Student Name
Mrs. Boyd
AP English IV
23 September 2013
Poetry Analysis Paper
Due: ___________________________________
Choose a British poem and analyze THREE poetic devices used in it, the effect of each device in
the poem, and how they support the theme. After selecting a poem, decide which three poetic
devices will be analyzed. For example: use of repetition, capital letters, punctuation, imagery,
shift, rhyme, stanzas, sound devices, meter, form, genre, etc. Is there anything that you can tell
about the poem from the choices that the author has made in this area? Avoid explaining that the
poet uses a specific device because he/she is “trying to make a point,” that it is “for effect,” or
because “it is important” unless you can explain what “the point is,” “what the effect is,” or
“why it is important!”
Must be typed following MLA format. Use http://owl.english.purdue.edu/ for formatting
assistance and tips about analyzing poetry. Use MLA heading, Times New Roman size 12 font,
double spacing (including the MLA heading--which is different from a header), and 1” margins.
Papers deviating from these instructions will be returned. One point will be subtracted for EACH
mechanical error. The final product must be at least 1000 words in length, not including the
Works Cited page. No handwritten papers. While this instruction sheet does not follow MLA
double space format for the purpose of saving space, your paper must be double-spaced.
Correct MLA citation format must be adhered to when citing lines of poetry within your paper.
A works cited page is necessary for this essay.
When the quote is short (fewer than three lines of verse), it is embedded in the text of the
essay. Mark breaks in short quotations of verse with a slash, /, at the end of each line of
verse (a space should precede and follow the slash). Two slashes mark a break between
stanzas //.
Cullen concludes, "Of all the things that happened there / That's all I remember” (l 11-12).
When citing long sections (more than three lines) of poetry, keep formatting as close to the
original as possible. Avoid adding long quotes simply to add length to your paper. Focus on
the specific words or phrases analyzed.
In his poem "My Papa's Waltz," Theodore Roethke explores his childhood with his father:
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The whiskey on your breath
Could make a small boy dizzy;
But I hung on like death:
Such waltzing was not easy.
We Romped until the pans
Slid from the kitchen shelf;
My mother's countenance
Could not unfrown itself. (l 1-8)
Example Support Paragraph:
Roethke compares the thrill of dancing with his father to death. He writes that he
“hung on like death” (l 3). The elliptical sentence should read, “But I hung on like death
hangs on.” People dance when they are joyful, but when small children dance with
adults, they are often swung around and hang on tightly without letting go which can be
quite thrilling-- an emotion combining fright and joy. The father seems to be having a
grand time and not frightened at all, but the young boy does not experience the same
carefree joy. Their dancing is so vigorous that the boy must hang on for his life.
Roethke’s comparison to death implies it also hangs onto its victims with the same
intensity the boy hangs onto his father. Roethke’s juxtaposition of these opposing ideas in
a simile illustrates Roethke’s mixture of fear and joy growing up in an alcoholic home.
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Poetry Analysis Outline
I.
II.
III.
IV.
V.
Introduction
A. Historical context of the poem and information about the poet
B. Thesis: In ______(poet’s)______ poem, “____(name of poem)_____________,”
he/she establishes the theme of ___________ through the use of ___(device #1)_,
______(device #2)________, and ________(device #3)____ for the purpose of
________________________.
Support Paragraph #1
A. Topic Sentence
B. Quote from poem> Device #1
C. At least three sentences explaining how quote supports the theme of the poem
D. 2nd quote from poem
E. At least three sentences explaining how quote supports the theme of the poem
Support Paragraph #2
A. Transition sentence>Topic Sentence
B. Quote from poem. >Device #2
C. At least three sentences explaining how quote supports the theme of the poem
D. 2nd quote from poem
E. At least three sentences explaining how quote supports the theme of the poem
Support Paragraph #3
A. Transition sentence>Topic Sentence
B. Quote from poem> Device #3
C. At least three sentences explaining how quote supports the theme of the poem
D. 2nd quote from poem
E. At least three sentences explaining how quote supports the theme of the poem
Conclusion
A. Restate your thesis and how you proved it.
Note: not limited to 5 paragraphs