Jones
A.P. 12
Poetry: The final unit
The Poetry Connection!
The mission:
1. Choose a contemporary poet (no duplicates in the class; get choice approved by me, please)
and read at least one book by that poet. Some suggestions are listed at the end of this
handout.
2. Write an essay focusing on the contemporary poet’s work that includes
a. Analysis of 2-4 poems by the poet (see list of questions to consider)
b. The connection you made with the poetry
c. Hallmarks of the poet’s style
d. Copies of the poems you analyze
[Due the day prior to your presentation]
3. From the book(s) of poetry by your contemporary poet, select a poem which you feel can be
thematically or structurally connected with a poem by a more established poet. Poetry
anthologies are a good resource. Copies of Understanding Poetry are available for your reference.
4. Create a handout with the two poems you are comparing (one by a newer poet and the other
by a well-known poet). Include guiding questions or directions. Distribute the handout a
minimum of a day before your presentation. (If you would like for me to make copies, I must have the
master copy prior to the class when it will be distributed.)
5. Prepare a presentation (approximately 30 minutes):
a. Concisely introduce the two poets and their poetry
*Focus (brief) biographical information on what influenced the poets’ writing
*You may use PowerPoint or other visuals if they enhance your presentation
b. Facilitate a discussion of the specific poems (include the connection you made between them)
(Consider what an AP exam might ask about the poems.)
6. As participants in the class, keep copies of all the poems distributed during the presentations.
They may be needed for further assignments and the mid-term examination.
Some contemporary poets to consider:
Any poets featured in The New Yorker or Atlantic Monthly
Margaret Atwood
Nikki Giovanni
Rodney Jones
Donald Hall
Sonia Sanchez
Michael Blumenthal
Raymond Carver
Ruth Daison
Richard Wilbur
Gary Soto
Rita Dove
Mark Strand
Peter Davison
Louise Gluck
Jane Kenyon
Sharon Olds
Ellen Bryant Voight
Li Young Li
Adrienne Rich
Baraka
Robert Pinsky
Charles Simic
John Ashbery
Billy Collins
Stephen Dunn
Rachel Hadas The Empty Bed
Galway Kinnell Imperfect Thirst
Leland Kinsey Family Drives
Kevin Young
Mary Oliver
Philip Levine
Taylor Mali
Naomi Shihab Nye
Elizabeth Alexander
Yusef Komunyakaa, etc. etc.
etc. etc.
Over →
Criteria for Evaluating the Presentation
Introduction of poets: concise, informative, focused on writing influences?
Oral reading of the poems: rehearsed? read with expression?
Discussion of poems: does it encourage close reading and good insights?
Choice of poetry: strong and insightful connection?
Presentation skills: do you speak and lead the class effectively?
Is the class engaged?
Visuals (if applicable): do they enhance your presentation?
The following questions may help you analyze the poetry you select for “The Poetry
Connection”:
1. What is the denotative (explicit) situation of the poem? Before you jump to conclusions, it is
helpful to consider what happens (objectively) in the poem. Answer this by outlining the
poem so as to show its structure and development, and summarize the events of the poem.
Paraphrase the poem line by line.
2. Who is the speaker? What kind of person is s/he? What is his/her distance from the material
being related? How reliable is the persona (narrator, speaker, voice)?
3. To whom is the speaker speaking? What kind of person is s/he?
4. What is the occasion?
5. What is the setting in time (day, season, century) and in place (indoors/out,
country or city, etc.)?
6. What is the central purpose of the poem, the poet’s fictional point?
7. State the central theme (message) of the poem in a sentence.
8. Discuss the tone of the poem? How is it achieved?
9. Discuss the diction of the poem. Look up any words with which you are unfamiliar and point
out words which are particularly well chosen, explaining why.
10. Discuss the imagery of the poem. What types of imagery are used? What is the cumulative
effect of this imagery in terms of the tone and theme?
11. Point out examples of figurative language (metaphor, simile, personification, etc.) and
explain their appropriateness.
12. Point out and explain any symbols. If the poem is allegorical, explain the allegory.
13. Point out and explain examples of paradox, hyperbole, understatement, and irony. What is
their function?
14. Point out and explain any allusions. What is their function?
15. Point out significant examples of sound repetition and explain their function.
16. What is the rhyme scheme and/or meter to the poem? Explain.
17. Describe the form or pattern of the poem.