Description

First, read the poem multiple times. Next, read both the Close Reading Interpretive Tool (CRIT) handout, which I am drawing from here in my questions, and the poetic terms handout, which will help you locate possible devices and figures of speech in the poem. Also be sure to try to apply the things you’ve learned from Edward Hirsch’s “How to Read a Poem,” such as being “open to ambiguity” and attempting to gain footholds where you can in the poem. After you’ve done this, please answer the following questions as thoroughly as you can.

1. Paraphrase:In your own words, offer a summary of the factual content of the poem—what the poem directly states—as it proceeds from beginning to end.What situation is being described here?What happens?Who is speaking in the poem?Respond in at least three sentences.

2. Observe (Form):Read the poem again, thinking about what it is trying to accomplish, especially with its form.What is its form (its meter, rhyme, and sentence structure, lineation, breath)?Make a list of the key textual elements that it uses, such as descriptive details, word choice, repetition of sounds and syllables, repetition of phrases, repetition of ideas, imagery, shifts in vocabulary/rhythm/tone, characteristics of the speaker’s perspective, etc.

3. Observe and Analyze (Form and Content):What kinds of images does the poem present and how do they contribute to the poem’s meaning (its content)?What does the form itself suggest about the poem’s meaning?

4. Context:Think about the contexts for this poem.Contexts, as the CRIT tool handout tells us, are “facts or broader circumstances external to a literary work that are important to its production, reception, or understanding; for instance:literary, biographical, political, or historical information.” Identify and list significant contexts for this poem.As with our keywords from the Hughes poem, use the Internet to find out contexts about the title of the poem, the author, the poem itself, etc.Please avoid looking up info about what the poem means.I want to know what you think it means.

5. Analyze:Review your previous responses and offer your overall take on the poem.What does the poem mean?What is it trying to say?Who is the speaker?Who is it speaking to and why?What is the poem hoping to accomplish?What does it accomplish?

6. Reflect:Are there any aspects of the poem that you still find confusing?If so, what exactly?Can you relate to any of the images in the poem or its overall message?How so and in what way?How is this poem still relevant today (to you personally and/or to our society at large)?