English 9 Poetry UnitSpring 2020

Ms. Wasstrom’s Class

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Poetry Analysis

Your task is to analyse poetry and practice identifying poetic devices in use. Poetic devices include metaphors, personification, similes, alliteration, onomatopoeia, hyperbole, understatements, and rhymes. You will also need to label what type of poem each poem is: ballad, concrete, lyric, narrative, or sonnet.

At the end of each poem, you’ll find a set of questions about the poem, its form, and its poetic devices. There will also be tasks between some poems.

“The Cremation of Sam McGee” By Robert W. Service1907

There are strange things done in the midnight sun      By the men who moil for gold;The Arctic trails have their secret tales      That would make your blood run cold;The Northern Lights have seen queer sights,      But the queerest they ever did seeWas that night on the marge of Lake Lebarge      I cremated Sam McGee.

Now Sam McGee was from Tennessee, where the cotton blooms and blows.Why he left his home in the South to roam 'round the Pole, God only knows.He was always cold, but the land of gold seemed to hold him like a spell;Though he'd often say in his homely way that "he'd sooner live in hell."

On a Christmas Day we were mushing our way over the Dawson trail.Talk of your cold! through the parka's fold it stabbed like a driven nail.If our eyes we'd close, then the lashes froze till sometimes we couldn't see;It wasn't much fun, but the only one to whimper was Sam McGee.

And that very night, as we lay packed tight in our robes beneath the snow,And the dogs were fed, and the stars o'erhead were dancing heel and toe,He turned to me, and "Cap," says he, "I'll cash in this trip, I guess;And if I do, I'm asking that you won't refuse my last request."

Well, he seemed so low that I couldn't say no; then he says with a sort of moan:"It's the cursèd cold, and it's got right hold till I'm chilled clean through to the bone.Yet 'tain't being dead—it's my awful dread of the icy grave that pains;So I want you to swear that, foul or fair, you'll cremate my last remains."

A pal's last need is a thing to heed, so I swore I would not fail;

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And we started on at the streak of dawn; but God! he looked ghastly pale.He crouched on the sleigh, and he raved all day of his home in Tennessee;And before nightfall a corpse was all that was left of Sam McGee.

There wasn't a breath in that land of death, and I hurried, horror-driven,With a corpse half hid that I couldn't get rid, because of a promise given;It was lashed to the sleigh, and it seemed to say: "You may tax your brawn and brains,But you promised true, and it's up to you to cremate those last remains."

Now a promise made is a debt unpaid, and the trail has its own stern code.In the days to come, though my lips were dumb, in my heart how I cursed that load.In the long, long night, by the lone firelight, while the huskies, round in a ring,Howled out their woes to the homeless snows— O God! how I loathed the thing.

And every day that quiet clay seemed to heavy and heavier grow;And on I went, though the dogs were spent and the grub was getting low;The trail was bad, and I felt half mad, but I swore I would not give in;And I'd often sing to the hateful thing, and it hearkened with a grin.

Till I came to the marge of Lake Lebarge, and a derelict there lay;It was jammed in the ice, but I saw in a trice it was called the "Alice May."And I looked at it, and I thought a bit, and I looked at my frozen chum;Then "Here," said I, with a sudden cry, "is my cre-ma-tor-eum."

Some planks I tore from the cabin floor, and I lit the boiler fire;Some coal I found that was lying around, and I heaped the fuel higher;The flames just soared, and the furnace roared—such a blaze you seldom see;And I burrowed a hole in the glowing coal, and I stuffed in Sam McGee.

Then I made a hike, for I didn't like to hear him sizzle so;And the heavens scowled, and the huskies howled, and the wind began to blow.It was icy cold, but the hot sweat rolled down my cheeks, and I don't know why;And the greasy smoke in an inky cloak went streaking down the sky.

I do not know how long in the snow I wrestled with grisly fear;But the stars came out and they danced about ere again I ventured near;I was sick with dread, but I bravely said: "I'll just take a peep inside.I guess he's cooked, and it's time I looked"; ... then the door I opened wide.

