This document provides an introduction to writing poetry analysis essays. It discusses analyzing elements of poetry like theme, imagery, structure and interpreting what effect they have on conveying the poet's meaning. It explains that an analysis develops an interpretation of a poem through an argument presented in a thesis statement. The essay should include an introduction with background on the poem, a body with paragraphs on topics supporting the thesis, and a conclusion that restates the thesis. Each paragraph requires a topic sentence stating its topic and evidence from the poem.

1. POETRY ANALYSIS ESSAYS
AN INTRODUCTION INTO WRITING

2. Literary Analysis Essays
Poetry analyses
Short story analyses
Character analyses

4. literary / ˈlɪt. ə r. ə r.i / / ˈlɪt̬.ə.rer- / adjective
connected with literature:
a literary critic
a literary style

5. analyse UK ( US analyze ) / ˈæn. ə l.aɪz / verb [ T ]
to study or examine something in detail, in order
to discover more about it

6. analysis / əˈnæl.ə.sɪs / noun [ C or U ]
( PLURAL analyses / -siːz / )
the act of analysing something

7. how the plot/structure, character, setting,
and many other techniques are used by the
author to create meaning.

8. Literary Analysis Essays
Poetry analyses
Short story analyses
Character analyses

9. 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.

10. Character analyses
E.g.
Write a character sketch of Gabriel in the short story
The Dead by James Joyce.

11. Poetry analyses

12. a Poem?

13. “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)

14. “Poetry is boned with ideas, nerved and
blooded with emotions, all held together
by the delicate, tough skin of words.”
– Paul Engle (1908-1991)

15. It's only words
And words are all I have
To take your heart away
- Boyzone

16. 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

17. This argument will in turn form the basis of
your essay’s thesis statement

18. Creating a Thesis & Outline for a
Poetry Essay

19. 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.

20. The Introduction
Bring immediate focus to your subject
a quotation
a provocative question
a brief anecdote
a startling statement
a combination of these

21. include background information relevant to your
thesis
position you are taking
title of the work of literature and name of the author

22. Q.
“Mirror” is a melancholy which depicts the
feminine problem of aging and losing beauty.
Discuss.

23. 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.

24. The Body of the
Essay and the
Importance of Topic
Sentences

25. The development of the central idea of a literary
analysis essay
Present the paragraphs that support your thesis
statement
The Body

26. 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

27. 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

28. 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

29. 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."

30. 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

31. The Conclusion
gives the essay a sense of completeness
lets readers know that they have come to the end

32. 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

33. 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.

34. Introducing Sentence
Thesis
transition
Body para 1
(topic sentence)
Body para 2
(topic sentence)
Body para 3
(topic sentence)
Conclusion
development
of
Central idea

35. Best wishes,
Nadun Flower, Founder
the Global Study Desk