1. How To Write a Poetry Essay

2. How To Write a Poetry Essay
Establish a point of view:
Firstly, I’m going to decide what my point of view is. I may have to choose a point of view for myself, or it may be dictated by the question asked.
I’m going to declare that I like the poetry of Robert Frost for the following reasons:
* His poems ask questions and have layers of meaning that can be explored by the reader.
* His vivid nature imagery and engaging language lingers in the mind long after we have read his poems.

3. How To Write a Poetry Essay
Establish a point of view:
This is one of the most important steps in the whole process. I have decided on a point of view. I will not be rambling on vaguely about my attitude to Frost’s poetry. Everything in my answer will now relate to this point of view.

4. How To Write a Poetry Essay
Which poems to talk about:
You must discuss all 5 poems that you have studied so there is no choice in the poems you will talk about. You do not have an option to leave one of them out.
When planning your answer, jot down the titles of the poems you will discuss (ensure you know the precise titles) and add a few quotations from each poem that will relate to your point of view.

5. Structure the essay:
Now, before I begin writing my essay, I’m going to plan all the paragraphs I intend to include.
The first paragraph, the introduction, will clearly state my point of view.
The second paragraph will deal with ‘The Tuft of Flowers’. I will be discussing Frost’s questioning character and how the beauty of nature provides him comfort.
My third paragraph will discuss ‘Mending Wall’. I will discuss feelings of uncertainty about the idea of boundaries.
My fourth and fifth paragraphs will discuss ‘Out, Out -’ and ‘Acquainted With the Night’. I will discuss the theme of sorrow and how it brought to life through imagery.
My sixth paragraph will discuss ‘The Road Not Taken’. I will discuss how Frost uses metaphor to ask questions about the nature of choice.
The final paragraph will be my conclusion.

6. How To Write a Poetry Essay
Writing the introduction:
I’m going to write my introduction. The first one or two sentences of my introduction will simply state the point of view I came up with in the planning stage or the point of view stated in the question asked
“I really admire the poetry of Frost because it always asks interesting questions and has layers of meaning to explore. I also like how his use of vivid imagery linger in the mind long after we have read the poems.”
I am now going to flesh this out in a few more sentences. It is good to make these sentences personal, if possible, to describe the impact the work had on you. In this instance, I am going to emphasise the impact Frost had on me by contrasting him with the other poets I have studied.

7. How To Write a Poetry Essay
Writing the introduction:
“I really admire the poetry of Frost because it always asks interesting questions and has layers of meaning to explore. I also like how his use of vivid imagery linger in the mind long after we have read the poems.” Throughout my life I have always found poetry to be dull, boring and intellectual. The poets I read never really connected with me. However, this was definitely not the case with Frost. His simple style made his poetry very accessible and his work spoke to me because he doesn’t claim to know all the answers. In fact, I found Frost’s poetry fascinating because it asks so many questions and made me think. Though he deals with nature in the majority of the poems, he is much more than a nature poet.
It’s obvious that the five sentences I have added here flesh out my point of view. The sentences are personal and show that I have really engaged with the work of the poet.

8. How To Write a Poetry Essay
Writing the body paragraphs:
I can see from my plan that my first body paragraph will deal with Frost;s questioning character and love of nature in ‘The Tuft of Flowers’. So I’m going to start my paragraph with a lead sentence, declaring what the paragraph is going to be about:
“In ‘The Tuft of Flowers’ we see Frost feeling isolated and alone. However, his questioning character and the beauty of nature provide him with comfort.”
Every other sentence in this paragraph is going to relate to or expand on this lead sentence. If I find myself writing something that does not relate directly to this lead sentence, I know I’ve gone wrong.

9. How To Write a Poetry Essay
Writing the body paragraphs:
To complete this paragraph I am going to write more sentences about ‘The Tuft of Flowers’:
Example: “In ‘The Tuft of Flowers’ we see Frost feeling isolated and alone. However, his questioning character and nature provide him with comfort. Though on the surface this poem seems very straightforward, a man who needs to turn the grass, like many of Frost’s poems it has a deeper meaning. At the start of the poem, the poet is feeling dejected and decides we are all ultimately alone: “I must be, as he had been – alone”. Frost is left isolated, brooding on “questions that have no reply”. However, the vivid nature imagery the poet uses showed me very clearly how the beauty of nature inspires Frost and consoles him. The “leaping tongue of bloom” lifts his spirits and releases him from his solitary thoughts. There is a dramatic change of mood when the natural world acts a guide for the poet, revealing to him the flowers the mower has spared. This “tuft” of flowers acts as a “message from the dawn”, a signal that other people share in his appreciation of beauty and nature. The teach him the lesson that “Men work together … Whether they work together or apart”.

