Name__________________________________________Period_____Date____________________
Poetry Graphic Organizer
“Thanatopsis”
Respond to all of the questions with complete sentences.
Pre-Reading (1 point)
The title of the poem Thanatopsis comes
from two Greek words: "thanatos" (which
means "death") and "opsis" (meaning
"view," or "sight”). Therefore the poem’s
title means “a view of death.” Do you ever
think about death? Does it get you down?
Is there a particular thought that soothes
you when you get sad thinking about the
inevitability of death?
Figurative Language
(4 total points)
Can you find any example of
figurative language? List and
categorize the examples below
Metaphors (including extended metaphors):
Similes:
Personification:
Hyperbole:
Form (1 point)
What is the form of the poem? Is it
divided in to stanzas? Is there a
certain number of lines per stanza?
Rhyme Scheme (2 points)
What is the rhyme scheme of the
poem?
Is there any internal rhyme?
Imagery (1 point)
Is there any imagery in the poem?
What senses (sight, hearing, touch,
taste, or smell) does the imagery
appeal to?
Sound Devices (1 point)
Are there any sound devices? List
the examples below and label them
according to type (i.e. alliteration,
onomatopoeia, repetition).
Meter (1 point)
Is there are pattern to the meter of
this poem?
Tone (1 point)
What is the tone of the poem? How
can you tell?
Literal Meaning (1 point)
What is literally happening within the
poem? Do not dig too deep.
Figurative Meaning (1 point)
What is the underlying meaning of the
poem?
Theme (2 points)
What is the theme of the poem?
Remember, the theme is the main
idea or author’s message. It is a
perception about life or human nature
that the writer shares with the reader.
An effective way to find the theme is
to identify a subject that the poem
deals with and then explain what the
author is saying about that subject.
Subject that the poem discusses in
one word (life, death, faith, friendship)
Theme (what the author’s point is
about this subject?)
Style (1 point)
Evaluate Cullen’s poem, in particular
his style. How would you describe
the style with which he writes?
Extra Credit (1 point)
Popular culture is still obsessed with
the topics of death and nature. Pick a
song, poem, or book that deals with
the topics of death, nature, or both
and explain how it relates to this
poem.