CPW - Building Upon What You Already Know About Poetry Analysis Lesson
Building Upon What You Already Know About Poetry Analysis
Introduction
Take a moment to consider which of the following you consider to be the most important for analysis of poetry?
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- Understanding what the poem means on a literal level.
- Understanding the poem’s overall theme or meaning.
- Understanding how the parts of the poem contribute to the overall meaning.
- Understanding how the poem’s language differs from prose.
- Understanding that 1-4 function holistically.
Which is the most important?
When I asked you to answer the question and rank which is the most important for analysis of poetry, it was a bit of a trick question. Answer 5 is perhaps the most valid, but often the human mind is limited to one task at a time and with something as difficult as poetry analysis a sequence can be helpful to make the task less daunting.
In this module, we will explore each of the four tasks and apply them to paired poetry prompts that have recently occurred on the AP English Literature Exam.
Written Responses to Novel Selections
In previous poetry lessons, we have explored poetry and how it relates to the time period in which it was created. We also have considered reading poetry as a whole.
In this lesson, we will look at a progression of understanding with poetry and how being aware of the process of reading poetry can also guide your analysis.
Let's Review
Final Thoughts
This lesson helped you to use a systematic way of reading poetry that also corresponds with the levels of scores you may receive on the AP English Literature Exam. You also now have a template that will help you focus upon one poem at a time before drawing comparisons between the two.
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