Respond to All of the Questions with Complete Sentences

Name______Period_____Date______

Poetry Graphic Organizer

“Thanatopsis”

Respond to all of the questions with complete sentences.

Pre-Reading (1 point)
The title of the poem Thanatopsis comes from two Greek words: "thanatos" (which means "death") and "opsis" (meaning "view," or "sight”). Therefore the poem’s title means “a view of death.” Do you ever think about death? Does it get you down? Is there a particular thought that soothes you when you get sad thinking about the inevitability of death? / Form (1 point)
What is the form of the poem? Is it divided in to stanzas? Is there a certain number of lines per stanza? / Rhyme Scheme (2 points)
What is the rhyme scheme of the poem?
Is there any internal rhyme?
Figurative Language
(4 total points)
Can you find any example of figurative language? List and categorize the examples below / Imagery (1 point)
Is there any imagery in the poem? What senses (sight, hearing, touch, taste, or smell) does the imagery appeal to? / Sound Devices (1 point)
Are there any sound devices? List the examples below and label them according to type (i.e. alliteration, onomatopoeia, repetition).
Metaphors (including extended metaphors):
Similes:
Personification:
Hyperbole:
Meter (1 point)
Is there are pattern to the meter of this poem? / Tone (1 point)
What is the tone of the poem? How can you tell? / Literal Meaning (1 point)
What is literally happening within the poem? Do not dig too deep.
Figurative Meaning (1 point)
What is the underlying meaning of the poem?
Theme (2 points)
What is the theme of the poem? Remember, the theme is the main idea or author’s message. It is a perception about life or human nature that the writer shares with the reader. An effective way to find the theme is to identify a subject that the poem deals with and then explain what the author is saying about that subject.
Subject that the poem discusses in one word (life, death, faith, friendship)
Theme (what the author’s point is about this subject?) / Style (1 point)
Evaluate Cullen’s poem, in particular his style. How would you describe the style with which he writes? / Extra Credit (1 point)
Popular culture is still obsessed with the topics of death and nature. Pick a song, poem, or book that deals with the topics of death, nature, or both and explain how it relates to this poem.