Poetry Essay
Analytical Focus_
The poetry essay consists of different literary elements which are:
- Allegory- A work that functions to reveal a meaning.
- Alliteration- A repetition of the same letter at the beginning,
- Assonance- Two or more words that repeat the same vowel sound.
- Denotation- The literal meaning of a word.
- Connotation- An idea of a word based on images and not its literal meaning.
- Diction- The author's choice of words.
- Imagery- A visually descriptive language used in a work of literature.
- Irony- An unexpected contrast of one's meaning by using language that means actually the opposite.
- Metaphor- A direct comparison that is actually between dissimilar things.
- Meter- A pattern of beats in poetry.
- Rhyme- The duplication of syllables in two or more lines.
- Simile- An indirect comparison of one thing to link to another thing to make the description more vivid.
- Symbol- A thing that stands for something else.
- Tone- The author's attitude toward his subject.
- Word order- The way in which words are arranges.
Thematic Focus_
-In this part of the exam, the poetry essay you are required to understand the text and to be able to analyze techniques and devices that the poet used in order to achieve his/her purpose.
-There are different types of prompts:
One should be familiarized with the different types of questions that one may be asked.
Examples are:
Timing_
-Since for this part of the exam it is only 40 minutes, time is crucial.
-Have a plan ready for yourself, know what you are going to do and how long you are going to take in doing it.
-Have some sort of strategy or plan-
Example strategy:
-There are different types of prompts:
One should be familiarized with the different types of questions that one may be asked.
Examples are:
- How does the language of the poem reflect the speaker's perceptions, and how does that language determine the reader's perception.
- How does the poet reveal character? (i.e. diction, sound devices, imagery, allusion)
- Discuss the similarities and differences between two poems. Considering style and theme.
- Contrast the speaker's views toward a subject in two poems. (Refer to form, tone and imagery)
- Discuss how poetic elements, such as language, structure, imagery and point of view convey meaning in the poem.
- Given two poems, discuss what elements make one better than the other.
- Analyze a poem's extended metaphor and how it reveals the poet's or speaker's attitude.
- Discuss the way of life revealed in a poem.
- Discuss the poet's changing reaction to the subject developed in the poem.
- Discuss how the form of the poem affects its meaning.
Timing_
-Since for this part of the exam it is only 40 minutes, time is crucial.
-Have a plan ready for yourself, know what you are going to do and how long you are going to take in doing it.
-Have some sort of strategy or plan-
Example strategy:
- 1-3 minutes reading and working the prompt.
- 5 minutes reading and making marginal notes about the poem .
- 10 minutes preparing to write by choosing one or more methods that you feel most comfortable with like for example highlighting. 20 minutes to write your essay, based on your preparation.
- 3 minutes to proofread
- Take as many notes as possible while reading.
- Review the prompt to make sure you fully understood what you were asked to do.
- Create categories with the notes you took.
- Always use more than one literary technique.
- Make sure you included- title of the poem, portraits, contrasts, insights and that you mentioned which techniques you will refer to in your essay.
We hope that after this you feel more comfortable with this part of the exam! :D
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