This document provides instructions for a project analyzing three poems about fathers. Students are asked to read the poems, examine how they use mood, imagery, simile and metaphor. They then write a 600-750 word paper interpreting the poems' meanings and discussing how literary techniques like mood and imagery impact the poems' effects on readers. The paper must cite examples from the poems and be proofread before submission.

1. COMPETENCIES TO MASTER
·
Can support interpretations and analyses of literary texts with
textual evidence
·
Can communicate ideas about literature using appropriate
terminology
·
Can produce an extended piece of writing
·
Can use standard syntax and sentence structure; correct
spelling, punctuation, and capitalization; appropriate grammar
(e.g., correct tense, subject-verb agreement, no missing words)
Overview
Why read poetry? The poet Amy Lowell said that question was
like asking, “Why should one eat?” In other words, for some
people, poetry is both nourishing and essential—it can make us
cry, soothe us when we are upset, stir us up when we are
complacent, and say things in a way that nothing else can. But
how does poetry do all these things? That’s what this Project is
about. In this Project, you will write a paper analyzing and
interpreting poetry.
Directions
For this Project, you will read three poems about fathers: “My
Papa’s Waltz,” by Theodore Roethke; “Those Winter Sundays,”
by Robert Hayden; and “My Father’s Hats,” by Mark Irwin. You
will then write a paper that examines how these poems use
mood, imagery and simile or metaphor.
1.
First, examine the Terms List to make sure you understand the

2. concepts of mood, imagery, simile and metaphor. Also, read
through the resources “Using Evidence From Texts,” “Writing
About Poetry” and “Citing Poetry,” which will be helpful when
writing your paper.
2.
Next, read each poem aloud several times. For the Roethke
poem, you can listen to an audio file of the poet reading his
poem. Circle any words that are unfamiliar to you or that strike
you as particularly interesting. Look up any unfamiliar words.
3.
In preparation for writing your paper, take time to analyze and
interpret each poem, considering the following questions:
o
What is the poem about?
o
What is the mood of the poem? Does the mood of the poem
change from the beginning to the end?
o
What impact do mood, imagery and simile/metaphor have on
you and the poem?
o
Does this poem appeal to you? Why or why not?
4.
Once you have carefully considered your answers to each of the
above questions, use what you have learned from analyzing and
interpreting these poems to write a 600- to 750-word paper. In
your paper, provide at least one example of each of the
following literary techniques: mood, imagery and
simile/metaphor. You may use examples from any of the

3. poems. Then, discuss how these literary techniques impact the
meanings of the poems. What effect do these techniques have on
the reader? Why do you think the author chose to use the
wording he did?
5.
Proofread your work to correct for errors in spelling, grammar,
punctuation or mechanics before you submit your paper.
6.
You do not need to do research for this paper, but all sources,
quotations and paraphrases from the texts must be cited using
APA format.
DELIVERABLES
·
Paper
Suggested Word Count: 600
Accepted File Types: .doc, .docx, .odt, .rtf, .txt, .pdf
Rubric
The Rubric is used to evaluate your Project. Satisfying all of the
Rubric criteria shows that you have mastered the project and the
relevant
Criteria
Introduction contains a clear thesis statement
Begins with an introduction that clearly introduces the topic
Describes what each poem is about
Supports statements about the poems using evidence from the
texts

4. Interprets and analyzes the meaning of each poem, applying the
terms “mood,” “imagery” and “simile” or “metaphor”
appropriately
Explains which poems are appealing and why or why not
Ends with a conclusion that synthesizes the ideas in the essay
Writing is clear, with no major errors
Any sources of information are cited using APA format, with no
major errors
Reading Materials
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/resources/learning/core-
poems/detail/46461
https://vimeo.com/7441917
https://www.poets.org/poetsorg/poem/my-fathers-hats
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems-and-
poets/poems/detail/43330
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/615/01/
http://www.georgetowncollege.edu/eng/resources/how-to-quote-
poetry-in-english-papers/
Explore Writing, Poems About Fathers
Terms List
Simile
A figure of speech that compares two unlike things, using the
words “like” or “as.”
Examples:
●
"sly as a fox"
●
“my love is like a red, red rose”

5. Metaphor
A figure of speech that describes one thing in terms of another,
without the use of “like” or “as.”
Examples:
●
“saccharine words”
●
“waves of anxiety”
●
“porcelain skin”
●
“a cancer on our society”
Mood
The overall feeling the poem creates.
Examples:
●
playful
●
sad
●
lonely
●
angry
●
joyful

6. Imagery
The use of descriptive, often nonliteral language, especially
relating to the senses.
Examples:
●
“the wine-dark sea”
●
“the fog that spiralled around us”
●
“
the smell of the chestnuts roasting on an open fire”