And there sat Sam, looking cool and calm, in the heart of the furnace roar;And he wore a smile you could see a mile, and he said: "Please close that door.It's fine in here, but I greatly fear you'll let in the cold and storm—Since I left Plumtree, down in Tennessee, it's the first time I've been warm."

There are strange things done in the midnight sun      By the men who moil for gold;

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The Arctic trails have their secret tales      That would make your blood run cold;The Northern Lights have seen queer sights,      But the queerest they ever did seeWas that night on the marge of Lake Lebarge      I cremated Sam McGee.

“The Cremation of Sam McGee” Questions:

What type of poem is “The Cremation of Sam McGee?”

Who is the speaker of the poem?

What is the format?a. Stanza(s):b. Lines per stanza:c. Rhyme scheme:

What type of poem is this? Why?

Where was Sam McGee from?

What was Sam in search of?

What did Sam despise the most?

What lines support the idea of extreme cold? Copy and paste below:

Why did the speaker risk a lot to cremate Sam McGee

Where was Sam cremated?

“The Northern Lights have seen queer sights” is an example of which type of figurative language?

What is symbolic about the “cremation” in relation to Sam?

Word Choice

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Poets are skilled at their writing because they make good word choices. They put specific words together to evoke a specific feeling in listeners. The words might be chosen because they are the right number of syllables, rhyme well, follow the right rhythm, or for various other reasons. Below, you will practice making your own line of poetry using only words from the word banks for each line. Put together words based on a specific mood. Maybe you want your line to sound depressing or maybe you want it to be funny. Choose words that best fit that mood. If you don’t know the definition of a word, look it up.

Sentence 1 Word Bank:   Sunlight The When Across My Ran Drastic

            Liquefied I Could Skin Intense Through

            My Feel Shivers Spine Love Cold Best

Your sentence:

Sentence 2 Word Bank:She dreams diamond time beneath radiant

Tiny of how a the is when

Love drunk loves has puppy serene spring

You Sentence:

Sentence 3 Word Bank: Waiter feast differ The star bright diplomatic

Watch collapse open did on when

A warm loaf man wide met he

Your Sentence:

Poetry Analysis

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“Sonnet 18”By William ShakespeareFrom 1609 Quarto (collection of writing)

Shall I compare thee to a summer's day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate. Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May, And summer's lease hath all too short a date. Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines, And often is his gold complexion dimmed; And every fair from fair sometime declines, By chance, or nature's changing course untrimmed. But thy eternal summer shall not fade Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow'st; Nor shall death brag thou wand'rest in his shade, When in eternal lines to time thou grow'st,

So long as men can breathe or eyes can see, So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.

“Sonnet 18” Questions:

How many lines long is this poem?

What type of poem is this?

The two lines at the end of this poem are known as a rhyming _________?

How many syllables are in each line? What kind of meter is this?

Using the abab format, identify the rhyming scheme of the poem by typing letters next to each line representing the rhyme.

Identify the metaphor Shakespeare uses throughout this poem. Explain how he uses the metaphor:

Bonus marks: Translate this poem into “modern” English

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Found Poetry: found poems take existing texts and refashion them, reorder them, and present them as poems. The literary equivalent of making a collage, found poetry is often made from newspaper articles, street signs, graffiti, speeches, letters, or even other poems. A “pure” found poem consists only of outside texts” the words of the poem remain as they were found, with few additions or omissions. Decisions of form, such as where to break a line, are left to the poet.

Example 1:This poem was created by taking pieces of this news article

400 employeesfor the aerospace company

the cutsimpactadjustreflectnatural turnover and involuntary layoffs

the bruntexposed toworkforce in Winnipeg

Example 2:This poem was created by taking pieces from page 1 of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone

They were the last people you’d expectBecause they just didn’t holdA secret.

They hadn’t met for several yearsA small son was another good reason for keeping away.

They didn’t want our storyTo suggest that mysterious things--screaming—flutter past the window.

Good-bye.

