Good Things…
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Next, please get out your Writer’s Notebook
and turn to the first clean page. We are
going to do a Quick Write for the next 10
minutes.
Write about a time you had to
face a fear.
How to Analyze Poetry
Analyzing “Life Doesn’t Frighten Me”
& “On Turning Ten”
Let’s analyze a poem
together…
Let’s read the following poem called “Life
Doesn’t Frighten Me” by Maya Angelou
You will need four different color pens or
pencils to mark the poem with your close
reading marks
As we read through the poem, use your
pens/pencils to mark the various parts of the
poem.
Here are the steps so far…
1. Circle the words that rhyme in one color.
Is there a pattern?
2. Is there a refrain? Underline it in a different
color.
3. Look for imagery. Underline in a different
color any words that appeal to the five senses.
4. Look for Figurative Language. In a different
color, put a box around any examples of
metaphors, similes, personification,
onomatopoeia, alliteration, hyperbole, etc.
5. Out to the side of the poem, make a note of
anything that is interesting, surprises you or that
you have questions about.
Next: Literary Analysis
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Now that you have marked the poem, it’s
time to evaluate the poem and what it means.
Turn and talk to your partner from yesterday
and discuss the following questions. (next
slide)
We’ll come back in a little while and discuss
what you and your partner talked about as a
whole class
Lit. Analysis Questions
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What is the setting presented in the first stanza:
“Shadows on the wall/Noises down the hall.”?
Who is the speaker in this poem? (gender/age?)
What is the speaker saying about boys and girls her age
in the 5th stanza? Should they frighten her? Do you
think she fits in with them?
Would you be frightened of anything in this poem? Why
do you think the speaker in this poem says she’s not
afraid of these things?
What message does the poet want you to take away
from the poem?
Now let’s look at another poem
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This poem is called “On Turning Ten”
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Let’s read along as the poet reads the poem.
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Then we will analyze this poem with closed
reading marks (make sure you have three
colors to mark the poem)
Let’s Analyze the poem…
1. Do you see an rhyme or repetition? Is there
a refrain?
2. Look for imagery. Underline in a different color
any words that appeal to the five senses.
3. Look for Figurative Language. In a different color,
put a box around any examples of metaphors,
similes, personification, onomatopoeia, alliteration,
hyperbole, etc.
4. Look for words or phrases where the poem
mentions light or dark. Circle them.
5. Out to the side of the poem, make a note of
anything that is interesting, surprises you or that you
have questions about.
Let’s discuss the poem…
•What are some things that you noticed about
this poem?
•How is it different from “Life Doesn’t Frighten
Me?
“On Turning Ten” is a type of poem called a
narrative poem.
It doesn’t not rhyme and tends to tell a story in
a narrative form
Why do you think the author mentions “light” so
many times? What do you think it symbolizes?
Compare & Contrast
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Now, on your own, analyze the two poems
and complete the chart and answer the
questions. Turn the chart into the inbox when
you finish. Otherwise, it’s due by Friday.
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If you finish early, read your SSR book or
work on your vocabulary.