Why do we study Poetry ?
- to understand the poet or the speaker of the poem
- to identify & analyze imagery
- to identify & analyze the use of figurative language
- to identify & understand the effect of literary
devices
- to analyze the structure and meaning of the poems
- to identify, analyze & interpret the theme in the
poems
- to write poems
- to write compositions of analysis
We do all of this – sometimes because we have to, sometimes
because we want to, sometimes because we need to do it.
When you share a poem you have written you expect a response. From your friends you may expect giggles, or sighs of sympathy, or tears. What do you expect from you teacher? Do you expect the same response that your friends give your poem? What follows is how I respond to a poem. Yes, it includes how I grade a poem.
Poetry
rubric
Students frequently complain about receiving a grade
for a poem. One student may say, “How can you grade something that
is such a deep personal feeling?” another more aggressively states, “You
can’t grade a poem!”
I can grade a poem, and I will!
I am not grading the quality or depth of your emotion,
merely the expression of your experience. Personal experiences are
wonderful, but each writer must express experiences and emotions with such
tangible clarity that others, who read the poem, will feel a bond with
the writer and with her/his experience.
When I need to place a grade on a poem, I use the following
criteria.
1. Placement on the page & use of form ----------------- 5
2. Organization of idea & use of metaphor ------------- 5
3. Figurative language & use of sound devices ---------- 5
4. Overall effect --------------------------------------------
10
Explanation of Rubric
1. Placement on the page & use of form – Each assignment has specific guidelines. A poem presents a visual image on the page. Placement on the page determines how the poem will be read. For a concrete poem, the theme, or the poet’s main, intent is driven by the shape of the poem. Fancy fonts and serendipitously centering a poem can detract from the poem’s reading, from the poem’s overall effect.
A poem’s form is usually chosen by the writer, or assigned
by the teacher, to help the writer discipline his/her thoughts. Of
course thoughts and ideas need to be disciplined! They need to be whipped
into shape, so the well beaten words can be spread and peaked and baked
golden. (Look up “meringue” to understand the metaphor.)
2. Organization of idea & use of metaphor – The poem must present a unified thought or image. The most effective way to maintain unity of an idea throughout a poem is to extend the main metaphor.
3. Figurative language & use of sound devices -- The writer must use words effectively. Sound, repetition, rhyme all affect a poem’s reading and the overall effect of the poem. Use of meter or free verse can send a reader marching steadily or crashing through a poem. The use of figurative language and sound devices must appropriately match the tone of the poem.
4. Overall effect – Yes,
this is the very subjective “gut” reaction to the poem. It is also
tempered with everything that has been previously stated. This is
when the reader says, “it works!” The poem speaks to reader
who will respond, “I feel the emotion this poet has presented. I
sympathize with this situation.”
General Advice to Students
In a poem, each word is potent.
Delete any unnecessary language. Use one or two metaphors and extend
them; strengthen each metaphor with figurative language, appropriate similes,
and description.
Analyze
a Poem
What follows includes an explanation of how to do this.
Read a poem slowly. Read it out loud, and listen to your voice. Feel the way your mouth moves to form the words and sounds. Savor the experience, and delight in how the poem speaks to you. It is a wonderful and delicious experience; however, as soon as you try to present the experience to a friend, it frequently becomes difficult to express the depth of your emotion. Your words may fall flat.
It's not too different in Literature Class. You have read a poem and you know that you understand everything the poet has said to you, to you personally. How can you impress the teacher with the depth of your understanding?
There are certain things you should look for on your SECOND READING of a poem. Yes, it is important that you read the poem first for a general tone, and emotional response before you begin to analyze it.
Read Emily Dickenson's lovely poem about dawn and dusk to "feel" the poem.
I'll tell you how the sun rose
by Emily Dickenson
I'll tell you how the sun rose,
--
A ribbon at a time.
The steeples swam in amethyst,
The news like squirrels ran.
The hill untied their bonnets,
The bobolinks begun.
Then I said softly to myself,
"That must have been the sun!"
But how he set, I know not.
There seemed a purple stile
Which little yellow boys and girls
Were climbing all the while
Till when they reached the other
side,
A dominie in gray
Put gently up the evening bars,
--
And led the flock away.
This and other poems can be found at <http://www.bartleby.com/113/2073.html>
1. a. After the first reading I felt _________________________________.
b. The poem’s main statement is about
__________________________.
2. a. After the second reading out loud I felt ________________________.
I liked the feel of the words ___________________________________
because ___________________________________________________.
b. I felt I had to read ___________________________________
quickly
because ___________________________________________________.
c. I felt I had to read ____________________________________
slowly
because ___________________________________________________.
d. The sound of ______________________________________
reminds
me of _____________________________________________________.
3. a. The image of the hills taking off “their bonnets”
is a metaphor for
_______________________________________.
I think the speaker uses
this image because ___________________________________________.
b. The image of “little yellow boys
and girls” climbing over a fence is a
metaphor for _______________________________________.
I think the
speaker uses this image because _________________________________.
4. The poet is making a statement about _____________________________
because she wants to share the
feeling of __________________________
______________________________________
with us.
You might recognize this form of poetry response. You have probably seen questions or worksheets like this before, but have you ever thought of why teachers ask you to respond in this manner?
Numbers “1 a” and “4” should be statements of the poem’s theme. You should respond to the theme after your first reading when your initial, emotional response to the poem is fresh. You should also respond to the poem’s theme after thinking about all the images that the poet presents which support the theme.
Number “2” (“a” through “d”) draws your attention to the sound devices that the poet uses. No, I haven’t asked you to list the alliterative words or to scan the lines’ meter – or have I?
Number “3” (“a” and “b”) draws your attention to two of the metaphors in the poem (there are more). The poet has carefully selected her metaphors. How do you feel these metaphors strengthen the poem?
Yes, there is a reason, a method to the teacher’s crazy questions. No, I’m not giving you the answers. After all, we will discuss it in class.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Fairman