Your Task: write your own found poem using words and lines and sections from one of the following links. Make sure you choose a tone (do you want the poem to make the reader happy? Excited? Heartbroken?) to explore using the text. Your poem should be 5-8 lines long: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

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Poetry Analysis: Read the poems below and respond to them using the poetry analysis chart after each poem. This is not like the analysis you have already done. Here, we are moving past the devices of the poetry and we are looking at the meaning of the poetry and how it makes us free. Eventually, we will put the two types of analysis together to analyse the poetry’s meaning and the devices which contribute to that meaning. Make sure you consider each of your answers thoughtfully and take your time. You do not need to use complete sentences for your analysis.

“Still I Rise”By Maya Angelou1994

You may write me down in historyWith your bitter, twisted lies,You may trod me in the very dirtBut still, like dust, I'll rise.

Does my sassiness upset you?Why are you beset with gloom?’Cause I walk like I've got oil wellsPumping in my living room.

Just like moons and like suns,With the certainty of tides,Just like hopes springing high,Still I'll rise.

Did you want to see me broken?Bowed head and lowered eyes?Shoulders falling down like teardrops,Weakened by my soulful cries?

Does my haughtiness offend you?Don't you take it awful hard’Cause I laugh like I've got gold minesDiggin’ in my own backyard.

You may shoot me with your words,You may cut me with your eyes,You may kill me with your hatefulness,But still, like air, I’ll rise.

Does my sexiness upset you?Does it come as a surpriseThat I dance like I've got diamonds

At the meeting of my thighs?

Out of the huts of history’s shameI riseUp from a past that’s rooted in painI riseI'm a black ocean, leaping and wide,Welling and swelling I bear in the tide.

Leaving behind nights of terror and fearI riseInto a daybreak that’s wondrously clearI riseBringing the gifts that my ancestors gave,I am the dream and the hope of the slave.I riseI riseI rise.

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Response Chart Response to “Still I Rise” by Maya AngelouHow did you feel as you read the poem?

What do you think of the poet’s ideas?

What are your favourite images in the poem?

What do you think of the sound of the poem—its rhyme, its rhythm, and the words used?

How does the poem connect with your personal life?

What would you say to the poet about this poem if you had a chance?

What do you think the poem is saying?

Checklist: Responding to a Poem Did I put the name of the author and the title of the poem at the top of the chart? Did I answer each of the questions in the chart? Did I give my own thoughts and feelings about the poem? Did I use examples from the poem to support my ideas? Did I make connections between the poem and my own life? Did I describe in my own words what I think the poem is saying?

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Blackout Poetry: a poet takes a marker (usually black marker) to a written text—like a newspaper or article—and starts redacting, colouring out, words until a poem is formed. The key thing with a blackout poem is that the text and redacted (coloured out) text form a visual poem. You may choose to completely colour out the original parts of the text, or you may use the process of redacting words to decorate your poem, visually. The first example below is completely coloured out, while the second is more decorative.

Your Task: You will create your own blackout poem using one of the texts in the pages that follow. Use the highlighter function in Word to colour out the words you don’t want to be a part of your poem. Like with found poetry, base your poem off words you are drawn to based on tone, feeling, or sound.

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Blackout Poetry Article 1: Creativity: How to Unlock Your Hidden Creative Genius

What is Creativity?

Let's define creativity.

The creative process is the act of making new connections between old ideas or recognizing relationships between concepts. Creative thinking is not about generating something new from a blank slate, but rather about taking what is already present and combining those bits and pieces in a way that has not been done previously.While being creative isn't easy, nearly all great ideas follow a similar creative process. In 1940, an advertising executive named James Webb Young published a short guide titled, A Technique for Producing Ideas.

Young believed the process of creative connection always occurred in five steps.

The Creative Process1. Gather new material. At first, you learn. During this stage you focus on 1)

learning specific material directly related to your task and 2) learning general material by becoming fascinated with a wide range of concepts.

2. Thoroughly work over the materials in your mind. During this stage, you examine what you have learned by looking at the facts from different angles and experimenting with fitting various ideas together.

3. Step away from the problem. Next, you put the problem completely out of your mind and go do something else that excites you and energizes you.

4. Let your idea return to you. At some point, but only after you have stopped thinking about it, your idea will come back to you with a flash of insight and renewed energy.

