Introduction to Poetic Analysis Using Elizabeth Bishop's, "One Art"

After the line-by-line analysis, open up a class discussion by asking what patterns students noticed in the responses. For example, did some lines elicit more responses than others? What might that reveal about that line's significance? Were there multiple and/or conflicting interpretations of the same line or poetic element? What might that suggest about the process of poetry analysis? How important did text support become to defending or refuting interpretations?

At the end of the discussion, ask students to spend 10-15 minutes annotating their entire poem based on the day's discussion, being sure to capture any new insights, understanding, or analysis they gleamed as part of this process.

Finally, ask students to write a one paragraph reflection on how this process shaped their understanding of the poem, focusing specifically on how their understanding changed from the first read of the poem to the last read. How might they transfer the skills they learned in this lesson to their approach to future analytical tasks?


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