must use poems from Sylvia Plath (can access on poetry foundation)
CHECK FILE TO SEE SPECIFIC FORMATTING/ HOW TO WRITE
Section 1, Required Elements:
Pick 7 different poems and complete the following assignments. This will be done in class on Google Slides posted in Google Classroom.
1. Explain the function of structure in one poem.
2. Distinguish between the literal and figurative meanings of words and phrases in one poem.
3. Explain the function of specific words and phrases (diction) in a text in one poem.
4. Identify and explain the function of an image or imagery in one poem.
5. Identify and explain the function of a metaphor in one poem.
6. Identify and explain the function of personification in one poem.
7. Identify and explain the function of an allusion in one poem.
Section 2, Required Elements:
• Your favorite poem. Explain why this particular poem touches you. (1/2 page minimum)
Include a copy of the poem. (20 points)
• One poem that shares a thematic connection with your novel-project book or Sing, Unburied, Sing. Explain the connection(s). (3/4 page minimum) Include a copy of the poem. (30 points)
• One poetry analysis worksheet. Choose a complicated poem full of strong connotations, imagery, and/or figurative language. Be sure to include a copy of the poem. Please write neatly. Do all of the SPOOTTTTS in-depth, plus write a strong THESIS statement. (20 points)
examples:
What to Write About
STRUCTURE
CLAIM:
What is the FUNCTION of the STRUCTURE of the poem?
EVIDENCE:
How does the poet create the STRUCTURE of the poem?
What moves does the poet make in creating movement?
INTERPRETATION:
Why does this matter? How does analyzing this skill in the poem add to the reader’s understanding of its meaning, significance, or something else?
What to Write About
DICTION
EXPLAIN THE FUNCTION OF SPECIFIC WORDS AND PHRASES IN A TEXT. PAY SPECIFIC ATTENTION TO:
AMBIGUOUS WORDS
DIFFERENT INTERPRETATIONS
CLAIM:
What is the FUNCTION of DICTION in the poem?
EVIDENCE:
How does the poet use the DICTION of the poem to create meaning?
INTERPRETATION:
Why does this matter? How does analyzing this skill in the poem add to the reader’s understanding of its meaning, significance, or something else?
CONTRASTS
“THE NEXT POEM” BY DANA GIOIA
CLAIM:
In the poem “The Next Poem,” Dana Gioia contrasts the speaker’s desire for the elusive imagined poem yet to come with the reality of the struggle of writing poetry.
EVIDENCE & INTERPRETATION:
Gioia begins the poem by musing “how much better it seems now / than when it is finally done,” the “it” he imagines is the poem yet begun. The speaker imagines the
“unforgettable” and “cunning” words and stanzas he has not yet written, harkening to the common experience of imagining
EVIDENCE & INTERPRETATION QUESTIONS:
How does the poet use CONTRAST to create meaning in the poem? What moves does the poet use to create this CONTRAST? Why does this matter? How does analyzing this skill in the poem add to the reader’s understanding of its meaning, significance, or something else?
CLAIM:
In the poem, “My Confessional Sestina,” Dana Gioia crafts a pithy and playful sestina about the form’s overuse and oversimplification to comment on the reductionist mindset of some poets in using the traditional form as an entry point into the world of poetry.
EVIDENCE & INTERPRETATION:
As a rule, Sestinas have the same six words to end the six lines of the six main stanzas. For his confession, Gioia admits the words: sestinas, workshops, students, magazines, contributors, and taste. This repetition and reordering of these words throughout the poem, while following the conventions of the sestina form, highlight the speaker’s annoyance
