1. Poetry “Wheel”

2. Notes before we begin: O Refer to any author by his or her last name O The speaker isn’t necessarily the poet O A poem that tells a story is a “narrative poem”

3. Content

4. Style

5. The “wheel” Title Theme Context Speaker/PoV Audience Diction Form/StructureSyntax Imagery Figurative Lang. Symbolism SoundIrony Allusion Tone

6. Title/Theme/Context O Title - Literal or symbolic? Suggested meanings? Length, punctuation, capitalization O Theme O How not to state a theme: O “The theme of this poem deals with a character who is destroyed by money.” O “This poem is about human desires.” O How to state a theme: O “Vice seems more interesting than virtue but turns out to be destructive.” O “the vanity of human desires” O Context O Relevance of context? Effect on theme? O Effect on conventions of genre? (i.e. Shakespeare didn’t write in free verse)

7. Speaker/PoV and Audience O The poet or a specific persona? O PoV? O What assumptions can you make about the speaker? O age, gender, class, emotional state, etc. O Relevant to poem’s content? O Identified audience? O Language influenced by audience?

8. Diction O Classify and explain: O denotative vs. connotative (dead vs. passed away) O concrete vs. abstract O monosyllabic vs. polysyllabic O positive vs. negative (slender vs. skinny, determined vs. stubborn) O colloquial (dialect) / informal / formal O cacophonous vs. euphonious O Repeated words?

9. Form/Structure O form correspond to theme? O follow a formal poetic structure (i.e. sonnet, haiku, blues poem, etc.)? O If so, what are the characteristics of that form? How does it deviate from that form? O divided into stanzas? any reason stanza breaks? O stanzas and lines consistently the same length? follow a particular pattern? any stanzas, lines, or words that diverge from the pattern?

10. Syntax O Enjambment or end-stopped lines? Effects of this? O Caesura? Effects? O Use of punctuation – effects on pacing? O Uncommon fonts? Bolded? Italicized? Why? O Active or passive sentences? O Consistent verb tense? O complete sentences, fragments, or combination of both? pattern? O word order natural or grammatically irregular?

11. Imagery O literal or figurative? abstract or concrete? sensory experiences evoked? repeated images? O Figurative Language O simile, metaphor, personification, hyperbole, metonymy, synecdoche, understatement O comparisons express images or abstract ideas? O effect on tone and theme? O Symbolism? recurring?

12. Sound O Identifiable rhythm? Syllables in each line? Pattern? Stressed or unstressed syllables? O Alliteration, assonance, consonance, onomatopoeia? How do these enhance rhythm and musicality? O Identifiable rhyme scheme? Results? O Consistent or inconsistent? O What kind (exact, etc.)? Effects?

13. Irony/Allusion O Irony O Does irony reveal or hide anything? O Paradox? Oxymoron? (insert “you’re an oxymoron” joke here) O Allusion (You absolutely need to know these before the IOC! Maybe a surprise quiz (that was just announced in advance)?) O Are there any? What are they? Effects? O Similarity of reference? Effects?

14. Tone O Is the tone positive or negative? What are the words that describe it most accurately? O Does the tone change as the poem progresses? Is it consistent at the beginning and ending of the poem? O How do literary devices influence tone?