This document provides guidance on analyzing a poem by choosing two literary devices or types of language, defining each briefly in your own words, applying each to the poem by quoting examples and explaining how they illustrate the device, interpreting the meaning of each quote in the context of the poem, and citing sources in MLA style. It also includes an example response from a classmate who analyzes a poem using the terms "turn" and "metaphor" to discuss changes in focus and descriptive language.

1. -Choose two terms, literary devices or types of literary language...
-Choose two terms, literary devices or types of literary language that you think you can use
to interpret the poem you chose.
-Briefly define each of these using your own words. Please paraphrase and do not just copy
the definitions from the readings and videos.
-Apply each term, literary device or type of literary language to the poem by quoting a line
or section from the poem that is an example of each and explain how this quote from the
poem an example is. Do not just quote a line from the poem and say it is an example. Be sure
to show how it is an example.
-Based on your use of terminology, method or type of literary language, for each of your two
quoted examples, try to interpret the meaning of the line or section and how it relates to the
context of the overall poem or piece. Asbee's reading has examples of how to do these, and
below is another.
-Make sure to cite any quotes or paraphrases in mla style.
Classmate: A Turn is where the authors focus changes from one thought to another. Here in
the poem by Gansworth he changes his thoughts from criticizing a Native American to the
death of his brother. "What mattered was that one of my four brothers was dead and I was
wrapping up a speaking engagement seven hours away, and the rain had begun, and no
matter what time I got back home, or how fast I drove or how much I wanted to believe my
family was playing the ultimate April Fool's Day gag, he was still going to be dead when I
arrived home at two in the morning on April 2nd and they would all be still up, waiting to
help me confirm over and over that he was not there, to confirm his empty place, for myself
and for others when my brother's phone began ringing as the sky lightened and I started
that repetitious phrase, myself, speaking into the receiver, sending this phrase out across
the lines and into the world, daring the person on the other end to hang up before it was too
late: "My brother . . ." (Gainsworth, 2011). I think that the meaning of this selection was for
the reader to understand the tone of the poem. The tone is bitter but once the author
explains the death of the brother, the tone then makes more since.
Another term used is a metaphor. A metaphor is where the author uses a phrase or word to
describe something else. "Rain (and still more) rain" (Gainsworth, 2011). The author is
using this metaphor to show the narrators feeling. "Rain" is a metaphor for feeling gloomy
and "(and still more rain)" to say that the gloominess is still continuing.
Mla 9th Edition (Modern Language Assoc.)

2. William Reichard. American Tensions : Literature of Identity and the Search for Social
Justice. New Village Press, 2011.
Explain to your classmate why you think their comments are interesting.
Ask your classmate a question or two to inquire about their further thoughts on a topic or to
clarify and expand upon something they have said.