5. Shape and develop your idea based on feedback. For any idea to succeed, you must release it out into the world, submit it to criticism, and adapt it as needed.

Is There Such a Thing as ‘Naturally Creative'?

While we often think of creativity as an event or as a natural skill that some people have and some don't, research  actually suggests that both creativity and non-creativity are learned.

According to psychology professor Barbara Kerr, “approximately 22 percent of the variance [in creativity] is due to the influence of genes.” This discovery was made by studying the differences in creative thinking between sets of twins. 

All of this to say, claiming that “I'm just not the creative type” is a pretty weak excuse for avoiding creative thinking. Certainly, some people are primed to be more creative than

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others. However, nearly every person is born with some level of creative skill and the majority of our creative thinking abilities are trainable.

Blackout Poetry Article 2: Sleep

I. The Science of Sleep

Sleep is one of the strangest things we do each day. The average adult will spend 36 percent of his or her life asleep. For one-third of our time on earth, we transition from the vibrant, thoughtful, active organisms we are during the day and power down into a quiet state of hibernation.

But what is sleep, exactly? Why is it so important and so restorative for our bodies and minds? How does it impact our lives when we are awake?

II. The Purpose of SleepSleep serves multiple purposes that are essential to your brain and body. Let's break down some of the most important ones.

The first purpose of sleep is restoration. Every day, your brain accumulates metabolic waste as it goes about its normal neural activities. While this is completely normal, too much accumulation of these waste products has been linked to neurological disorders such as Alzheimer's disease.

Alright, so how do we get rid of metabolic waste? Recent research has suggested that sleep plays a crucial role in cleaning out the brain each night. While these toxins can be flushed out during waking hours, researchers have found that clearance during sleep is as much as two-fold faster than during waking hours.

The way this process occurs is fairly remarkable:

During sleep, brain cells actually shrink by 60 percent, allowing the brain's waste-removal system—called the glymphatic system—to essentially “take out the trash” more easily.

The result? Your brain is restored during sleep, and you wake up refreshed and with a clear mind.

The second purpose of sleep is memory consolidation. Sleep is crucial for memory consolidation, which is the process that maintains and strengthens your long-term memories. Insufficient or fragmented sleep can hamper your ability to form both concrete memories (facts and figures) and emotional memories.

Finally, sleep is paramount for metabolic health. Studies have shown that when you sleep 5.5 hours per night instead of 8.5 hours per night, a lower proportion of the energy

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you burn comes from fat, while more comes from carbohydrate and protein. This can predispose you to fat gain and muscle loss. Additionally, insufficient sleep or abnormal sleep cycles can lead to insulin insensitivity and metabolic syndrome, increasing your risk of diabetes and heart disease.

Blackout Poetry Article 3: “The Nightingale and the Rose” by Oscar Wilde

"She said that she would dance with me if I brought her red roses," cried the young Student; "but in all my garden there is no red rose."

From her nest in the holm-oak tree the Nightingale heard him, and she looked out through the leaves, and wondered.

"No red rose in all my garden!" he cried, and his beautiful eyes filled with tears. "Ah, fon what little things does happiness depend! I have read all that the wise men have written, and all the secrets of philosophy are mine, yet for want of a red rose is my life made wretched."

"Here at last is a true lover," said the Nightingale. "Night after night have I sung of him, though I knew him not: night after night have I told his story to the stars, and now I see him. His hair is dark as the hyacinth-blossom, and his lips are red as the rose of his desire; but passion has made his face like pale ivory, and sorrow has set her seal upon his brow."

"The Prince gives a ball to-morrow night," murmured the young Student, "and my love will be of the company. If I bring her a red rose she will dance with me till dawn. If I bring her a red rose, I shall hold her in my arms, and she will lean her head upon my shoulder, and her hand will be clasped in mine. But there is no red rose in my garden, so I shall sit lonely, and she will pass me by. She will have no heed of me, and my heart will break."

"Here indeed is the true lover," said the Nightingale. "What I sing of, he suffers - what is joy to me, to him is pain. Surely Love is a wonderful thing. It is more precious than emeralds, and dearer than fine opals. Pearls and pomegranates cannot buy it, nor is it set forth in the marketplace. It may not be purchased of the merchants, nor can it be weighed out in the balance for gold."

