Austin Community College The Metamorphoses by Ovid Poem Discussion
Poetry Explication:
For this assignment, you will be asked to write an essay that analyzes one of the themes presented in any of the poems read during the first few weeks of the semester. ( you did the work for the first few weeks of the semester. So you can find the requirements in the previous questions).
Poem
If you choose to analyze one poem, there are three main questions you need to consider.
- What is the poem about?
- What poetic elements (imagery, rhyme pattern, symbols, etc) is the poet using to develop his/her ideas?
- Why did the poet choose these elements? What did these elements allow the poet to convey?
2. Comparing Poems
If you choose to compare two poems, be sure that the poems explore a similar topic.
- What are the poems about?
- What is the poet’s point of view on that subject?
- What poetic elements (imagery, rhyme pattern, symbols, etc) is the poet using to develop his/her ideas?
- What are the similarities and/or differences in the poets’ use of poetic elements?
Be sure to explicate the poem, just like we’ve done with all the poems in class. Identify the main idea of each stanza and then identify those elements used to develop and/or communicate that idea. Analyze the poem’s structure, line by line. Pay close attention to punctuation, spacing, italics, word choice (keywords: connotation/denotation), symbols, metaphors, similes, rhyme pattern, imagery, tone, and title. Develop an arguable thesis that clearly presents your interpretation of the poem. As you develop your interpretation, be sure that you have:
- identified the theme of the poem (the main idea of the poem, not just the topic. If the poem is about love, don’t just tell me it’s a love poem. Tell me what the poet is suggesting about love in his/her poem)
- identified specific examples in the poem to support your interpretation (identify the imagery, metaphors, symbols, etc)
- interpreted the poetic elements (explain how the imagery, symbols, metaphors, etc contribute to the development of the theme).
