AP Honors English IV—Poetry Analysis Essay
General Objective: Write a minimum three page formalist/new critical essay analyzing
a poem found on the Poetryoutloud.org website or presented during Poetry Island. You
may use any poem on this site or performed in class except a poem you have written an
extended analysis for in a previous class.
Specific Objectives:
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R1C Apply decoding strategies to “problem-solve” unknown words when reading when needed.
R1E Develop vocabulary through text using, roots and affixes, context clues, glossary, dictionary
and thesaurus.
R1H Apply post-reading skills to comprehend, interpret, analyze and evaluate a text
W1AApply a writing process to write effectively in various forms and types of writing
W2A Compose a text choosing a form and point of view appropriate to purpose and audience
W2B Compose a text with a strong controlling idea, relevant specific details, complex ideas and
freshness of thought
W2C Compose a text with an effective beginning, middle and end, a logical order, effective
paragraphing, cohesive devices, varied sentence structure, clarity of expression and active voice
W2D Compose a text using precise and vivid language and writing techniques such as imagery,
humor, voice, figurative language, and rhetorical devices
W2E In a written text, use conventions of capitalization, standard usage and conventions of
punctuation
3A Compose a variety of texts including literary analysis
Audience: You should assume that your audience has read the poem and has a basic
grasp of its general content and knowledge of the literary elements and devices common
in poetry
Format: Size 12 , Times New Roman font, double-spaced using one side of the page.
Do include a title and make sure to accurately cite any text that needs to be documented.
Include a works cited page at the end using proper MLA format.
Submission:
You will need to submit your final draft on the wiki.
Due Dates:
Rough draft (bring 2 hard copies to class):
Final draft (posted to the wiki):
Specific Objective: Your essay should question how the poem uses language to
convey its meaning. The essay should center on a strong close reading of the poem.
This essay should present an arguable claim about the purpose or overall meaning of
the poem as its focus.
We DON’T want to approach the poem as poet Billy Collins suggests many of his
students approach analyzing a poem. Collins writes,
But all they want to do
is tie the poem to a chair with rope
and torture a confession out of it.
They begin beating it with a hose
to find out what it really means
We don’t want to hurt the poem, but we must take for granted that our poem has
more to say than it is aware. However, we must assume our poem is refusing to talk
because s/he believes s/he will be misunderstood or is speaking in a language our
audience doesn’t quite understand. Our goal is to try and listen carefully to our
poem and present what the poem says to an audience in a language they can more
easily grasp.
Formalism: Formalism, also called New Criticism, relies on ONLY the text and
literary elements in order to understand the meaning of a text. A typical Formalist
analysis would choose literary elements (rhyme, imagery, figurative language,
diction, etc.) and explain how their use and relationship in the text conveys a specific
meaning (think purpose or theme).
Evaluation:
Final Draft
Self-Assessment
100 pts.
10 pts.
All final drafts not turned in on Tuesday, Jan.26 will lose 10 points per day.
If the above information STILL doesn’t help, consider writing to the prompt below:
PROMPT: What overall meaning does the poem attempt to convey? How does
the poem’s use of literary elements such as diction, tone, imagery, figurative
language, etc. help the poem convey this meaning?