Courtney Lazar
Advanced Placement English
Mrs. Martin
21 December 2011
1976 Poem: “Poetry of Departures” (Philip Larkin)
Prompt: Write an essay in which you discuss how the poem's diction (choice of words) reveals
his attitude toward the two ways of living mentioned in the poem.
In the poem “Poetry of Departures” by Philip Larkin, the use of diction is used to reveal
his attitude towards the two ways of living mentioned in this poem. In the poem, the narrator
mentions a jovial and carefree way of life and a monotonous, mature life. The carefree lifestyle
is apparent in the first stanza of the poem through his choice of words, “He chucked up
everything/And just cleared off” and the ordinary life is described with diction that matches its
pedestrian style, revealing the overtones of anger and unhappiness. Other poetic devices used in
this poem are ambiguity, connotation, and imagery. Through the use of these poetic devices,
Larkin is able to show the contrast between the two ways of living mentioned in this poem.
1977 Poem: “Piano” [2 poems with the same name] (D. H. Lawrence)
Prompt: Read both poems carefully and then write an essay in which you explain what
characteristics of the second poem make it better than the first. Refer specifically to details of
both poems.
D.H. Lawrence’s poems titled “Piano” have many characteristics that set them apart.
“Piano” is a poem of memory in which the speaker is the main character in the poem that hears
the singing of a woman and the playing of a piano and starts to remember his childhood, a time
filled with happiness, in contrast with the present. D.H Lawrence made two versions of this
poem and changed certain details that changed both the emotion and meaning. The original
“Piano” is a longer version of the poem that contains more imagery, a simpler diction, and has a
calm, complacent tone. In the shorter version of “Piano,” the imagery is not as extensive, but is
overall more powerful. Also, the vocabulary changes throughout this version, increasing in
difficulty and seriousness as the poem transitions from the memory of a child to the present.
Though there is less imagery in the second version, it is more powerful, allowing the reader to
feel the speaker’s emotions, making it a more moving piece.
1979 Poems: “Spring And All” (William Carlos Williams) and “For Jane Meyers” (Louise
Gluck)
Prompt: Read the two poems carefully. Then write a well-organized essay in which you show
how the attitudes towards the coming of spring implied in these two poems differ from each
other. Support your statements with specific references to the texts.
Both “Spring And All” by William Carlos Williams and “For Jane Meyers” by Louise
Gluck are written about a similar topic: spring. Though both poems have a similar topic, the
attitudes of the authors on the issue of spring differ immensely. In “Spring And All,” Williams
uses imagery to bring out the impact of the scenery. In the first line of the poem, he describes a
hospital calling it a sickness. He also describes dead plants that winter has left behind. He uses
imagery to create before the reader a cold and lifeless winter. From the winter arises the rebirth
of spring. Even though death is present throughout his poem, the promise of spring and rebirth
are apparent in his writing. “For Jane Meyers,” Gluck questions spring by relating the season of
rebirth to death. This is apparent in line seventeen, “It is spring! We are going to die!” (Line
17). Both poems are about a similar topic and share spring as a symbol of new beginnings;
however, both poets used imagery, symbolism, similes, and metaphors to reveal their opposing
attitudes towards the season.
1981 Poem: “Storm Warnings” (Adrienne Rich)
Prompt: Write an essay in which you explain how the organization of the poem and the use of
concrete details reveal both its literal and its metaphorical meanings. In your discussion, show
how both of these meanings relate to the title.
Adrienne Rich’s poem, “Storm Warnings,” uses many poetic devices such as structure,
imagery, extended metaphor, and concrete details to reveal the poem’s literal and metaphorical
meanings. The organization of the poem is written in chronological order to reveal both the
literal and metaphorical meanings in the poem, allowing her to explain both the external and
internal conflict held by the speaker because the emotions of the speaker are parallel to the
external storm happening outside. The use of imagery depicts the literal meaning of an
approaching storm; however, metaphorically, the storm represents the speaker’s emotions.
