Poetry Analysis Below is a list of analytical questions to be used in your poetry analysis.

All questions should be addressed, although note that not all poetic devices will be present in all poems. (Address the questions related to devices present in your chosen poem only.) The TPCASTT Analysis model was a great place for us to start now move beyond it in your analysis.

Answer these questions in complete sentences on a separate sheet of paper you SHOULD NOT be answering these questions in one or two word answers! Be sure to fully explain your analytical points.

1. Title: PREDICT what the poem will be about based on the title, then read the poem. READ the poem you have selected, preferably aloud, several times. You may want to see if you can find a spoken or performed version of this poem online (Youtube, etc.). 2. Has your understanding of the title changed as a result of reading the poem? Paraphrase the poem. IDENTIFY the denotative elements (what is actually happening in the poem, literally). IDENTIFY what poetic devices are used (List these). Answer the following questions related to these devices. (You may not be able to answer all questions, not all devices will be present in every one of Cohens poems. Answer the applicable questions as they relate to YOUR chosen poem.) Persona I. II. III. IV. V. VI. VII. Setting I. II. III. Imagery I. II. III. How is imagery used in regard to defining both the situation and the speaker? What images strike you as particularly effective in terms of creating tone/ attitude? Which of your senses are evoked through imagery visual, auditory, tactile, olfactory, gustatory, kinesthetic, organic? What is the situation in the poem? Does it take place at a specific time or place? Is location important? Do you perceive a speaker or a persona? What do you know about him or her? Is gender important? Does the speaker have personality, or does he or she seem detached or disembodied? Do you respond personally to this voice? Does it engage you emotionally? Intellectually? Does the speaker address someone else in the poem? Can you determine their relationship to each other?

Tone I. What tones are created? A few to consider include: reflective, nostalgic, playful, ironic, sad, bitter, humorous, sincere, objective, formal, informal, solemn, satiric, or serious.

Rhyme & Rhythm I. II. III. What sound devices are used in the poem? Consider: onomatopoeia, alliteration, assonance, consonance, rhyme. Is there a regular or irregular rhythm? If the rhythm is established through a metrical pattern, identify any breaks and/ or shifts in that metrical pattern.

Structure I. II. III. IV. How does the shape of the poem, its structure and its architecture, work to underscore meaning? What effect does enjambment or punctuation produce? Does the physical structure of the poem reveal meaning? Does the poet draw your attention to a specific word, either through placement, repetition, allusion, or connotation? Do some words take on metaphorical or symbolic meaning?

Other Devices Are there any instances of the following devices in your chosen poem? If so, what is the function of these devices? What meaning or purpose to these add to the poem? (See Devices Definitions sheet for list of devices that may be included.)

Purpose & Theme: Answer the following questions (applicable for ALL poems). 1. What is the central purpose? To describe, to persuade, to tell a story, to reveal a moment in time, to reflect, to philosophize? Something else? 2. What is the message of the poem? 3. What is the theme of the poem? (The Big Idea, the central focus)

4. What is the authors intent in writing this poem? In what ways is the authors voice present in the poem?