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STUDENT WORKSHOP: Write Your Heart Out on the Poetry Analysis Essay

Skills Focus – Writing Fully Developed Body Paragraphs and Strong Conclusions

One of the essays you will be required to write for the AP Literature and Composition Exam is the poetry analysis essay. To do your best on this essay, you must first understand fully the task set out for you. The following lesson is designed to give you a big picture of the entire process, but to focus specifically on developing effective body paragraphs and conclusions. Follow these steps to solving the mystery.

Step One: Read and Mark the PromptAs you are reading the prompt, look for and notate the following:

x Key words and relevant background information [who, what, when, where, why]x The BIG question [reference to attitude, purpose, or meaning]x The little question [reference to craft, language, or specific literary devices]

Try this example:

Read the following poem carefully. Then, in a well­written essay, analyze the techniques the poet uses to develop the

relationship between the speaker and the swamp.

Important background details: What is the BIG question? What is the little question?

Most prompts offer a BIG QUESTION and a little question.

Think of it as two halves of a plastic Easter egg…

Both parts of the task must be addressed in the essay for the student to receive an upper half score. In other words, if you discuss devices only, you will receive a lower half score, and if you discuss meaning only without incorporating devices, you will receive a lower half score.In addition, if you write about both meaning and devices, you could also risk being in the lower half. You must explain clearly HOW the devices relate to the meaning in the passage and make that connection reasonable to be considered for a score above a five on the essay. . If the two halves do not connect, the whole thing falls apart (or the candy falls out).

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Step Two: Read and Mark the Passage [or Passages]Once you clearly understand the questions in the prompt, you can read the passages with those in mind. Remember that the BIG question is at the forefront and the little question provides the evidence you will use later to discuss how the author achieves his purpose. Try marking the following poem by Mary Oliver.

Crossing the Swamp

Here is the endless wet thick cosmos, the center of everything – the nuggetof dense sap, branching vines, the dark burred faintly belching bogs. Here is swamp, here is struggle, closure – pathless, seamless,peerless mud. My bones knock together at the pale joints, trying for foothold, fingerhold,mindhold over such slick crossings, deep hipholes, hummocks* that sink silentlyinto the black, slack earthsoup. I feel not wet so much as painted and glitteredwith the fat grassy mires, the rich and succulent marrows of earth – a poordry stick given one more chance by the whims of swamp water – a bough that still, after all these years,could take root, sprout, branch out, bud – make of its life a breathing palace of leaves.

*low mounds of earth

From AMERICAN PRIMITIVE by Mary Oliver.Copyright © 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983 by Mary Oliver; First Appeared in ATLANTIC MONTHLY (1980). By permission of Little, Brown and Company, (Inc.).

The speaker’s relationship to the swamp is

_____________________________, but also

___________________________________.

Poetic Techniques:

Diction:

Details:

Sound Devices:

Organization/Form:

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Step Three: Look for the specific connection between the purpose and the craft.

With a partner, compare your notes on devices and decide which devices will work to support your analysis of the speaker’s relationship to the swamp. Write the words to describe this relationship in the top row on the following chart and list the devices that will specifically make a connection in the boxes below.

Relationship__________________

Relationship__________________

Diction:

Details:

Sound Devices:

Organization/Form:

Diction:

Details:

Sound Devices:

Organization/Form:

For the poetry essay, you should also be keenly aware of the possibility of a “paired passage.” For this essay prompt, you must pull a double duty making sure you make a strong connection of device and meaning in TWO poems on a similar subject and in addition, you must compare and contrast the treatment of the subject.

Step Four: Choose an organizational strategy

Consider a structured outline that includes an introduction, at least two body paragraphs, and a conclusion or concluding statement. Body paragraphs can be arranged by device, purpose, or piece (for paired passages). As a general rule, those papers organized by purpose are more successful keeping the BIG question in focus.

NOTE: For a paired poetry passage, it is advisable to organize by similarities and differences, or by contrasting or parallel purposes. Use caution when writing one paragraph about the first poem, and then one paragraph about the second. This organization does not encourage the comparison required in the task. Organize your pre­writing notes into one of these outlines or a similar scheme.

Organized by PurposeI. Introduction

TAGThesis

II. Relationship Part OneDevice

ExplanationDevice

ExplanationDevice

ExplanationIII. Relationship Part Two

DeviceExplanation

DeviceExplanation

DeviceExplanation

IV. ConclusionRestate thesisProvide universal insight

Organized by DeviceI. Introduction

TAGThesis

II. Device OneRelationship Part One

ExampleExplanation

Relationship Part TwoExampleExplanation

III. Device TwoRelationship Part One

ExampleExplanation

Relationship Part TwoExampleExplanation

IV. ConclusionRestate thesisProvide universal insight

Organized by ChronologyI. Introduction

TAGThesis

II. First Part of the PoemRelationship

DeviceExplanation

RelationshipDeviceExplanation

III. Second Part of the PoemRelationship

DeviceExplanation

RelationshipDeviceExplanation

IV. ConclusionRestate thesisProvide universal insight

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Step Five: Write a specific and purposeful introduction.

