Zusammenfassung der Ressource
Writing a poetry essay
- Themes:
- Think of themes which appear in poems you have studied. Example: Which poems deal with the theme of death? Make a list
- Choose the most relevant poems to go with the theme and focus on them (2-3 poems)
- Characters/Speakers:
- Think of the way the speaker/s deal with the theme. Taking the theme of death as an example:
- How does the boy deal with his father's death in 'The Lesson' ?
- Compare this to the way the bystanders deal with the victims death in 'Not Waving but Drowning'
- Literary Devices:
- Consider the use of literary devices and how it helps bring out the message of the poem. Taking the theme of death as an example:
- How does Stevie Smith portray death in 'Not Waving but Drowning'?
- Compare this to the way death is dealt with in 'The Lesson'
- Example: euphemism is used to make the situation sound less painful
- Example: the metaphor of drowning