Answering Poetry Questions

Your Man

just wondering how everyone eles answers the studied poetry questions in english...ie do you take 3 points and apply 2 poems to each or what?
thats the way ive been told to do it but i find it hard to answer em that way for plath/bishop.


Any Suggestions?

JC 2K3

I just start writing and it usually just works out.

Just get familiar with the poet's poetry, what's similar about different poems etc. and you'll find it much easier to compose an answer.

Cogey Bear

I was told that you can just write about 3 poems and still get full marks and not to write anymore than 5 poems on any one poet.

Haven't a Clue

Have an idea of the different themes in each poet's poetry, eg. depression for Plath, isolation for Kavanagh etc. Then pick out the poems which have these themes in them.

That's what I did and I got a B in the poetry question for the mocks with little studying done.

eZe^

If your opening paragraph is very good then youll get a B quite easily if you can competently compare the poems, even in a simple manner. A good opening paragraph gives the examiner a good first impression and sets the tone.

Naikon

Poetry:mad:
On the brightside, its only a small part of the course:)

:|

If you're asked for a personal essay then write a personal essay! Relate everything to you

AdMMM

"I" is the most important word that you can use. "I believe this, I believe that, I feel they mean this, this makes me feel like that". It's your job to engage the question with a personal response and this is achieved by constant personal analysis.

Nehpets

Every essay I get back always has "More personal response" written on it! haha

Soby

any help?http://www.skoool.ie
Poetry you have studied

Rewrite the question in your own words.

Decide whether you are going to agree, disagree, or partly agree with the question. Make sure you have enough evidence from the text to back up your stance.

Write down seven or eight points that will form the framework of your answer. These points must be on different aspects of the question and must contain quotations or references.

Develop each point into a paragraph and allow this form the structure of your answer.

Each paragraph must develop your answer in a logical format. Start your answer with an introductory statement outlining your stance (this is often a reworking of the question). The next paragraphs form the body of your answer, illustrated with quotations and references.

The concluding paragraph ties up your ideas. Spend some time on the conclusion as it's an opportunity to re-enforce the ideas in your answer

http://www.skoool.ie/skoool/homeworkzone_sc.asp?id=2566

Unseen poetry

Ideas


State what you believe to be the main idea or ideas of the poem, approaching it stanza by stanza.
Note the key words or phrases repeated throughout the poem.
Think about why the stanzas/lines are structured in a particular way.
Explore the relationships throughout the poem.
See if there are any recurring themes in the poem, and elicit what the poet is trying to say by writing about these.


Persona


Who is the speaker in the poem? Is it the poet, or is it the poet taking on another voice?
Who is the poet speaking to? Is it him/herself, is it a particular person, or is it the reader?
What can we tell about the poet from studying the poem.


Language

When studying the language of a poem, there are certain elements to look out for:
Tone: What is the poem's tone (sad, happy, reflective, morose, philosophical, etc.)

Rhythm: Is there a musical quality to the poem, does it rhyme, does it follow a particular rhythm or is the rhythm fragmented?

Techniques: Does the poet use writing techniques to enhance the language, e.g., alliteration (the repetition of consonants) and assonance (the repetition of vowels).

Imagery: What imagery does the poem use and how does it shape your meaning of the poem.

Symbolism: Does the poet use symbolism to illustrate his/her views and is it effective.

Words: These are the essence of a poem, and it is important you're aware of key words and expressions and how they form your understanding and appreciation of the poem.

Grammar and punctuation: Poets differ in how they express themselves. Sometimes words are not enough in themselves and poets might use unorthodox grammar or different punctuation to get their points across. Be aware of this.

Sound: Read the poem a couple of times over, listening to the sounds. Depending on the sound, a poem can be sensual, or sad, or maybe angry, or happy.

http://www.skoool.ie/skoool/homeworkzone_sc.asp?id=426

óbriain1988

we were told to try to deal with 3 poems in detail (of course prufrock, great hunger and the like would count for more than 1)...mention a small bit on 3 others, and deal both with the themes and stylistic features of the poet.... all the pre questions (i think...) more or less had that personal responce aspect to it as well so that's a big part of it i'd say... think it's meant to be going that way anyway....more generalised essays but with personal responce...so like, do this approach only, because any other and you'll be wrong. if it's one thing about english, it's that there's only one right answer.

Your Man

cheers for all the suggestions,
on a seperate note not concerning everyone else,

obriain..from passage i could take a guess at who that is...ah morra!

lemansky

I hate poetry and so by the effort i put in as a result of this i should get poor marks but i do well usually(up around the a level).This isn't from effort but rather what i do.I take about 4 poems and discuss them in detail with respect to the question...about 1-1.5 pages for each.This includes the summary after each poem and bringing them together at the end.Also state which was your favourite poem and why.Use 'I' loads.Talk about your opinion etc.Very important to show your understanding of the material.This usually works out time wise as well for me anyway.I don't do any of this in great detail but i cover it.......

Naikon

Quite similar to my approach:)

lemansky

Naikon wrote:

Quite similar to my approach:)

Thank God i'm not alone!:D

Corruptedmorals

I always use 5 poems, and my favourites are Kavanagh and Plath, usually get A's in those, or else B+/A-. I bring in something about the poet's life in the introduction, and every poem gets one paragraph, then conclusion. I don't flood it with quotes, I use references too. if it's not personal response, then refer to the question all the way through, if it is, then 'I' and my favourite poem etc. it's worth the least of the paper 2 essays, no need to panic.

lemansky

Corruptedmorals wrote:

I always use 5 poems, and my favourites are Kavanagh and Plath, usually get A's in those, or else B+/A-. I bring in something about the poet's life in the introduction, and every poem gets one paragraph, then conclusion. I don't flood it with quotes, I use references too. if it's not personal response, then refer to the question all the way through, if it is, then 'I' and my favourite poem etc. it's worth the least of the paper 2 essays, no need to panic.

sound advice