Name:__________________________________
Section:________________Date:____________
Format of Paper
1. Introduction:
a. Mention the title and author of your poem.
b. State what the form of the poem is: e.g. 5 stanzas that are quatrains
c. Introduce the topic-grab your reader’s attention
Example:
Many people have felt very afraid when they ride a roller coaster. Molly
Jones’ poem Roller Coaster reminds me of the time I first rode a terrifying
coaster at the shore. In this short quatrain poem, Molly Jones really explains
those feelings of fear and anticipation at the top of the big drop.
2. Paragraph 2: Meaning of your poem/your opinion:
a. Explain in detail what you think the poem is about.
b. Explain your opinion of your poem-can you connect to it any way? Does it
remind you of a similar situation or feeling?
c. Use lines from the poem to back up your ideas.
Example:
Roller Coaster is a poem about someone’s scary ride up the first hill of a
roller coaster. It seems that this person in the poem may be riding the roller
coaster for the first time because they seem so nervous. The first line states, “I
focus on the parking lot.” This suggests how scared they are. I can relate to
this feeling as I have felt this anticipation every time I am on a roller coaster.
3. Paragraph 3: Poetic devices:
a. Identify at least 3 different poetic devices in the poem.
b. The lines from the poem are written in quotation marks
c. Comment on the effect of the poetic devices-why has the poet included
them, what do they make the reader imagine?
Example: (Your paragraph will of course be longer than this)
In the poem, the author uses repetition to show how really high the first drop
of the roller coaster was. The line, “waiting for the long, long drop,” gives the
reader an idea of just how high up the ride was. The repetition of the word
“long” really emphasizes this idea.
4. Conclusion:
a. Summarize the general meaning of the poem and what you imagine or
think of when you read it.
Example:
This poem really spoke to me, because I really love riding roller coasters. I
think I will probably remember this poem every time I am climbing the long,
first hill of a coaster, petrified out of my mind, and thinking about the big drop
ahead.