1. RHYME SCHEME: First of all, you are looking at the last word in each line. Mark the first line “A”, now go through the rest of the poem (just looking at the last word in each line)–any other words that rhyme with that first word also get marked “A”. Now, go to the next line that does not rhyme with “A”, and mark it “B”. Go through the same process marking all other rhyming words with “B”. Keep going through each line until all lines are marked (HINT: You will only have to go up to “D” on this poem.)

2. ALLITERATION: The repetition of the same sound at the beginning of a word. They should be very close in proximity–if not next to eachother–no farther than the same line. An example would be something like “slippery slopes”–the sound of “SL” is at the beginning of each. Becareful though, you are working on sounds, not spelling!

3. IMAGERY: Are there any words or phrases that appeal to the 5 senses? If so, what image do they create? Then think about why the author used those specific images. (HINT: An author often uses imagery to create a TONE).

4. METAPHOR: When an author compares two unlike things without using LIKE OR AS. This poem is actually an extended metaphor, meaning that everything in this poem is comparing one thing to something else. So, I just gave you a hint–if everything in this poem is a metaphor–what is this poem literally about? Then, think about what could it really be about–to figure this out you need to look at the author and the events going on in the time period he was writing this poem.

5. APOSTROPHES: These are similar to personification, when an author speaks directly to an object–thus giving that object the human quality of understanding. S/he does this in order to show an extreme emotion. (HINT: These are usually signified by the use of “O”)

6. SYMBOLS: Symbols are objects that represent something else. For example, a swoosh represents Nike and a cross (in some religions) represents Jesus. You should probably do the symbolism in this poem last, because once you figure out the metaphor in this poem, the symbol will become obvious. Think about what this word really means to the author by also looking at the imagery that he uses to describe the use of this object.

7. The use of “WE”: Once you have figured out the metaphor, you will realize who the author is really talking about, thus you will be able to see why he uses the word we!

Whew…okay, that was a whole 90 minute lecture in four paragraphs! This can be a difficult poem to start with right in the beginning of the year, but if you start by looking at who the author is and what time period he was writing in, I think the other things will fall into place! Good luck and don’t get discouraged!