ELA 10-1: Final Study Notes

Steps to Annotate(Analyze) a Poem:

1. Initially, read the entire poem. Take notes of any questions you have

2. Underline any words you do not understand, look them up

3. Look for a rhyme scheme, underline any words that rhyme

4. Identify figurative language used in the poem. Why are they used?

5. Identify any sound devices. Why are they used?

6. Identify any repetition, why is it repeated? Is there significance in what is repeated?

7. Are there any words that are impactful or interesting in the poem?

8. Include a brief personal reaction to the poem. Did you enjoy the poem? Was there thought put into it?

9. Identify a theme in the poem

10. Reread the poem several times if you are struggling to find any of these. Read them in a different voice, or even backwards.

When finished annotating, you should be able to answer these questions:

- What is the theme of this poem?

- How is the theme shown to the reader?

- What is the tone and mood of the poem?

- How is the mood of the poem established?

- How does figurative language affect the poem?

You can use SOAPST to analyze poetry:

Speaker - Who is speaking?
Occasion - What is happening? Is this poem based on a real-life event?
Audience - Who is this directed towards? What's the demographic of this poem?
Purpose - What is the purpose of this poem? Is it informative? Entertaining? Inspiring?
Subject - What subject matter does this poem tackle?
Tone - What is the tone of this poem?

Important Poetry Terms:

Stanza: A collection of lines in a poem, similar to a paragraph

Assonance: Repetition of vowel sounds Eg. The track is black

Cacophony/Dissonance: Harsh or ugly sounds Eg. Screech, bellow

Euphony: Soft sounding words Eg. Lullaby, meadow

Connotation: The emotional association of a word Eg. A "gang"

Denotation: The dictionary meaning of a word Eg. A "gang" is a group of people

Couplet: Two lines of poetry that belong together

Figurative Expression: When words are used outside of their literal, dictionary definition Eg. A Dare Devil is reckless and fearless, even though that is not what "dare" means

Literal Expression: When words are used for their factional definition Eg. The water is hot because it was boiled

Metonymy: Calling a word by what it is most associated(similar to a synecdoche) Eg. The Flames won the game

Parody: Making fun of another piece of literature/ media Eg. Weird Al Yankovic

Rhythm: A pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables

Onomatopoeia: When a word resembles the sound it makes Eg. The tiger roared

Blank Verse: A poem that has rhythm but doesn't rhyme

Rhyme Scheme: A pattern of words that rhyme, usually on the last word of the line

Foot: A combination of stressed and unstressed syllables, not necessarily in a rhythm

Free Verse: A poem that doesn't rhyme or have rhythm

Poetic License: This allows the writer to use whatever words and punctuation they want

Internal Rhyme: When there is a rhyme within a line Eg. ‘Once upon a midnight dreary, while i pondered, weak and weary.’

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Use this to study for the ELA 10-1 exam.