1982 Poem: “The Groundhog” (Richard Eberhart)
Prompt: Write an essay in which you analyze how the language of the poem reflects the
changing perceptions and emotions of the speaker as he considers the metamorphosis of the dead
groundhog. Develop your essay with specific references to the text of the poem.
In the poem, “The Groundhog” by Richard Eberhart, the language of the poem reflects
the changing perceptions and emotions of the speaker as he considers the metamorphosis of the
dead groundhog. With diction and contrasting imagery, the author discloses his idea that the
world is in constant change. Changes in which things eventually decompose, or disappear. The
author feels so emotional over the continuing changes of the groundhog because he resents
change because it makes him feel that he is not in control. Eberhart uses wonderful, artistic
diction to illustrate contrasting imagery. He contrasts "golden fields" with "the groundhog lying
dead", and "vigorous summer" and "dead lay he". These examples show the author’s mixed
emotions. Through the use of diction and imagery, the author is able to portray his changing
perceptions and emotions as he considers the metamorphosis of a dead groundhog.
1985 Poems: “There Was A Boy” (William Wordsworth) and “The Most of It” (Robert Frost)
Prompt: These two poems present encounters with nature, but the two poets handle those
encounters very differently. In a well-organized essay, distinguish between the attitudes (toward
nature, toward the solitary individual, etc.) expressed in the poems and discuss the techniques
that the poets use to present these attitudes. Be sure to support your statements with specific
references.
William Wordsworth’s poem “There Was a Boy” and Robert Frost’s “The Most of It”
both present encounters with nature; however, the attitudes expressed in the poems towards
nature and towards the individuals themselves differ greatly. The use of detailed imagery as well
as the introduction of sound devices shows numerous differences among poetic techniques as
well as an apparent contrast in the relationship between nature and the solitary individual. In
"There Was a Boy" by William Wordsworth, he uses imagery to make apparent to the reader
nature's impact on our emotional and spiritual lives, whereas in “The Most of It,” the speaker
spends time alone in nature, seeking a certain kind of response from “the universe,” but feels
disappointed when nature does not provide that kind of response. Imagery and sound
interjections are poetic devices used to express the attitude differences towards the relationship
between nature and an individual.
2002B Poem: “If I Could Tell You” (W. H. Auden)
Prompt: The following poem is a villanelle, a form having strict rules of rhyme, meter, and
repetition. Read the poem carefully. Then write a well-organized essay in which you analyze
how the formal elements of the poem contribute to its meaning.
The poem, “If I Could Tell You” by W.H. Auden, is a villanelle that contains many
different formal elements that contribute to the poem’s meaning. Poetic devices that contribute
to the overall meaning of the poem are rhyme, meter and repetition. The rhyme scheme of the
poem, ABAAB, and the use of meter sets the pace of the poem, which could symbolically
represent time passing by, and how it is a constant whereas love is merely temporary. Also, his
use of repetition of the word “time” helps to emphasize its importance and how it separates the
two lovers because the power of time can destroy anything. Time is personified in this poem and
the use of poetic devices such as rhyme, meter, and repetition contribute to the poem’s overall
meaning that “only time can tell.”
2011B Poem: “An Echo Sonnet” (Robert Pack)
Prompt: Read carefully the following poem by Robert Pack, paying close attention to the
relationship between form and meaning. Then, in a well-written essay, analyze how the literary
techniques used in this poem contribute to its meaning.
In “An Echo Sonnet” by Robert Pack, he uses literary techniques that contribute to the
meaning of the poem. Pack uses poetic devices such as rhyme, repetition, and the echoed voice
to contribute to the poem’s meaning. Throughout the poem, the echo answers to the speaker’s
questions. By using this literary technique, it seems as though the narrator is representative of
most people who are not sure of their reason for life, and the voice is coming from a God-like
figure. Through the use of rhyme, repetition, and the echo voice, it helps create a form that is
essential to fully understand the meaning of the poem.