Wimpy Introduction

Hans and FranzIntroduction

A “wimpy” introduction merely restates the prompt and does not provide either context or specificity for the reader. [DOH!!!]

Take a look at the “wimpy” example from the Oliver prompt listed below.

A “pumped up” introduction includes the title, author, and genre of the piece [TAG], a brief statement of context, and then a precise thesis statement that articulates the connection between purpose and device.

In the space below, write a “Hans Introduction” incorporating your notes and observations about “Crossing the Swamp.”

Wimpy Introduction:

Example One:

In “Crossing the Swamp,” poet Mary Oliver uses many poetic techniques including diction, detail, and sound

device to express her complex relationship to the swamp.

Hans Introduction: [your turn]

[Note: A superior essay will not only analyze rhetorical strategies, but also employ them. Try to create an image or metaphor that you can use throughout your analysis and can echo in your conclusion.]

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Step Six: Write “meaty” body paragraphs that focus on the purpose and weave well­chosen examples with insightful commentary.

Keep the BIG question in mind when choosing your evidence and when following that evidence with explanation and commentary. The best way to introduce and analyze evidence is to surround the text with it. Begin by providing the context of the examples and identifying the writer’s strategy. Follow that by blending the text into your own sentence. Finally, provide insightful commentary that refers to a specific purpose.

This whole process begins with a specific and pointed topic sentence. Using the notes from your prewriting and the rough outline you created, write a topic sentence for one of your body paragraphs.

Write a strong topic sentence:

Now introduce your examples: Quotation Sandwiches

[Notes from “They Say/I Say” The Moves that Matter in Academic Writing]“Because quotations do not speak for themselves, you need to build a “frame” around them in which you do the speaking for them. Quotations inserted into the text without such a frame may be called ‘hit­and­run’ quotations, likening them to car accidents in which the driver speeds away and avoids taking responsibility for the damage.”

Example of a “Hit and Run” Quotation:Oliver employs an extended metaphor to show the speaker’s complex relationship to the swamp. She refers to the swamp as “the wet

thick cosmos” and implies at the end of the poem that the speaker is the “dry stick given one more chance.” These references show

that the speaker receives hope from the struggles in the swamp.

“To adequately frame a quotation, you need to insert it into what we like to call a ‘quotation sandwich,’ with the statement introducing it serving as the top slice of bread and the explanation following it as the bottom slice. [See the underlined portions in the example below.] The introduction or lead­in should explain who is speaking and set up what the quotations says; the follow­up statements should explain why the quotation illustrates the character’s claim.”

Example of a Quotation “Sandwich”:In a clever and thought­provoking extended metaphor spanning the entire poem, Oliver demonstrates the promises of life that the

speaker realizes through the struggle. The swamp represents the “endless wet thick cosmos,” the “center of everything” that can act

upon “whims.” It is the “struggle” and “closure” of all existence. In essence, the swamp is the universe. Oliver’s speaker trudging

through the swamp, on the other hand, is represented by the “poor dry stick given one more chance.” She is a “bough” that could

“take root” and ultimately become a “palace of leaves.” While the initial characterization of our life on earth, represented by the

swamp is overwhelming and daunting, the reader realizes the hope that Oliver wishes to impart by showing the regeneration of life

borne out of this struggle. The hopeless traveler, represented by the lifeless twig, can ultimately take root and branch out into a new

life.

[Underlined portions represent the “bread”; the examples are the “meat.”]

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Writing the Body Paragraph:Try to use the following scheme for your body paragraphs:

Sentence # Function of the Sentence

Topic Sentence 1 Provides a direction for the entire paragraph

2 Introduces the first example

Quotation Sandwich 3 Weaves text from the poem

4 Elaborates, analyzes, and discusses the first example

5 Transitions and introduces the second example

Quotation Sandwich 6 Weaves text from the poem

7 Elaborates, analyzes, and discusses the second example

Concluding Sentence 8 Concludes the paragraph with reference to the topic sentence

[Note: If you add an example, you will actually add three sentences to the paragraph – one full quotation sandwich.]

Now it’s your turn. Practice writing a body paragraph for the Oliver prompt on the chart below.

