It may be helpful to imagine the introduction as a funnel, initially appealing to your reader from a wide perspective and then swiftly directing him or her into the body of your essay. Your first paragraph should make your reader comfortable with the poem by identifying the poet, offering a brief, general description of the poem and, most importantly, leading into the thesis and development of the argument by narrowing and limiting the subject. You do not need to go into elaborate detail in your thesis, but do show the relationship between the poem and your argument. Remember, your thesis statement must argue a point instead of simply saying that a poet uses certain poetic devices, you must give some indication in your thesis as to how those devices work and what they do to the poem's meaning. If you can, indicate in the thesis the areas or features of the poem important to your argument (a pattern of imagery, for instance, or a series of crucial lines). Formulate a thesis statement that will allow you to explain the relationships and the effects of elements in the poem. After you have thought through these stages and taken good notes, you should be ready to begin writing your essay. Your selective analysis emerges from them in the form of an argument that is limited to a manageable set of ideas. The multi-faceted nature of poetry demands that you know where you are going before you begin to construct your written argument, which is why the description and paraphrase stages are so important. ![]() Abrams, editor of the Norton Anthology of Poetry, "There is no one, right interpretation of a poem – but there is one which is more right than any of the others." Interpretation that does not align with your analysis will be invalid. You have great freedom in interpreting a poem, provided that your assertions are solidly linked to your evidence. For example, does Poe's "The Raven" describe a dream? A drug-induced hallucination? A recollection? Why do you think so? What evidence, from your analysis, supports your idea? The main argument of your paper should begin to take form as you struggle with this process. You may suggest an interpretation of the speaker's state of mind, the poem's subject, or the nature of the experience which the poem creates. Interpret the poem: Using your analysis of how the poem works as your evidence, interpret the poem – answer the question, "So what is this poem all about?" In the interpretation, you bring together your analysis of the elements in the poem and show what they mean to the poem as a whole. In poetry, form and content are inseparable, so you must not overlook the relationship between what the speaker says and how he or she says it. For example, if you see a pattern of imagery which suggests something about the speaker, look at other areas of the poem for more evidence along the same lines. How do the elements work together? Do they complement each other, do they create tension, or both? Think in terms of cause and effect and look for relationships within the poem itself. Look beyond the surface meaning of the words and start to think about how the techniques used in the poem add depth to its meaning. Knowing that you will not be able to address every aspect of the poem, select the elements which work together to create special effects. How the Poem WorksĪnalyze the poem: Since your analysis should make up the bulk of your essay, approach it with care. The Oxford English Dictionary is a good resource for defining difficult vocabulary. Resist the temptation to brush over the lines or phrases which seem unintelligible these can be the most crucial parts of the poem. Put into your own words those lines or phrases which are especially difficult. Poetry, particularly from other time periods, often contains confusing syntax or vocabulary. ![]() ![]() Paraphrase the poem: Again, before you begin to organize your essay, make sure you understand the language of the poem. Get to Know the Poemĭescribe the poem: Before you begin to organize your essay, read the poem aloud several times, noting its structure, meter, recurring images or themes, rhyme scheme – anything and everything which creates an effect. It should help you become comfortable working with a poem. Professor Ivan Marki of the English Department encourages the four-stage approach explained below. Then, when you begin to write, you are better able to select appropriate evidence and construct a convincing argument. To be able to understand and write about the way a poem works, you need to spend some time thinking analytically about the poem before you start your draft. A poem does not affect its reader in quite the same way that a work of prose does.
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