ENG1DB Poetry Analysis Test Sample Responses
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Below are some sample student responses from our in-class work and our
PRACTICE Poetry Analysis Test that exemplify effective poetry analysis and
critical thinking skills. Consider that some of these responses may still need
work. What are the positive aspects of each response and what are some
areas that still require improvement? Use these examples to help you
structure your own responses on the actual Poetry Analysis Test (this will be
written on Wednesday November 13th).
A Sample Response for “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost (in-class work):
What is the tone of the poem? Explain thoughtfully. Support your observations
with direct quotations from the poem.
The most interesting aspect of Robert Frost’s poem, “The Road Not Taken”
is that it uses a speaker with an ironic and remorseful tone to shape its central
message, which is not as obvious as it initially seems. Although, by the end of the
poem, it reads as if the speaker has taken the road “less travelled by”, and
therefore is speaking in a wise tone, in reality, there is no road less travelled by in
the poem, and the speaker is anticipating a future lie that he/she must tell in
order to make it appear that they have taken this “less travelled” road (Frost 19).
As a result, the tone of the poem is far more insecure than anything else. This is
clearly proven in the poem when the speaker says, “I shall be telling this with a
sigh/Somewhere ages and ages hence:/Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,/I
took the one less travelled by,/And that has made all the difference” (Frost 1620). The “sigh” is the key here, because the speaker will not even believe this lie
himself, which reinforces the speaker’s remorseful tone (he/she knows that
he/she actually did not take the less travelled path, but that he/she is only telling
himself that as a comfort) (Frost 16). Somewhere in the back of his/her mind will
remain the image of yellow woods and two equally leafy paths, neither of them
less travelled, which is proven in the poem when it reads, “Then took the other,
as just as fair,/And having perhaps the better claim/Because it was grassy and
wanted wear,/Though as for that the passing there/Had worn them really about
the same,/And both that morning equally lay/In leaves no step had trodden
black” (Frost 6-12). These paths in the woods are forks in the road, which serve as
wonderful metaphors that represent the decisions and crises that humans must
face within their lifetimes. These two roads are also meant to symbolize the
conflict between a person’s free will and their fate, but the irony is that the two
roads are actually the same; there was no better choice, which reinforces the
ironic tone of the poem.
A Sample Response for “The Child Who Walks Backwards” by Lorna Crozia
(in-class work):
Identify and explain the purpose and effect of two literary devices (examples of
figurative language) used in this poem.
In Lorna Crozia’s poem, “The Child Who Walks Backwards”, she uses
figurative language expertly in order to explore the horrors of child abuse. One
clear example of a meaningful simile used in the poem to exemplify the
violence that is being inflicted upon the neighbour child is seen when the
speaker states, “…plummet like a wounded bird/down the flight of stairs” (Crozia
9-10). The comparison that is made between the child and a wounded bird
effectively indicates that the child is already injured before they fall down the
stairs, in addition to emphasizing the innocence and helplessness of the child.
Also, the diction in this poem is vivid and purposeful, proven with Crozia’s use of
the word “plummet”, which reinforces the force and momentum behind the
child’s fall; this fall was not an accident (Crozia 9). Next, Crozia uses a powerful
metaphor in the poem in order to highlight the fact that the neighbour child’s
injuries have not been caused because of his/her accident prone nature, but
instead, that the child is being savagely abused at home. This metaphor is seen
when the speaker says, “This child who climbed my maple/with the sureness of a
cat,” to once again emphasize the fact that the child’s described injuries were
not caused by accident (Crozia 11-12). This metaphor is particularly poignant
because it provides the reader with a brief glimpse into a moment of childlike
behaviour that has been tainted by the abuse the child is forced to endure.
Many children will climb trees, and play outside, and this cat-like, youthful agility
is meant to contrast the wounded bird simile mentioned in the previous lines.
Consequently, both the simile and the metaphor are used to prove that the
child has been harmed intentionally by his mother.
A Sample Response for “If” by Rudyard Kipling (Practice Textual Analysis Test):
The poet uses several examples of personification in this poem. Identify what he
is personifying and explain the effect of giving these particular inanimate things
human characteristics.
Rudyard Kipling thoughtfully employs personification in his poem, “If”,
when he assigns human attributes to intangible concepts and inanimate things
like “dreams”, “Triumph”, “Disaster”, “heart”, “nerve”, and “sinew” (Kipling 9, 11,
21). Kipling uses this personification in order to reinforce his message of resilience
and perseverance in the poem. To personify “dreams” by warning the reader
not to “make dreams your master” and to personify “Triumph” and “Disaster” by
advising the reader to “treat those two impostors just the same”, the speaker is
positioning these potential challenges and opposing forces as something that
can be fought against, therefore giving the individual the power to shape
his/her own destiny (Kipling 9, 11, 12). In addition, although “heart”, “nerves”,
and “sinew” compose the human body, one can make the argument that they
do not work alone, and therefore, a case can be made for the fact that they
are personified in this poem (Kipling 21). By telling the reader to allow these parts
of their body to “serve your turn long after they are gone,/And so hold on when
there is nothing in you/Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on!", it makes it
seem that the heart, nerves, and sinew are working independently from the
body to ensure that the person survives, and ultimately, enables them to
persevere against all odds (Kipling 22-24). As a result, this personification adds
strength and determination to the poem.
Tone Descriptors Used by You for “If”: Which are most effective? Which are not
effective at all? Consider this!
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Passionate
Encouraging
Helpful
Instructive
Strong-willed
Firm
Compassionate
Understanding
Inspirational
Motivational
Determined
Caring
Empathetic
Positive
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Uplifting
Advising
Wise
Informative
Reassuring
Supportive
Persistent
Thoughtful
Happy
Calming
Proud
Dramatic
Angry
Depressing
Superior
What is the central theme of the poem? Let’s discuss! How would you write this
information in a clear, concise paragraph? Remember that this question is worth
10 marks on the test!