POETRY ANALYSIS ESSAYS

AN INTRODUCTION INTO WRITING

Literary Analysis Essays

Poetry analyses

Short story analyses

Character analyses

literary / ˈlɪt. ə r. ə r.i / / ˈlɪt ̬.ə.rer- / adjective

connected with literature:

a literary critic

a literary style

analyse UK ( US analyze ) / ˈæn. ə l.aɪz / verb [ T ]

to study or examine something in detail, in order

to discover more about it

analysis / əˈnæl.ə.sɪs / noun [ C or U ]

( PLURAL analyses / -siːz / )

the act of analysing something

how the plot/structure, character, setting,

and many other techniques are used by the

author to create meaning.

Literary Analysis Essays

Poetry analyses

Short story analyses

Character analyses

Short story analyses

E.g.

Critically analyse the theme of justice in King Lear

by William Shakespeare.

how the plot, character, setting, and many

other techniques are used by the author to

create meaning.

Character analyses

E.g.

Write a character sketch of Gabriel in the short story

The Dead by James Joyce.

Poetry analyses

a Poem?

“A poem begins as a lump in the throat,

a sense of wrong, a homesickness, a

lovesickness. It finds the thought and the

thought finds the words.”

– Robert Frost (1875-1963)

“Poetry is boned with ideas, nerved and

blooded with emotions, all held together

by the delicate, tough skin of words.”

– Paul Engle (1908-1991)

It's only words

And words are all I have

To take your heart away

- Boyzone

What is a Poetry Essay?

develops an interpretation about a particular poem

This interpretation contains an argument about what

you think the poet is saying or doing in the poem and

what effect the poem’s various elements, like diction or

rhyme

This argument will in turn form the basis of

your essay’s thesis statement

Creating a Thesis & Outline for a Poetry Essay

The Thesis Statement

tells your reader the purpose of your essay

(the point you are trying to make)

Typically, the thesis statement falls at the end

of your introductory paragraph.

The Introduction

Bring immediate focus to your subject

a quotation

a provocative question

a brief anecdote

a startling statement

a combination of these

include background information relevant to your

thesis

position you are taking

title of the work of literature and name of the author

Q.

“Mirror” is a melancholy which depicts the

feminine problem of aging and losing beauty.

Discuss.

In this short but beloved poem, “Mirror” by

Sylvia Plath, the narrator is a wall mirror in

what is likely a woman's bedroom. The

mirror is personified - that is, it is endowed

with human traits. It is able to recognize

monotony, commenting on the regularity

of the wall that it reflects most of the time.

Further, while it does not offer moral

judgment, it is able to observe and

understand its owner (the woman) as she

grapples with the reality of aging.

The Body of the

Essay and the

Importance of Topic

Sentences

The development of the central idea of a literary

analysis essay

Present the paragraphs that support your thesis

statement

The Body

Provide an explanation of your ideas and evidence

from the text that supports those ideas

Textual evidence consists of summary, paraphrase,

specific details, and direct quotations

Each paragraph should contain

a topic sentence

(usually the first sentence of the paragraph)

which states one of the topics associated with

your thesis

1 para = 1 topic sentence

Purpose of the topic sentence

1. To relate the details of the paragraph to your thesis

statement

2. To tie the details of the paragraph together

the first developmental paragraph…

E.g.

Though the speaker is a mirror, the subjects are time and

appearance. The woman struggles with the loss of her

beauty, admitting each day that she is growing older.

Though the woman occasionally deludes herself with the

flattering "liars" candlelight and moonlight, she continually

returns to the mirror for the truth. The woman needs the

mirror to provide her with an objective, unadulterated

reflection of self, even though it is often discomfiting,

causing her "tears and an agitation of hands."

The aforementioned paragraph is a strong one

because it is developed through the use of

quotations, summary, details, and explanation

to support the topic sentence

The Conclusion

gives the essay a sense of completeness

lets readers know that they have come to the end

In your concluding paragraph

• restate the thesis in different words

• summarize the main points you have made

• make a relevant comment from a different perspective

• do not introduce a new topic in your conclusion

E.g.

When the mirror has nothing but the wall to stare

at, the world is truthful, objective, factual, and

"exact," but when the woman comes into view,

the world becomes messy, unsettling,

complicated, emotional, and vivid. Thus, the

mirror is "no longer a boundary but a liminal and

penetrable space." It reflects more than an

image - it reflects its own desires and

understanding about the world. Overall, "Mirror" is

a melancholy and even bitter poem that

exemplifies the tensions between inner and outer

selves, as well as indicates the preternaturally

feminine "problem" of aging and losing one's

beauty.

Introducing Sentence

Thesis

transition

Body para 1

(topic sentence)

Body para 2

(topic sentence)

Body para 3

(topic sentence)

Conclusion

development

of

Central idea

Best wishes,

Nadun Flower, Founder

the Global Study Desk