Literary Elements

When tackling the Poem section of the AP Literature Exam, it’s always a good idea to keep an eye out for certain literary elements as you read and dissect the poem. While ones such as Point of View may seem like the easiest to use, do not be deceived. These are often interpreted incorrectly! Instead, try and identify literary elements such as:

Tone:               This is the overall feeling the writer is trying to convey to you (the reader) through the use of certain language and vocabulary.

Questions asking you to identify the tone of the passage come up a lot in the exam. In its most basic form, they are asking you what type of emotions the author is trying to extract from you. Is it sadness, grief, happiness, condolence? A question asking such may come in a plethora of forms. Some examples include (but are not limited to):

a.      What can we infer about the author’s perspective of John Smith’s situation?

b.      What conclusion can be drawn of the author’s view?

c.       Discuss the poet’s changing reaction to the subject developed in the poem

d.      How does the language of the poem reflect the speaker’s perceptions, and how does that language determine the reader’s perception?

When answering such questions, always refer back to key words in the poem. Every word and phrase is used for a reason, so make sure to keep a keen eye out for any words that seem to attempt to draw emotion out of you.

Imagery:                      These are words or phrases that attempt to form an image in your mind.

Poems are littered with use of imagery. When trying to identify it being used, try to find words that are used to heavily describe something, someone, a place or event. This can include the use of metaphors and similesas well as adjectives and adverbs. Prompt that will ask for this literary term may include:

a.      How does the poet reveal character? (i.e. diction, sound devices, imagery, allusion)

b.      Write a unified essay in which you relate the imagery of the last stanza to the speaker’s view of himself earlier in the poem to his view of how others see poets.

c.       Read the following poem carefully. Then write an essay in which you discuss how such elements as language, imagery, structure and point of view convey meaning in the poem.

A third literary element you would benefit from using would be theme. Keeping this in mind as you read is very important, as there are many cases where the prompt would request that you restate what you feel is the theme, or what message the author is trying to convey to their readers.

Theme:                        This is the moral, or message the author is trying to convey to you.

Think of it as the main idea of the poem as a whole. Try to avoid paying attention to the main idea of a stanza or section of the poem. Look at it from a broad perspective and extract what you feel is the theme from what you have read. Unlike other prompts however, the ones referring to this technique often do not outright say the word “theme”, instead they use the echo words “views” or “meaning”. These prompts may look like:

a.      Read carefully the following poem by Robert Pack, paying close attention to the relationship between form and meaning. Then, in a well-written essay, analyze how the literary techniques used in this poem contribute to its meaning.

b.      Write a well-written essay in which you analyze how the poet conveys a view of “modern love”

Keeping an arsenal of literary techniques such as these in the back of your mind while you read the poem will help you tremendously as you write your essay. Remember however that there are questions that do not give suggestions as to which literary techniques you should use. So don’t rely on the prompt to provide you with them, and don’t feel constrained to use only the ones they suggest either. Whichever you feel fits best with the poem and the prompt and are most confident with using is the one you should go with.

Poetry Essay

Analytical Focus

To writethe poetry essay, analyzing the poem is very critical.

The types of poetry:

Ballad – the ballad is one of the earliest poetic forms. It is a narrative that was originally spoken or sung and has often changed over time. It usually:

·         Is simple.

·         Employs dialogue, repetition, minor characterization.

·         Is written in quatrains.

·         Has a basic rhyme scheme, primarily a b c b.

·         Has a refrain which adds to the songlike quality.

Lyric – lyric poetry is highly personal and emotional. It can be as simple as a sensory impression or as elevated as an ode or elegy. Subjective and melodious, it is often reflective in tone.

Ode – The ode is a formal lyric poem that addresses subjects of elevated stature.

Elegy – The elegy is a formal lyric poem written in honor of one who has died. Elegiac is the adjective that describes a work lamenting any serious loss.

Dramatic Monologue – The dramatic monologue relates an episode in a speaker’s life through a conversational format that reveals the character of the speaker.

Sonnet – The sonnet is the most popular fixed form of poetry. It is usually written in iambic pentameter and is always made up of 14 lines.

Villanelle – The villanelle is a fixed form of poetry. It has six stanzas: five tercets, and a final quatrain.

Analysis: To thoroughly understand a poem, you should be able to view it and read it from three different angles or viewpoints.

The first level is the literal reading of the poem. This is the discovery of what the poem is actually saying.

·         Vocabulary

·         Structure

·         Imagery

·         Poetic devices

The second level builds on the first and draws conclusions from the connotations of the form and content and the interpretation of the symbols.

The third level refers to your own reading and interpretation of the poem. Here you apply the processes of levels one and two, and you bring your own context or frame of reference to the poem. Your only restriction is that your interpretation is grounded in, and can be supported by, the text of the poem itself.

Writing the Poetry Essay

• Introduction

The opening paragraph is what sets the tone of your essay. Expectations of the reader can either be raised or lowered depending on the time spent on the intro and how well you understood the text. Here is a list of things you need to remember when writing your introduction:

• Your opening statement sets the tone of your essay
• Identify both the text and the author
• Make sure your topic is clear to show that you understood the poem
• Spend time on your intro to maximize your score
• Remember to mention the portraits, contrasts, and insights to make sure the reader knows you fully understand the text

There are multiple ways to approach the introduction. The following example is the correct way to introduce your essay when you are unsure of how to proceed:

          Sharon Olds in the poem, "On the Subway," presents a brief encounter between two people of different races which leads to several insights of one participant. This is accomplished through Olds's use of poetic devices, imagery, and imagination.

 Another way to introduce your essay is by showing that you are comfortable of citing directly from the text and that you understood the work:

"And he is black and I am white" establishes the basic contrast and conflict in Sharon Olds's poem, "On the Subway." Through imagery, organization, and poetic devices, Olds creates two contrasting portraits. The narrator's confrontation becomes the reader's also as she reveals her troubling fears and insights through her images and comments concerning her encounter with the black youth.

• Body Paragraphs

When writing the body paragraphs for your essay, make sure to time yourself and finish within the 20 minute time frame. This is where you should make points that you wish to make and add specific references from the poem. Remember to repeat main ideas that you mentioned from your introduction. Create transitions between your body paragraphs to smoothly move from one idea to the next.

• Take only 15-20 minutes to write your body paragraphs
• Present your points that relate to the prompt
• Refer directly to the text
• Don't always paraphrase - take direct quotes from the poem
• Use quotation marks on quotes that are directly from the text
• Use repetition of key ideas from your introduction
• Use "echo words" (for ex: instead of fear you can use horror or terror)

Another important point that you should remember is to develop one of the categories and devices into each paragraph. Also remember to use the categories and devices that are asked for in the prompt. An example of this would be the first paragraph developing poetic devices while the second and third develop two other devices.

• Conclusion

The conclusion can be short and sweet. You should be spending the least amount of time on your conclusion and focus on the other parts of your essay. A well-written sentence is enough to serve as a conclusion to your essay.

• The conclusion does not have to be a paragraph
• It can be any final observation or remark
• Can be a sentence or two
• Should be concise