Introduce the author's full name, the title of the poem, and offer your topic sentence which signals you are responding to the prompt for that poem . Give a brief 1-2 sentence overview of the work--what is it about? Move into your argument and introduce your evidence Cite AT LEAST 5 lines/phrases/words from the poem Use elements of poetry as needed in your analysis--PUT THESE IN BOLD speaker and tone figurative speech (metaphor, simile, synechdoce, symbol, personification) sound rhyme rhythm and meter diction and syntax theme When you cite, use a forward slash to separate lines and cite the lines in ( ) He seems to reject "old time-covered/History" (7-8) in favor of "Mythology" (11). Use the key words in your topic sentence--stay focused Use a formal tone Eliminate careless errors in spelling, punctuation, capitalization and grammar .