"The musicians will sit in their gallery," said the young Student, "and play upon their stringed instruments, and my love will dance to the sound of the harp and the violin. She will dance so lightly that her feet will not touch the floor, and the courtiers in their gay dresses will throng round her. But with me she will not dance, for I have no red rose to give her"; and he flung himself down on the grass, and buried his face in his hands, and wept.

"Why is he weeping?" asked a little Green Lizard, as he ran past him with his tail in the air.

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"Why, indeed?" said a Butterfly, who was fluttering about after a sunbeam.

"Why, indeed?" whispered a Daisy to his neighbour, in a soft, low voice.

"He is weeping for a red rose," said the Nightingale.

"For a red rose?" they cried; "how very ridiculous!" and the little Lizard, who was something of a cynic, laughed outright.

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“This is Me” (From The Greatest Showman)By Benj Pasek and Justin PaulRecorded 2017

I am not a stranger to the darkHide away, they say'Cause we don't want your broken partsI've learned to be ashamed of all my scarsRun away, they sayNo one'll love you as you are

But I won't let them break me down to dustI know that there's a place for usFor we are glorious

When the sharpest words wanna cut me downI'm gonna send a flood, gonna drown them outI am brave, I am bruisedI am who I'm meant to be, this is meLook out 'cause here I comeAnd I'm marching on to the beat I drumI'm not scared to be seenI make no apologies, this is me

Oh-oh-oh-ohOh-oh-oh-ohOh-oh-oh-ohOh-oh-oh-ohOh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh, oh, oh

Another round of bullets hits my skinWell, fire away 'cause today, I won't let the shame sink inWe are bursting through the barricadesAnd reaching for the sun(We are warriors)Yeah, that's what we've become(Yeah, that's what we've become)

Won't let them break me down to dustI know that there's a place for usFor we are glorious

When the sharpest words wanna cut me down

Gonna send a flood, gonna drown them outI am brave, I am bruisedI am who I'm meant to be, this is meLook out 'cause here I comeAnd I'm marching on to the beat I drumI'm not scared to be seenI make no apologies, this is me

Oh-oh-oh-ohOh-oh-oh-ohOh-oh-oh-ohOh-oh-oh-ohOh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh, oh, ohThis is me

Oh-oh-oh-ohAnd I know that I deserve your loveOh-oh-oh-ohThere's nothing I'm not worthy ofOh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh, oh, oh

When the sharpest words wanna cut me downI'm gonna send a flood, gonna drown them outThis is brave, this is bruisedThis is who I'm meant to be, this is me

Look out 'cause here I comeLook out 'cause here I comeAnd I'm marching on to the beat I drum(Marching on, marching, marching on)I'm not scared to be seenI make no apologies, this is me

Oh-oh-oh-oh(When the sharpest words wanna break me down)(I'm gonna send a flood, gonna drown them out)I'm gonna send a flood, gonna drown them out

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Oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh, oh, ohThis is me

Response Chart Response to “This is Me” by B. Pasek and J. PaulHow did you feel as you read the poem?

What do you think of the poet’s ideas?

What are your favourite images in the poem?

What do you think of the sound of the poem—its rhyme, its rhythm, and the words used?

How does the poem connect with your personal life?

What would you say to the poet about this poem if you had a chance?

What do you think the poem is saying?

Checklist: Responding to a Poem Did I put the name of the author and the title of the poem at the top of the chart? Did I answer each of the questions in the chart? Did I give my own thoughts and feelings about the poem? Did I use examples from the poem to support my ideas? Did I make connections between the poem and my own life?

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Did I describe in my own words what I think the poem is saying?

Concrete Poetry: poetry whose visual appearance matches the topic of the poem. The words form the shapes which illustrate the poem’s subject as a picture as well as through their literal meaning.

