Name _______________________________________
Date _____________
Poetry Essay Prewriting Activity
The Wind Tapped Like a Tired Man
by Emily Dickinson
The wind tapped like a tired man,
And like a host, "Come in,"
I boldly answered; entered then
My residence within
The Wind
by James Stephens
The wind stood up, and gave a shout;
He whistled on his fingers, and
Kicked the withered leaves about,
And thumped the branches with his hand,
And said he'd kill, and kill, and kill;
And so he will! And so he will!
A rapid, footless guest,
To offer whom a chair
Were as impossible as hand
A sofa to the air.
No bone had he to bind him,
His speech was like the push
Of numerous hummingbirds at once
From a superior bush.
His countenance a billow,
His fingers, if he pass,
Let go a music, as of tunes
Blown tremulous in glass.
He visited, still flitting;
Then, like a timid man,
Again he tapped--'twas flurriedly-And I became alone.
Page 2
Stephens
Subject (What is the poem
about?)
Speaker (Is the speaker in the
poem identified? If so, what do
you know about the speaker?)
Imagery (What sensory details
does the poet use to describe
the wind and help us see it or
hear it?)
Figurative Language (How
does the poet use simile,
metaphor, or personification?)
Meaning (What kind of wind
do you think the poet is talking
about?)
Response (How do you feel or
think about the poem? Why?)
Dickinson
Page 3
Similarities
a. Both poems personify the wind as a
man.
b. Both poems give the wind fingers.
c.
Differences
a. Stephen's wind shouts, kicks, thumps on
branches, and wants to kill.
b. Dickinson's wind is tired and timid.
c.
d.
d.
e.
e.
f.
f.
Planning your essay:
1. Paragraph 1: Introduction; cite the title and author of each poem, and include a thesis
statement.
2. Paragraph 2: Body 1: present details showing how the two poems are similar.
3. Paragraph 3: Body 2: present details showing how the two poems are different.
4. Paragraph 4: Body 3: explain your response to the poems, discussing your feelings for or
thinking about each one. (Be organized here, do not flip/flop between poems)
5. Paragraph 5: Conclusion: review all the points established, and show the correlation to
the thesis statement.
Persuasive Essay: The Wind Poetry Essay
Teacher Name: Mrs. Jones
4321CATEGORY Above Standards Meets Standards Approaching Standards Below Standards Score
Focus or
Thesis
Statement
The thesis
statement names
the topic of the
essay and
outlines the main
points to be
discussed.
The thesis
statement names
the topic of the
essay.
The thesis statement
outlines some or all of
the main points to be
discussed but does not
name the topic.
The thesis
statement does
not name the
topic AND does
not preview what
will be
discussed.
Support and
Examples
All of the
evidence and
examples are
specific, relevant
and explanations
are given that
show how each
piece of evidence
supports the
author's position.
Most of the
evidence and
examples are
specific, relevant
and explanations
are given that
show how each
piece of
evidence
supports the
author's position.
At least one of the
pieces of evidence and
examples is relevant
and has an explanation
that shows how that
piece of evidence
supports the author's
position.
Evidence and
examples are
NOT relevant
AND/OR are not
explained.
Sequencing
Response to
poems are
provided in a
logical order that
makes it easy and
interesting to
follow the
author's train of
thought.
Response to
poems are
provided in a
fairly logical
order that makes
it reasonably
easy to follow
the author's train
of thought.
A few of the responses
to the poetry are not in
an expected or logical
order, distracting the
reader and making the
essay seem a little
confusing.
Many of the
responses to the
poetry are not in
an expected or
logical order,
distracting the
reader and
making the essay
seem very
confusing.
Capitalization Author makes no
&
errors in
Punctuation capitalization or
punctuation, so
the essay is
exceptionally
easy to read.
Author makes 12 errors in
capitalization or
punctuation, but
the essay is still
easy to read.
Author makes a few
errors in capitalization
and/or punctuation that
catch the reader's
attention and interrupt
the flow.
Author makes
several errors in
capitalization
and/or
punctuation that
catch the reader's
attention and
interrupt the
flow.