Choose one of the poems found in Week 2: Poetry: “Alligator Pie,” by Dennis Lee; “Life Doesn’t Frighten Me” by Maya Angelou; “Knight-in-Armour” by
EAC273 Introduction to Children’s Literature
Practice Poem Analysis (10%)
Professor Melanie Fishbane
Purpose: The purpose of this assignment is to use what you’ve learned about the basics of
literary elements, and poetry and apply it to a short analysis of a poem.
Instructions:
- Choose one of the poems found in Week 2: Poetry: “Alligator Pie,” by Dennis Lee; “Life Doesn’t Frighten Me” by Maya Angelou; “Knight-in-Armour” by A.A. Milne; Shel Silverstein’s “Sick.”
- Choose any two literary elements below and consider how the writer uses them in their
poem to connect to the child reader. Be sure to review the module on Basic Literary
Terminology from Week 1.
Rhyme and/or rhythm
Speech Sound (onomatopoeia, alliteration, assonance, consonance)
Imagery and Figurative Language (hyperbole or personification)
Shape
Irony
Characterization
Point of view
Tone
Allegory - Write a 200 word paragraph that contains:
a. An introductory sentence that has a thesis about your poem that outlines which
two elements you’re going to be discussing and what you think the poem is
about.
b. 2 to 4 sentences that provides specific examples from the poem. For the
purposes of this assignment I don’t want you to quote as I want to see how you
write. Instead, refer to the line number and paraphrase what the writer says.
c. A concluding sentence that summarizes your argument.
Answer preview for Choose one of the poems found in Week 2: Poetry: “Alligator Pie,” by Dennis Lee; “Life Doesn’t Frighten Me” by Maya Angelou; “Knight-in-Armour” by
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