Example:snowballsnowball

snowballsnowballsnowball snowballsnowballsnowballsnowballs

snowballsnowballsnowballsnowballsnowball snowballsnowballsnowballsnowballsnowballsno

snowballsnowballsnowballsnowballsnowballsnow snowballsnowballsnowballsnowballsnowballsnowba snowballsnowballsnowballsnowballsnowballsnowba snowballsnowballsnowballsnowballsnowballsnowba snowballsnowballsnowballsnowballsnowballsnowba snowballsnowballsnowballsnowballsnowballsnow snowballsnowballsnowballsnowballsnowballsno

snowballsnowballsnowballsnowballsnowball snowballsnowballsnowballsnowballs

snowballsnowballsnowball snowballsnowball

by Billy Eckles

Example:

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Your Task: Create your own concrete poem and share it below. Remember, the shape of your poem must have the same meaning as your poem. You may choose to use formatting to create your desired shape or you may use some other means (iPad art, art software, websites, or even MS Paint).

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“this is the recipe of life”Rupi Kaur2014

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Putting it all together: We have now used two different types of analysis to read our poems. We have analysed the imagery and figurative language and style and we have analysed the tone, attitude, and our interpretations. Next, we will put these together into what we call 4-square poetry analysis:

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Practice 4-square analysis with the poem/song you chose at the beginning of this unit: Poem/Song:Poet:Year:(Paste your poem/song below)Imagery and Figurative Language:

Describing words:Alliteration:Onomatopoeia:Metaphors:Similes:

Word Choice: Why does the poet choose these

words? What effect do they have on the

overall poem?

Tone, Attitude: Words that give the feeling and

emotion that the poet wants to express.

Which words are chosen to create a mood/feeling?

Does the tone change in the poem?

Is the poem satirical, ironic, thoughtful, sad, painful, happy, celebratory, funny?

Word choice: Connotations (emotions

attached) Denotations (actual meanings) Why does the writer use the

tone or feeling in the poem?Style:

What type of poem is this? Ex. Lyric, narrative, haiku, free-verse, prose?

How many stanzas? Are they any particular type? Eg. couplets, quatrains, etc.

Other considerations: line lenth, line groupings, are there metric patterns (iambic pentamenter, for example), closed/open form

Is there rhyme? A rhyme scheme? Note the unusual use of

punctuation, or absence of it Why does the writer use these

devices or forms?

Interpretation: What is the poet trying to say

(message)? Who or what is the poem for? Was it written for a particular

person? Is it about a historical event? An important event in the life of a

person (birth, death, love, mental illness, etc)?

Who is the speaker? Who is speaking and to whom? Under what circumstances is the speaker speaking?

What does the poem mean to you? Can you relate to the feelings or to the events in the poem? What message or feeling do you pull from the story/words/form of the poem?

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Haiku Poetry: a haiku is a short form of Japanese poetry in three unrhymed phrases/lines with 17 syllables altogether. The line length of haikus are 5 syllables, 7 syllables, 5 syllables. Haikus often focus on images from nature, emphasizing simplicity, intensity, and directness. They are limited in length and have no words to waste. Modern poets don’t always stick to the specific syllable lengths, but instead focus the form of the haiku on capturing a specific moment in time.

Example: Poem by Matsuo Basho (1644-1694)

An old silent pond…A frog jumps into the pond,Spash! Silence again.

Poem by Robert Yehling

A little boy singsOn a terrace, eyes aglow. Ridge spills upward.

Your Task: Write three haikus about different moments during the past few months. You might choose a happy moment, a quiet moment, and an angry moment. Or you might choose three happy moments. Do what works for you. Stick to the 5/7/5 syllable form.

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“I Will Not be Struck” from The Secret PathBy Gord Downie of the Tragically HipReleased 2016

In this earth-like worldIn this earth-like worldBefore they arrivedUnder this sun-like starUnder the sun-like starThey civilizedRun along the riverOn the Secret PathI will not be struckI'm not going backI can see my father's faceWarming his feet by the stoveWe used to have each otherNow we only have ourselves

Then I put my earThen I put my earRight against the railSo what I couldn't hearWhat I couldn't hearI would feelRun along the riverOn the Secret PathI will not be struckI'm not going backI been staring into spaceForever or elseEnter the wildernessAnd we only have ourselves

This is a song/music video/part of a graphic novel. Seeing it will likely create a different reaction than reading it alone. Watch it here.

https://youtu.be/yGd764YU9yc

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Complete a 4-square analysis of “I Will Not Be Struck Down”Imagery and Figurative Language:

Describing words:Alliteration:Onomatopoeia:Metaphors:Similes:

Word Choice: Why does the poet choose these

words? What effect do they have on the

overall poem?

