How to Write a Good Poetry Analysis Essay

Hello there, I bet you’re here because you were wondering how to write a poetry analysis essay, right? Argh, that bloody professor. Why are there always these difficult assignments every time? I understand you, my friend, I’ve been there too. But no worries, you’re in the right place. You’re going to see that crafting a poetry analysis essay is not a big deal. And, you will manage to do it properly, too. So, if you’re willing to start, let’s get going. Structure of poetry analysis essay A poetry analysis essay is an in-depth literary analysis of some or all the aspects of a poem. Since poems are hardly ever long, your analysis doesn’t need to be more than 3-5 pages. In this kind of paper, you should address especially two things: the main theme of the poem, and how the whole literary structure of the poem expresses that theme. The body of your paper will discuss the various parts of the poem and how they capture the main theme. Key elements of good poetry analysis essay The key elements you have to show in your poetry essay are: That you understand the poem true meaning That you understand its key ideas and images explaining why they were used That you understand the different techniques used by the poet Structure of poetry analysis essay Sometimes you can mix technicalities, context and subject matter in one main body part composed of several paragraphs. But, do that only if it’s clear that you’re pursuing one main idea through the different sections. Otherwise, these are the main parts of a poetry analysis essay: Introduction: here you have to introduce the poem and give the reader all the necessary background information. Who wrote it? Why did he/she do it? What influenced the poet? Where is the poem set? What does it feature? What kind of speaker/narrator is used? Plus, add some info touching the main themes of the poem. Does it talk about love and nature? Or religion and destiny? Or maybe it shows the harsh reality of war? Try to touch some of these questions and organize the information in such a way that you make the reader think you have something interesting to say. Then, the key part is to raise some questions which you’ll answer in the body of your work. Technicalities: now you can continue with the technical structure of the piece of poetry you’re analyzing. How many stanzas are there and how long are they? Are there any line breaks or caesural pauses? What about the punctuation? Are there any rhymes? Are they consistent? How does the rhythm affect the meaning of the poem? Does this style have a specific name? You have to talk about the form of the poem. You don’t have to talk about every single detail. Your goal is not to make a boring list of all the technical aspects. Touch the most important ones and explain why you think they are such. Context: Why did the author write this poem? What influenced him/her? What tone does the poet use throughout the narrative? Talk about what made the poet write this poem and what questions it arises. Then, use quotations from the poem and talk about the effect they produce. What does that particular alliteration make you feel inside? What thoughts come to your mind reading those words? Take the most interesting pieces of the poem and let your feelings and thoughts come out. Subject matter: Where is the poem set? What kind of speaker/narrator is used? Plus, add some info touching the main themes of the poem. Does it talk about love and nature? Or religion and destiny? Or maybe it shows the harsh reality of war? Again, link everything to your thoughts and emotions. Don’t prevent yourself from diving in the superficial and deep meanings of the poem. Conclusion: Finally, you have to sum up all of your main points by saying what, in your opinion, is the most effective or important about the poem. Re-state your main thesis and try to connect the poem to the outer world of your real life. To what aspect of the contemporary culture can you link this work? What events can be associated with the poem? So, here it is. That’s the best format of a poetry analysis essay. Steps of writing poetry analysis essay Here’s how to write poetry analysis essay step-by-step: Choose a topic for poetry analysis essay: now, you’ve probably been assigned a specific topic by your professor. But, if it’s not the case, that’s great because you can choose the topic yourself. Writing a poetry analysis essay can be pretty damn hard if you don’t like the poem you have to talk about. So, just choose some poem you like. Check out the authors you’ve studied during the year to see if you remember anything interesting. Sounds great? Well, then give it a go. Analyze the poem: now you have to understand the poem in all its subtleties. Read it several times to let its deeper meanings unfold to you. Then, analyze things: the subject, the theme, the tone, the imagery, and the form that all these details remind you about. Write poetry analysis essay outline: after that, you can write down the essay outline. If you’re wondering how to write a poetry analysis essay outline, don’t panic. You can start from the essay structure we’ve just mentioned in the previous section of this article. Then choose the key interesting points for you and put them in the context of your outline for poetry analysis essay. Take a rest: after you’ve finished your paper, go and do something else to let your brain relax. After that, you can read again your essay with a pair of fresh eyes and check if there’s something you’d like change. A good idea would be to let a friend check your masterpiece to get some feedback. Tips for writing Here are some additional tips for writing a poetry analysis essay: Be specific in your statements and explain the subtle details of the aspect of the poem when you talk about it. Choose simple words that make your message clear Try to balance the use of long and short sentences. Too many long sentences can make the reading quite difficult. Try to avoid the passive voice. Read, read, read and read. Oh, and, did I mention you have to read, too? Just kidding, but the key is that the more you read about the author, about the poem and the poem itself, the more you’ll have to talk about in your paper. Have something to say. It seems to be a basic stuff, but many just write because they have to. If you have the main idea you care about, writing about it will be much easier. Example Were you looking for some examples of a poetry analysis essay? Here’s one to clear your ideas about it: How did Hardy make The Convergence of the Twain such an effective poem? The Titanic is a fascinating topic because it’s so rich in imagery, Thomas Hardy wrote one of his best poems about the Titanic called The convergence of the Twain. In this poem, he describes the ship lying at the bottom of the ocean. It’s a chilling poem. But what makes it so creepy and interesting? This essay will explore this key issue†¦ †¦Hardy says that a horrible sea-worm â€Å"crawls† over the mirrors of all the rich people and that it is â€Å"grotesque, slimed, dumb, indifferent†. This is a particularly effective image because it makes me think about the bottom of the ocean and how different it is to the Titanic. The word â€Å"grotesque† makes me realize that the sea-warm is ugly and slimy; it gives me a funny feeling to think that those mirrors which once had been looked into by rich people are now being fingered by a slimy animal who doesn’t care about anything human†¦ This poem is so effective because it makes me think deeply about the tragic event of a shipwreck. It evokes creepy feelings about what’s under the sea with suggestive and emotionally powerful images. Finally, this picture painted by the poet in my head makes me think of destiny and the way in which our lives are controlled by destiny. Sometimes life can end unexpectedly, and this poem made me realize that. Conclusion Are these poetry analysis essay writing tips not enough to make you feel confident about your work? Are you still struggling to come up with a good paper? Or do you just fear to get low grades? Whatever it is that makes you uncomfortable about writing this kind of paper, we got you covered. You see, we have some of the best academic writers that specialize in poetry analysis essays and can write a really outstanding piece of paper for you. If you want to relax and think about it no more, stop looking further. Check our services and give yourself a rest you need.