10. How To Write a Poetry Essay
Writing the body paragraphs:
Note how every sentence I have written relates to my topic sentence. I don’t wander off the point by talking about Frost’s tragic family story or why he might be feeling lonely.
Note also how I don’t fall into the trap of summarising the poems, of telling the examiner everything that happened in each of them. I simply take two or three aspects that are relevant to my lead sentence.
Note also how I back up every point with a quote. The golden rule here is ‘Always be quoting’.

11. How To Write a Poetry Essay
Writing the body paragraphs:
I see that my next paragraph is going to deal with feelings of numbness as exhibited in ‘Mending Wall’. Once again I start off with a simple lead sentence:
“ ‘Mending Wall again shows Frost asking big questions about life. His vivid nature imagery brings his inquisitive character to life.”
Once again I am going to write a number of sentences that relate to this lead sentence. I’m going to make sure that nothing I write strays away from this topic.

12. How To Write a Poetry Essay
Writing the body paragraphs:
Example: “ ‘Mending Wall again shows Frost asking big questions about life. His vivid nature imagery brings his inquisitive character to life. Like ‘The Tuft of Flowers’, this poem deals with a mundane task but has layers of meaning that go far behind the surface level. The speaker and his neighbour meet to fix their boundary wall, something they do each year: “And on a day we meet to walk the like”. To some degree, the speaker believes in the importance of walls. This was obvious to me when he describes fixing the damage through the year and arranging to meet his neighbour. Yet he also questions the concept of boundaries and the old tradition that “Good fences make good neighbours”. Frost seems convinced that there is some force in nature that despises walls – “something there is that doesn’t love a wall”. He would love to debate this topic with his neighbour but knows that he will get nowhere with a man who gives the issue no thought at all. I enjoyed the poet’s use of imagery to show his critical view of his neighbour, describing him as a “stone savage” who “moves in darkness”. Frost is irritated that his neighbour refuses to think for himself, something Frost holds in high regard.”

13. How To Write a Poetry Essay
Writing the body paragraphs:
Note again how each sentence I have written relates to the topic sentence
I don’t fall into the trap of summarising the poem, of telling the examiner everything that happened in each of them. I simply take a couple of aspects that are relevant to my topic sentence.
I back up every point with a quote.
The remainder of the body paragraphs will follow the same format outlined above.

14. How To Write a Poetry Essay
Writing the conclusion:
The idea here is to sum up what I have said in the essay without repeating myself too much. I am going to bring the point of view I established in the introduction. I am going to try and get personal. The first thing I am going to do is rewrite my point of view in slightly different language:
“For me, then, Frost’s poetry stands out because of the interesting questions it poses.”
Now I am going to add a sentence that contains a phrase like ‘In the poems discussed above’ or ‘As I have outlined above’ or ‘As I have discussed”. This sentence will refer back to the essay I have just written
“For me, then, Frost’s poetry stands out because of the interesting questions it poses. In poems like those discussed above, there is a curiosity like nothing else I have come across in poetry.”
Now I am going to add two or three more sentences that flesh out this point. I am going to try to make these as personal as possible:

15. How To Write a Poetry Essay
Writing the conclusion:
“For me, then, Frost’s poetry stands out because of the interesting questions it poses and its layers of meaning. In poems like those discussed above, there is a curiosity like nothing else I have come across in poetry. Reading Frost’s poetry, I felt like he was really talking to me, that he was discussing questions about life that I have either had or will have someday. The vivid and interesting imagery, like that of “old-stone savage” neighbour or the two paths in a “yellow wood”, will remain with me much longer than my study for the Leaving Certificate.
Note how, though the conclusion is substantial, it is not too long and does not ramble on and on repeating the points made in the essay. Also note how the conclusion describes a personal response. Finally, not how the conclusion is tied into the point of view established at the start of the essay.
If you are aiming for an A in English it can be good to finish with a flourish. This might involve using a memorable phrase, a quote from a famous writer or the poet under discussion or some poetic sentence of your own.

16. THE SEVEN GOLDEN RULES
Read the question carefully. This sounds obvious but I can’t stress how important it is.
Establish a point of view. Do this at the beginning of your planning stage. Remember that every sentence in your essay will relate to this point of view.
Structure the essay carefully. Determine what every paragraph is going to be about before you start writing.
Begin each paragraph with a lead sentence. Every other sentence in the paragraph will relate to this sentence.

17. THE SEVEN GOLDEN RULES
Don’t paraphrase. Don’t retell the story or the action of the poem, - the examiner already knows this. Just identify the elements of the poem that relate to your topic.
Always be quoting.
Be aware of the genre. Are you being asked to write a straightforward essay or are you being asked to do something else like write a letter or give a short talk, then the introduction and the conclusion of your piece will need to reflect this.

18. Over to You!
“We enjoy Frost’s poetry for its layers of meaning and appealing style”. Do you agree with this statement of Frost’s poetry? Support your answer with reference to his poetry.

19. Frost: Key Phrases Appealing nature imagery Layers of meaning
Accessible
Simple style
Poet of sadness
Rich insights into human experience
Engaging language
Interesting ideas