Tone, Attitude: Words that give the feeling and

emotion that the poet wants to express.

Which words are chosen to create a mood/feeling?

Does the tone change in the poem?

Is the poem satirical, ironic, thoughtful, sad, painful, happy, celebratory, funny?

Word choice: Connotations (emotions

attached) Denotations (actual meanings) Why does the writer use the

tone or feeling in the poem?Style:

What type of poem is this? Ex. Lyric, narrative, haiku, free-verse, prose?

How many stanzas? Are they any particular type? Eg. couplets, quatrains, etc.

Other considerations: line lenth, line groupings, are there metric patterns (iambic pentamenter, for example), closed/open form

Is there rhyme? A rhyme scheme? Note the unusual use of

punctuation, or absence of it Why does the writer use these

devices or forms?

Interpretation: What is the poet trying to say

(message)? Who or what is the poem for? Was it written for a particular

person? Is it about a historical event? An important event in the life of a

person (birth, death, love, mental illness, etc)?

Who is the speaker? Who is speaking and to whom? Under what circumstances is the speaker speaking?

What does the poem mean to you? Can you relate to the feelings or to the events in the poem? What message or feeling do you pull from the story/words/form of the poem?

Your Task for “I Will Not Be Struck Down”:

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Write an analysis paragraph for this poem. Focus specifically on Gord Downie’s use of two or three literary devices: imagery (smell, touch, taste, sight, sound), tone/mood, figurative language (simile, metaphor, personification), onomatopoeia, alliteration, symbolism, allusion, repetition, or rhyme. In class, we have discussed the historical significance of this poem’s story. Consider how Downie uses literary devices to support the theme of perseverance.

“The Road Not Taken”

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By Robert Frost1916

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,And sorry I could not travel bothAnd be one traveler, long I stoodAnd looked down one as far as I couldTo where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,And having perhaps the better claim,Because it was grassy and wanted wear;Though as for that the passing thereHad worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally layIn leaves no step had trodden black.Oh, I kept the first for another day!Yet knowing how way leads on to way,I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sighSomewhere ages and ages hence:Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—I took the one less traveled by,And that has made all the difference.

Complete the 4-square analysis for “The Road Not Taken”

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Imagery and Figurative Language:

Describing words:Alliteration:Onomatopoeia:Metaphors:Similes:

Word Choice: Why does the poet choose these

words? What effect do they have on the

overall poem?

Tone, Attitude: Words that give the feeling and

emotion that the poet wants to express.

Which words are chosen to create a mood/feeling?

Does the tone change in the poem?

Is the poem satirical, ironic, thoughtful, sad, painful, happy, celebratory, funny?

Word choice: Connotations (emotions

attached) Denotations (actual meanings) Why does the writer use the

tone or feeling in the poem?Style:

What type of poem is this? Ex. Lyric, narrative, haiku, free-verse, prose?

How many stanzas? Are they any particular type? Eg. couplets, quatrains, etc.

Other considerations: line lenth, line groupings, are there metric patterns (iambic pentamenter, for example), closed/open form

Is there rhyme? A rhyme scheme? Note the unusual use of

punctuation, or absence of it Why does the writer use these

devices or forms?

Interpretation: What is the poet trying to say

(message)? Who or what is the poem for? Was it written for a particular

person? Is it about a historical event? An important event in the life of a

person (birth, death, love, mental illness, etc)?

Who is the speaker? Who is speaking and to whom? Under what circumstances is the speaker speaking?

What does the poem mean to you? Can you relate to the feelings or to the events in the poem? What message or feeling do you pull from the story/words/form of the poem?

Extra resources about analyzing poetry:

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