Notes on a Poem Analysis Essay

Writing Concentration:

a. Introduction

i. Grab reader’s attention by relation the poem’s meaning g to experiences people have in common.

a) anecdote

b) quote from poem / famous quote

c) question (as last resort, although this is an easy tool it is less effective)

ii. Introduce the poem’s title and author.

iii. State your thesis, including the key elements and theme you will discuss.

b. Body

i. Organize the key literary elements by order of importance or in the order in which they appear in the poem.

ii. Discuss each key literary element.

iii. Provide references for each key element, and elaborate on each key element.

Jane Shaffer, Body Paragraph Samples:1:2		2:1		3:0		1:2 + 1:2
Topic Sentence	or	TS	or	TS	or	TS
Concrete Detail		CD1		CD1		CD1
Commentary 1		CD2		CD2		CM1.1
Commentary 2		CM		CD3		CM1.2
Conclusion/Closing Sentence		CS		CS		CD2
						CM2.1
						CM2.1
						CS

c. Conclusion

i. Remind readers of your thesis.

ii. Summarize your main points.

iii. Show how the poem relates to broader themes in life.