Poetry Analysis Web Quest

 

 

Introduction:  Have you ever been frustrated when asked to read poetry?  Oftentimes, poetry can be hard to understand because of difficult vocabulary, figurative language, and the arrangement of words.  I’m sure you have thought at times why can’t they just say what they mean?  Poets try to put their observations about life into beautiful language that carries powerful meaning because they express in only a few words what others express in hundreds of pages.  Each word is chosen carefully, so you must define unknown words, identify figurative (not literal) language that says something through comparisons and exaggerations, and paraphrase (put into your own words) every few lines to aid your comprehension.  This is exactly what you might do to better understand a song on the radio that you like the sound of.

 

Task:  You will read two sets of poems, paraphrase each, answer questions about each, and compare the themes for each set. Then, you will read about the structure of a sonnet.  The second set of poems will be accompanied with biographical information about the author, which you will read and consider before your analysis.  Last, you will select one of two poems to read, interpret, and analyze, citing any figurative language and discussing the poem’s theme.

 

Process I:  Read each poem—identifying the rhyme scheme for each, answer the questions that follow each, and compare the themes and points of view in a paragraph; then, read about the structure of a sonnet.

 

Literary Terms Used in Analysis

 

www.dictionary.com

 

Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806-1861)

 

Sonnets from the Portuguese: Number 14—“If thou must love me, let it be for naught”

http://www.everypoet.com/archive/poetry/Elizabeth_Barrett_Browning/elizabeth_browning_sonnets_14.htm

 

Questions:

1.      What is the rhyme scheme in this poem?

2.      Who is the speaker in this poem?  Why might you conclude that the speaker is female?

3.      What images does the speaker use to indicate possible causes for loving?  What kinds of images are they?

 

William Shakespeare (1564- 1616)

 

Sonnet 18—“Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?”

http://www.fleurdelis.com/shallIcomparethee.htm

 

Questions:

1.      What is the rhyme scheme in this poem?

2.      What is the dramatic situation of the poem?  Who is speaking to whom?

3.      What do the metaphors in lines 1-8 assert?  Why does the speaker emphasize the fact that life is brief?  What sort of immortality does Shakespeare praise in the sonnet?

 

 

--In a paragraph, compare the themes and speakers’ points of view in these two sonnets.

 

Sonnet Structure:  14 lines of iambic pentameter (ten syllables with the accent/stress on the second, fourth, sixth, eighth, and tenth syllables; like walking: step STEP step STEP step STEP step STEP step STEP)

 

*      English/ Shakespearean sonnets: 3 quatrains (4-line stanzas) ending in a couplet (two rhyming lines); Rhyme Scheme: abab, cbcd, efef, gg

 

 

Process II:  Read the short biography about each poet before reading their work.  Think about how their life experience is reflected in their poetry.

 

Langston Hughes (1902-1967)

http://www.poets.org/poet.php/prmPID/83

 

“Harlem--A Dream Deferred”

http://www.americanpoems.com/poets/Langston-Hughes/2381

 

Questions:

1.      In light of the black experience with the “American Dream” (in Langston Hughes’s lifetime), what do you think is meant by the phrase “dream deferred”?

2.      Explain the similes in lines 3, 4, 6, and 10.  Why are these fitting comparisons?  What sorts of human actions are implied in these figures of speech?

3.      What is the meaning of the metaphor in line 11?  Why do you think Hughes shifted from similes to a metaphor in this line?

 

 

Paul Laurence Dunbar (1872-1906)

http://www.poets.org/poet.php/prmPID/302

 

 

“We wear the mask”

http://www.potw.org/archive/potw8.html

 

Questions:

1.      What is “the mask” a metaphor for?  Who is the “we” in “we wear the mask”?

2.      What is the “debt we pay to human guile”?

 

--In a paragraph, compare the themes and speakers’ points of view in these two poems?

 

 

Process III:  Choose one of the following poems to read and write an interpretation & analysis for—be sure to identify theme.  Paraphrase each stanza in your own words.  Mention any literary elements and their effect on the meaning and tone of the poem.

 

Robert Frost (1874-1963)

“The Road Not Taken”

http://www.ketzle.com/frost/roadnot.htm

 

 

Dylan Thomas (1914-1953)

“Do not go gentle into that good Night”

http://www.bigeye.com/donotgo.htm

 

 

Conclusion:  Type your answers on a separate word document, and turn them in today or by tomorrow.  You have reviewed literary terms/ poetic language; learned about sonnets—especially iambic pentameter (one of the most common rhythms of  English literature and language); compared themes and points of view; read biographical information to support your historical criticism; and read, interpreted, and analyzed poetry using poetic language.  Now you’re a pro!  For extra credit, which is optional of course, print the (clean) lyrics to one of your favorite songs, interpret (paraphrase) the lyrics, and analyze them, citing words you did not know and figurative language; what’s a major theme of the song?