Illustrating a Theme in a Poem
So far in this module, you watched videos and heard how others recited their favorite poems and explained what the poems meant to them. Then you chose a video and a related poem to explain what it meant to you. You also read about how Seamus Heaney in his poem “Digging” wrote about his family heritage and Irish roots, and you examined an example of how to identify and apply literary terms to “Digging.” Then you read three (3) poems that all expressed sentiments about America, i.e., the United States, and what it means to be an American, and you described in your own words how at least one (1) poem expressed some specific sentiment about its subject and illustrated a theme you supported with quotes from the poem.
This activity will help you describe and apply poetic terms while analyzing further a poem’s theme; identify how elements in a poem contribute to the power of that poem; and enable you to expand your own personal exploration of a poem and your ability to illustrate your comprehension of that poem.
Pre-writing Exercise
Re-read carefully the following three (3) poems on the subject of “America.”
Next, choose one (1) to explore further in a pre-writing exercise. You will apply questions you select from the list of questions in the “How to Read a Poem” article section titled “Talking Back to a Poem.” Prepare for your graded writing assignment for this module. (NOTE: You can write about the same poem you discussed in M4D2.)
Whitman, Walt, “I Hear America Singing” at http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/175779
Hughes, Langston, “I, Too,” at http://www.poets.org/poetsorg/poem/i-too
Hughes, Langston, “Let America Be America Again” at http://www.poets.org/poetsorg/poem/let-america-be-america-again
Writing Activity
For this activity, you will select three (3) poetic terms or elements of a poem and apply them to your one (1) selected poem to support and illustrate a theme you see emerging in the poem you selected to write about.
You will use terms you select from the “Glossary of Poetic Terms” and/or “The Elements of Poetry” to illustrate a specific “theme” that your close reading of your selected poem reveals. In writing your essay, you will illustrate your ability to synthesize poetic terms in your analysis of a poem.
Begin by re-reading your poem of choice.
Re-read “How to Read a Poem” and the example analysis of “Digging” along with the “Glossary of Poetic Terms” and “The Elements of Poetry.”
Next, decide which poetic terms to apply.
Then compose no fewer than 500 words analyzing your selected poem to illustrate the theme you see emerging from the poem.
You should make sure to highlight the theme you are illustrating (this is your thesis) in your first paragraph and show how that theme is developed in the poem.
Do not summarize the poem, but, rather, focus on how the theme you see is revealed in the language of the poem.
Describe at least three (3) poetic elements that contribute to the poem’s development of its theme.
Provide no fewer than three (3) quotes from the poem to support and illustrate your main points.
EXAMPLE: Explain how your selected poem reflects/illustrates the theme you see:
Patriotism or Racism or Historical Roots or Hope for the Future (or another theme)
how the poem reveals a speaker’s state of mind, and to what end/meaning
how the poem (A) [implies a reader] or (B) engages in a transaction with YOU as reader, discussing what experiences you bring to your illustration of what you feel the poem reveals to you and analyzing how the language of the poem produces a response in you as a reader, i.e. makes meaning.
Also in preparation for this assignment, visit the Excelsior College Online Writing Lab (OWL). The links for the OWL are listed in the Learning & Assessment Activities section.
Review the OWL section on Avoiding Plagiarism as well as the section on APA style and EC resources to properly citie your work. These links are listed in the Learning & Assessment Activities section.
Read the following:
Module Notes: Reading and Appreciating Poetry
Writing about Poetry https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/615/1/
“Glossary of Poetic Terms” at McGraw-Hill Online Learning Center (OLC)
DiYanni, Robert. (2002). Glossary of Poetic Terms. McGraw-Hill Online Learning Center (OLC). Retrieved from http://highered.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/0072405228/student_view0/poetic_glossary.html
“How to Read a Poem” at the Poets.org website
How to read a poem. (2002). The Academy of American Poets. [From Modern American Poetry edited by Joseph Coulson and Peter Temes (Great Books Foundation 2002)]. Retrieved from Poets.org at http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/19882
Heaney, Seamus “Digging” at thepoetryfoundation.org
Haney, Seamus (1969). “Digging.” Retrieved from the Poetry Foundation at http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/177017
Whitman, Walt, “I Hear America Singing” at the poetryfoundation.org
Whitman, Walt (1860). “I Hear America Singing.” Retrieved from the Poetry Foundation at http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/175779
Hughes, Langston, “I, Too,” at poets.org
Hughes, Langston (1994) “I, Too.” [From Collected Poems]. Retrieved from Poets.org at http://www.poets.org/poetsorg/poem/i-too
Hughes, Langston, “Let America Be America Again” at Poets.org
Hughes, Langston. (1994). “Let America Be America A
