Analyzing a Poem:
When analyzing a poem, look for:
Contrasts in colors, movement, or other things that are obviously contrasting.
In Blake’s Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience there are contrasts of what?
Look for startling examples of imagery or recurring incidents of metaphors or similes or personifications.
Are there recurring incidences of animals or objects or other symbols?
Assonance: repetition of vowel sounds
Look for similarities:
In shapes
In usage
In color
In comparing and contrasting Blake's two poems on chimney sweeps, one from his Songs of Innocence, the other from His Songs of experiene, think about the following:
Is there a similarity between the coffin and the chimney?
How are they similar? What are the connotations of the coffin? What are the connotations of the chimney? What similarities are there between the two?
Is there a contrast between the horrors of the waking world and the sleeping, dreaming world?
How does Blake contrast the claustrophobic world of the chimney sweeper and the open expansiveness of the heath?
Why does the writer use both the coffin and the chimney in his poems?
What point is he trying to make?
IT IS NOT ENOUGH TO LIST THE FIGURATIVE DEVICES! YOU MUST ALSO SHOW HOW AND WHY IT IS USED. HOW DOES THE WRITER USE FIGURATIVE DEVICES TO REVEAL THEME OR TONE? WHAT IMPACT DOES THE WRITER WANT TO HAVE ON THE READER?
In compare and contrast essays you may begin with either poem. It doesn’t really matter. However, with Blake’s two poems under consideration I would start with the first, earlier one (the one on the left). You may write about first one than the other. The first paragraph is about the first poem and the second paragraph is about the second poem. The third paragraph can be about how the two poems are alike or how they are not alike.
In the opening paragraph you may wish to use a line from either poem which strongly conveys the theme or tone of the poem.
What you MUST do, however, is answer the prompt in its entirety. If the prompt is asking about four things, then be sure to answer all four things.
You must also include the name of the author and the name of the poem or piece.
In the body paragraph:
Mini-topic sentence
Develop the mini-topic sentence.
Use embedded quotations
Use examples or paraphrase from piece
Then show how that examples satisfies the mini-topic sentence.
PLEASE DO NOT USE:
THE WRITER USES A LOT OF DICTION.
OR
THE WRITER WRITES......
OR
THE WRITER IS TALLKING ABOUT.....
OR
THE WRITER SAYS.....
PLEASE USE THESE POWER WORDS OR ACTION VERBS:
THE WRITER USES, INCULCATES, CONCLUDES, INCLUDES, STRUCTURES, SHOWS, REVEALS, CREATES, INVITES, DEMONSTRATES,
PORTRAYS, EMPHASIZES, INSPIRES, ACCENTUATES, CONVEYS, DELIVERS, EXEMPLIFIES, EXTRAPOLATES, ENUNCIATES,
THE WRITER (CHOOSE A WORD FROM THE ACTIVE VERB BANK ABOVE) ELUCIDATES TONE THROUGH THE GORY USE OF THE DANCING CLOVERS “…THE CYCLOPEAN CITY, SHINING IN THE MOONLIGHT AMONG THE BLOODY MONOLITHS AND GORE DRENCHED ALIEN CLOVERS…" (THANK YOU ROBERT FOR THAT SENTENCE.)
ELUCIDATE: TO CLARIFY, TO MAKE CLEAR (LUCID)
MAKE SURE YOU USE:
STRONG ACTION VERBS
ADVERBS
ADJECTIVES!
DON’T JUST LIST!
SHOW WHAT THE WRITER USES, HOW S/HE USES IT AND WHY S/HE USES IT.
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