Sentence #

Topic Sentence 1

2

Quotation Sandwich 3

4

5

Quotation Sandwich 6

7

Concluding Sentence 8

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In any essay, but especially in a paired passage, make sure you connect your ideas, observations, and examples with good transition words. See the following chart for examples of transitional words and phrases and try incorporating them within and between your body paragraphs.

Transition WordsTo Compare To contrast To emphasize or

clarifyTo Add Information

To conclude

LikewiseLikeAlsoWhileSimilarlyAsIn the same way

ButHoweverStillYetAlthoughInsteadConverselyRatherNeverthelessregardlessOtherwiseOn the other handOn the contraryEven thoughUnlike

AgainTrulyEspeciallyTo emphasizeTo repeatIn factFor this reasonThat isFor instanceIn other wordsThen again The most compelling evidence

AgainAlsoAs wellNextAnotherAndBesidesFinallyFor instanceMoreoverAlong withIn additionFor exampleAdditionallyOtherAnother key point

FinallyLastlyAs a resultThereforeTo sum upAll in allIn conclusionbecause

Step Seven: Finish strong with a meaningful concluding statement.

A superior essay will not only identify devices in the sample passages, but will often demonstrate figurative language, imagery, and rhetorical strategies in the introduction, commentary, and conclusion. Consider using an extended metaphor or thematic diction throughout the essay. The final statement of the essay should echo back to the thesis but take the original observation beyond the text. You might also consider leaving the reader with a universal application to the purpose or theme of the poem(s).

Conclusion: [your turn]

Step Eight: Read over your work for errors and omissions.

Don’t forget to read over your essay for omitted words, usage errors, sentence fluency, and adequate evidence. If you practice with a method of highlighting key elements of the essay, you will then learn to look for them before you hand in your essay or move on to the next prompt.

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AP® ENGLISH LITERATURESCORING GUIDELINES

Mary Oliver’s “Crossing the Swamp”

General Directions: This scoring guide will be useful for most of the essays that you read, but in problematic cases, please consult your table leader. The score that you assign should reflect your judgment of the quality of the essay as a whole—its content, its style, its mechanic. Reward the writers for what they do well. The score for an exceptionally well­written essay may be raised by one point above the otherwise appropriate score. In no case may a poorly written essay be scored higher than a three (3).

9­8 The writers of these persuasive essays show themselves to be astute readers of poetry, analyzing with clarity and precision the nature of the relationship between Oliver’s speaker and the swamp. These essays are particularly effective in demonstrating why the swamp (or the idea of a swamp) appeals to the speaker, and what her complex reactions to it are. These essays need not be flawless, but they are convincingly specific about the poetic techniques used in the poem and why they are effective. These essays demonstrate a significant maturity, both in their understanding of the poem and in their sustained control and clarity of writing.

7­6 The writers of these competent essays offer a convincing interpretation of the poem, giving a clear account of the relation between swamp and speaker, and identifying many of the poetic techniques used in the poem. Their assertions may be more generalized, less convincing, or less specific than the highest scoring essays. Despite minor errors of interpretation, these essays offer significant insights. Lacking the maturity and control of the very best essays, they still demonstrate the ability to express ideas effectively. They may be briefer, less incisive, or less well­supported than the 9­8 essays.

5 Although these essays may suggest a reasonable interpretation of the speaker’s relation to the swamp and may demonstrate some ability to analyze poetic technique, they are generally superficial and less convincing than the upper half essays. Discussion in these essays, though not inaccurate, tends to be overly generalized and inadequately supported by references to the details of the poem. Although the writing adequately conveys the writer’s ideas and is not marred by distracting errors, these essays are not as well conceived, organized, or developed as the upper half essays.

4­3 These lower half essays may reveal an incomplete, oversimplified, or mistaken understanding of the poem. Their assertions about the swamp and the speaker’s relation to it may be implausible or irrelevant. They may be vague about the poem’s poetic techniques and may rely almost entirely on generalization or paraphrase. Often wordy and repetitious, the writing may reveal uncertain control of the element of college­level composition and may contain recurrent stylistic flaws. Essays that contain significant misreading and/or unusually inept writing must be scored a three (3).

2­1 These essays compound the weaknesses of the essays in the 4­3 range. Often they are unacceptably brief or without even a basic understanding of poetry. Although some attempt may be made to answer the question, the writer’s observations are presented with little clarity, organization, or support from the text. They may be poorly written on several counts and may contain distracting errors in grammar and mechanics. Essays that contain little coherent writing or discussion of the poem should be scored a one (1).

0 These essays give a response that is no more than a reference to the task.

­­ Indicates a blank response or one that is completely off topic.

Copyright © 2004 by College Entrance Examination Board. All rights reserved.