1. Analyzing “The Writer”
by Richard Wilbur

2. Metaphor
As you analyze the poem, keep in mind that it is written as a metaphor.
This means that the things in the poem really represent something different.

3. Notations Read through the first 3 stanzas of the poem.
What are the metaphorical references in these stanzas?
HINT: Look at the vocabulary words from these stanzas. What do most of them make reference to?

4. Notations
In the margin of your copy of the poem, write a one-sentence summary that tells what stanzas 1 through 5 are describing (literally).

5. Notations Read through stanzas 6 through 10.
What event is being described here?
Write another one-sentence summary in the margin that gives a summary of this event.

6. Discussion
Now, you must dig deeper—under the surface meaning of the poem—to discover the metaphorical meaning.

7. Discussion
Why does Richard Wilbur compare the house to a ship in the first few stanzas?

8. Discussion
What could the trapped starling represent in this poem?

9. Exit Ticket
On a small piece of paper, describe your interpretation of the metaphor in a format similar to this:
When the girl in the poem writes, she is a ____________
because _________________________________.
Make sure your name is on the Exit Ticket and drop it in the Turn-in Bin as you leave class.