Name: ______________________________
MY LIFE IN LITERARY DEVICES
Purpose
To create a poem about yourself using literary terms, while exploring definitions, and providing descriptions for your
artistic choices.
Assignment Components
1. From the list below, identify 10 literary terms that you will incorporate into your project. Please take a moment to
highlight them now:
Allegory, Alliteration, Allusion, Anaphora, Diction, Assonance, Atmosphere, Tone, Figurative Language,
Imagery, Metaphor, Onomatopoeia, Personification, Hyperbole, Repetition, Symbol/Symbolism, Simile
Parallel Structure, Rhyme, Oxymoron
2. Practice using the literary devices to create your own examples that relate to and express details about you and
your life. Exemplars: “I am a torn leaf, floating down the rivers, drinking in water” or “Reading is my breath, without it, I
would surely not survive.”
3. Construct a poem using your 10 personal examples of literary devices. Your poem should be between 10-20 lines.
Using the examples of prominent poetry read in class as a guide, create a meaningful poem with your words to
express your life. Think about line order, line breaks, form, flow and sound. Identify the tone (e.g., happy, cynical,
angry, etc.) of your poem so the devices are connected through their diction and their meaning and are not
disjointed examples. Develop your poem by experimenting with elevated language, choosing words with purpose
and intent.
4. Create an aesthetically pleasing method to display your poem in a way that represents who you are. Using fonts,
colour, paper shape, and design, you will visually compliment the essence of your poem.
5. Reproduce your poem in a simple text format (just the words and no pizzazz) and annotate it. You may choose to
do this in a variety of ways (whatever you choice, it needs to be clear and easy to follow):

Use arrows to point between the lines of your poem and your explanations

Number each literary device and use a table to organize your explanations by creating a “legend” with numbers
and explanations.

Use colour coding (if you have a colour printer).
In terms of your explanations, for each literary device you used, identify it and explain – in your own words – how
your words are an example of the device. Exemplar: to the right of the line with “Reading is my breath, without it, I
would surely not survive” I might write that this line is a metaphor used to demonstrate how avidly I read. I am making
the comparison between breathing and reading to convey its importance to my life.
ENG3UI – Unit 4: Poetry
Poetry Unit Overview and Assignments
Name: ______________________________
DRIFT ANALYSIS OF ONE POEM
Requirements
Your DRIFT analysis will be of one poem. You will submit a rough draft of one paragraph of this analysis for feedback.
The final draft of the analysis will be submitted with the full portfolio.
Your finished product should meet the following criteria:
1. One poem reprinted and annotated (marked with your notes and observations)
2. One ORIGINAL image that illustrates the identified theme in your poem
3. “Thesis Statement” – an introductory statement that personally responds to a theme developed in
the poem
4. Five short paragraphs – each paragraph addresses one of D, R, I, F, and T, including specific examples
(lines, words, phrases, stanzas) from the poem to demonstrate each DRIFT element. Each paragraph
should explain how the DRIFT element works to enhance the theme you introduced in your thesis
statement.
5. Concluding Statement – an ending statement that leaves the reader with your overall impression of
the poem.
6. The full DRIFT analysis should be 400-500 words (approx. 2 pages), double spaced, and integrate the
examples into your writing. No floating quotes!
Assignment Components
1. Choose one poem we have not studied in class. Your options are below. Highlight your choice now:





“The Profile of Africa” by Maxine Tynes
“Sonnet” by Anne Clifford
“Up” by Margaret Atwood
“The Tables Turned” by William Wordsworth
“The Hidden Fence” by Rita Joe





“The Blues” by Billy Collins
“The Lesson” by Maya Angelou
“Turtle” by Kay Ryan
“Where there’s a Wall” by Joy Kogawa
“Home Movies: A Sort of Ode” by Mary Jo Salter
2. After reading the poem, think about your personal reaction to it. Identify a theme addressed by the poem and
develop a statement that summarizes what you think the poem is saying about the theme. Make notes on the
poem, highlighting DRIFT elements that support your interpretation. Your goal is not to “tie the poem to the chair
and torture a confession out of it” but instead to use DRIFT as a way to better appreciate the poem’s message.
3. Submit an outline of your analysis for feedback from your teacher on the required due date. Your outline should
include the following: Thesis Statement and Examples of each of D, R, I, F, and T (at least TWO examples for each
element).
4. Include one ORIGINAL image for the poem. This image cannot be found online but needs to be a photograph or
piece of art created by you. The image must illustrate the theme you identified in the poem.
5. You will be given two days in a lab to work on this analysis. All other computer time is on your own.
6. A peer will review the full analysis, and therefore, the rough draft needs to be complete and ready for review on the
required date.
ENG3UI – Unit 4: Poetry
Poetry Unit Overview and Assignments
Name: ______________________________
Assignment DUE DATES:
DRIFT Analysis First Paragraph Rough Draft: ____________________
Peer Review Day: ________________________
Poetry Portfolio Final Draft: _________________________________
Little to No
Limited (Level 1)
Some (Level 2)
Considerable (Level 3)
You will receive 1 mark for each accurately used literary device within your poem.
0
2
4
6
8 10
You will receive 1 mark for each complete sentence describing the device choices you made.
0
2
4
6
8 10
0
1
2
3
4
5
0
1
2
3
4
5
Evaluation of “My Life in Literary Terms”
High Degree (Level 4)
Absent
ASSESSMENT CRITERIA
Literary Devices
Quality of Poem
You will receive up to 5 marks for a poem that demonstrates a clear voice and consistent use of
tone.
You will receive up to 5 marks for your use of elevated language and meaningful word choice.
Total
/30
DRIFT Analysis of One Poem
Interpretation of Theme
The extent to which the response argues an insightful interpretation of the poem and identified
theme.
0
1
2
3
4
5
The extent to which the examples chosen support the overall interpretation of the poem’s
theme. (0-1 examples will result in a mark of 0-1)
0
2
4
6
8 10
The extent to which the examples demonstrate an understanding of each DRIFT element.
(0-1 examples will result in a mark of 0-1)
0
2
4
6
8 10
0
2
4
6
8 10
0
1
2
3
4
0
2
4
6
8 10
Effectiveness of Selected Examples
Effectiveness of Attention to DRIFT Elements
The extent to which the response gives a comprehensive and effective explanation of each
DRIFT element’s role in poem.
Success of Images
The extent to which the image is original, creative and successfully illustrates the identified
theme.
5
Clarity and Coherence
The extent to which the response is written with clarity and coherence, and examples are
integrated properly into response. No floating quotes!
Total
ENG3UI – Unit 4: Poetry
/50
Poetry Unit Overview and Assignments