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Poetry Analysis: See Back For Example

This document provides guidance on analyzing a poem by examining its title, paraphrasing the plot, identifying literary devices, and determining the overall theme. It advises the reader to first predict the poem's meaning based on its title, then paraphrase the plot in their own words. Next, the reader should analyze the poem's imagery, figurative language, and sound devices to understand connotations beyond the dictionary definitions. Finally, the reader is instructed to re-examine the title with their new understanding and identify the poem's overarching theme or message about the human experience. An example analysis of the poem "Mother to Son" by Langston Hughes is provided to demonstrate this process.

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81 views2 pages

Poetry Analysis: See Back For Example

This document provides guidance on analyzing a poem by examining its title, paraphrasing the plot, identifying literary devices, and determining the overall theme. It advises the reader to first predict the poem's meaning based on its title, then paraphrase the plot in their own words. Next, the reader should analyze the poem's imagery, figurative language, and sound devices to understand connotations beyond the dictionary definitions. Finally, the reader is instructed to re-examine the title with their new understanding and identify the poem's overarching theme or message about the human experience. An example analysis of the poem "Mother to Son" by Langston Hughes is provided to demonstrate this process.

Uploaded by

Ecila Digo
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Poetry Analysis

Title Although titles are often a key to the possible


meaning of a poem, readers frequently do not
understand them before reading poetry. As a
first step in the analysis of a poem, predict
what you think the poem will be about.
Paraphrase Frequently, real comprehension of a poem
begins with whats going on in the poem. Try
to understand the plot of the poem. Restate the
poem in your own words, not necessarily one
line at a time, but by stanzas.
Connotation (beyond This term refers o the literary devices, which
dictionary definition) contribute to the meaning or effect of the
poem. Try to understand how these devices
enhance the meaning of the poem.
Literary devices:
Imagery (olfactory, gustatory, visual,
auditory, tactile, organic)
Figurative language (simile, metaphor,
personification, hyperbole)
Sound devices (alliteration, assonance,
consonance, onomatopoeia)
Title Examine the title again. Knowing what you
know now after examining the poem, why did
the author give this title to the work?
Theme In identifying theme, consider the authors
message about the human experience or
condition suggested by the poem. Look at what
you paraphrased, then list the subject of the
poem (moving from literal subjects to abstract
concepts: death, war, discovery, etc.) Finally,
determine what the poet is saying about that
subject in a universal message.

SEE BACK FOR EXAMPLE


Mother to Son
By Langston Hughes
Title This poem may be a mother giving advice to
her son.
Paraphrase The mother is describing her life to her son
telling him to never give up.
Connotation (beyond Literary devices:
dictionary definition) Imagery: tactile-tacks splinters
Figurative language: metaphor- the stairs
are being compared to life
Sound devices: consonance-repetition of
the n sound: climbin reachin
landin turnin goin
Title The poet used literary devices to convey the
mothers advice to her son
Theme The poem shows the reader through literary
devices such as figurative language and
imagery that the mother has had a hard life and
is telling her son to never sit down. The
crystal stairs is the exact opposite of the
mothers experiences. The crystal stairs
represent prestige and money

SEE BACK FOR EXAMPLE


Paragraph exemplar:

Poets use many literary devices to convey a theme to the readers. In the
poem Mother to Son by Langston Hughes, imagery, figurative language, and sound
devices are used to express the speakers experiences. The crystal stairs are a
metaphor comparing to the speakers life. Tactile imagery is used to describe the
stairs with tacks and splinters. These devices suggest the mother did not have
prestige and money and the speaker tells her son life for me aint been no crystal
stair suggesting that she has endured many hardships.

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