following list of poems:
“Fifteen,” (p.286), “Sympathy,” (p.292), “Combing,” (p. 326),“Gifts” (p. 504),
“Shoulders” (p. 232), “Spearthrower” (p. 230), “Slam, Dunk & Hook” (p. 228),
“Dreams” (p. 905), “Hope is the Thing with Feathers” (p. 908), “There Will Come Soft
Rains” (p. 473), “To be of use” (p. 190), “Blackberry Eating,” (p. 914), “Memory,” (p.
915) “Eulogy for a Hermit Crab,” (p. 916) “Uphill,” (p. 926) “All Watched Over by
Machines of Loving Grace,” (p. 476).
The Explication: The written (and oral) explication must include analysis of sound
devices, figurative language (if applicable), theme, and imagery.
***See specific instructions for the explication on the back of this sheet.***
Music: Must connect to the theme or mood of the poem (bring in a CD the day of your
presentation).
Artwork: Should be large enough and should reflect elements of the poem
Interactive Handout: Must enable your audience to interact through guided note-taking
(Due two days before presentations begin)
Presentations Begin: Sept. 19
Steps for Completing the Explication
Prewriting: Complete the prewriting chart for the poem you have chosen.
Introduction: Clearly identify the author and title of the poem and briefly state what the
poem is about. Explain who the speaker is in the poem and what idea/theme he/she is
presenting.
Body: Write one body paragraph for each element (imagery, figurative language,
sound devices, and theme). The first body paragraph will discuss one element (imagery,
for example) of the poem; this discussion should make connections between the element
and the poem’s overall meaning. The next paragraph will discuss a different element
(figurative language, for example), connecting to the poem’s message, and so on.
The explication has no formal concluding paragraph; The end of the explication should
focus on theme and provide quoted evidence from the poem to support your theme idea.
Integrating Quotations: Supporting quotations (at least two) are required in each body
paragraph. Don’t forget to lead in to quotations (somebody says, blended, or sentence
followed by a colon) and follow them up. When documenting quotations from poetry,
place line number(s) in parentheses at the end of the sentence with the quotation in it.
Use a slash (/) to indicate line breaks. Refer to the speaking voice in the poem as the
speaker.
Somebody says: The quotation is introduced with a comma and must be a complete sentence.
Example:
The speaker uses alliteration when she says, “I can remember wind-swept streets of cities” (line 1).
Sentence followed by colon: The sentence before the colon must make a statement about the quotation to
come. The quotation must be a complete sentence.
Example: The poet praises the crab’s courage: “You were consistently brave/ on these surf-drenched
rocks” (lines 1-2).
Blended: Some of the quoted material is left out and what is left is blended into your own sentence.
Example: The speaker characterizes the people as “brooding” and “muttering” as they go through their
miserable lives” (lines 7, 13).
Remember: Write in THIRD PERSON point of view (no I, me, my, you, etc..)
Use PRESENT TENSE when discussing literature. (The poet thinks…,
NOT The poet thought…)
Avoid unnecessary use of the verb “to be.” The following list suggests some
verbs you can use in your explication:
dramatizes
presents
characterizes
asserts
illustrates
connects
contrasts
suggests
implies
addresses
stresses
shows