essay analyzing a poem of a narrow fellow in the grass
However, you will not answer each of these in order when you write your essay. Most of them you probably won’t answer at all. You will only choose the ones that help the reader understand the poem better.
You also will write the poem analysis as an essay with an introductory paragraph, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. In fact, though I will give you the poem to write about, you will pretend that the poem choice was yours and that this list doesn’t exist. (I will write a sample later to help you see this more clearly.)
Some questions you may not understand yet, but I will clarify later. This is just a general list to get you started. Even if you do not use every question for your essay, you will always want to start by considering question one, which has to do with purpose and theme. Once you understand the poem’s purpose and theme, you will be better able to understand why the poet makes the choices of images, words, symbols, connotations, and so forth that he or she makes.
Look through the list. Then read Emily Dickenson’s poem [A Narrow Fellow in the Grass]. Then read my analysis in which I use a number of the items in the list below.
What is the general purpose of the poem? Which one or more of the following does it do?
Tell a story?
Reveal a character?
Impart a vivid impression of a scene?
Express a mood?
Convey an idea or attitude?
(The speaker knows. Purpose = persuasion.) For example, the poem’s narrator is convinced that abortions are wrong, so the purpose of the poem is to illustrate that belief.
Raise an intellectual or moral question?
(The poem shows both sides. Purpose = show complexity of the question/issue.) For example, the poem’s narrator might use a poem to show the complexity of the abortion issue, showing the horrors of abortion in one stanza but showing in another stanza a teenage girl who is pregnant after being raped. The purpose of the poem isn’t to take a side, but to show just how complex and difficult the issue is.
Note: Usually, a poem does 1 or 2 of the above, not 4 or 5 of them. For example, it might impart a vivid impression of a scene (a war battle, perhaps) to convey an idea or attitude (probably either that war is bad or that some wars are necessary).
Always begin by choosing which ones (a through f) dominate the poem.
State the central idea or the theme of the poem in a sentence.
What does the title mean or imply in relation to the poem?
Examine the diction.
What words are unfamiliar or used in unfamiliar ways?
Look these up in a dictionary. (Use a good dictionary. Poets are fond of using words in uncommon senses.)
b. What words are used because they have especially appropriate connotations?
Who is the speaker? What kind of person is he or she? Or is it just a “voice,” an unknown narrator?
To whom is he or she speaking? What kind of person is the listener? (Or is there no specific listener?)
Is it a special occasion? Birthday? First day of Spring? Graduation Day? Christmas? Day of a famous battle or other historical event?
What is the setting in time (time of day, season, century, etc.)? What is the significance of the time chosen? What does it add to the poem?
What is the setting of place (indoors or outdoors, city or country, which nation, etc.)?
Outline the poem so as to show its structure and development.
Write a precise prose paraphrase of the poem. If you can’t do this, you might not understand the poem.
How much concrete imagery does the poem use? Of what kinds? Why?
Isolate any language in the poem that is used figuratively. What does the poet gain by using it?
If you know the technical terms for the various poetic devices, name each figure of speech.
Point out significant examples of sound repetition and explain what they contribute to the poem. (Rhyme, alliteration, assonance, etc.)
Mark the scansion and determine the basic meter as well as any significant deviations from it. Discuss the adaptation of sound to sense.
Point out any formal patterns used (such as traditional poetic forms, repetition, etc.)
Figure out your conclusion. Ok, the poet used all these devices, speakers, sounds, etc. What was the point? (This is probably similar to what you wrote in the last paragraph of your short story, drama, and research paper essays.)
PLACE THIS ORDER OR A SIMILAR ORDER WITH US TODAY AND GET AN AMAZING DISCOUNT 🙂