NAME______Date______

POETRY EXPLICATION ESSAY: DIRECTIONS

The purpose of this essay is to explain/interpret (“explicate” is the fancy word) a poem—in other words, to tell what you think it means.

DIRECTIONS:

  1. Read over your poems several times. Then pick the ONE you think you can best explain. Underline metaphors/similes or other literary devices you notice and jot down notes for yourself.
  1. Write an introductory paragraph that includes the following elements:

A hook--general opening statement that references the question/topic without specifying the author or text. EXAMPLE: Some people say that life is a journey.

1-2 supporting statements that further or refute the ideas of the opening line using language and ideas that move closer to the thesis. EXAMPLE: This metaphor helps them understand what they are going through, especially when they face challenges.

A thesis statement that specifically, concisely, and accurately presents an argument for the paper. The thesis statement includes the title and author of the text in question (poem, play, essay, etc.). In a poetry explication essay, the thesis should tell what the poem is FIGURATIVELY ABOUT. EXAMPLE: “The Journey,” a poem by Mary Oliver, is about a long confusing walk down the road to what is right. [NOTE: It’s not literally about someone walking down “the road to what is right”; it’s a metaphor that suggests this idea.]

A thesis support statement that extends the ideas of the thesis and clarifies/closes the introductory paragraph. EXAMPLE: This poem is realistic about life’s difficulties, but also hopeful.

  1. In the next paragraph, explain the first lines/stanza. In other words, tell how the poet begins to address the theme/message you have identified in your introduction. Give quotations from the poem and explain them. Remember to use present tense.

EXAMPLE: Mary Oliver begins her journey by finally realizing what has to be done and starts doing it: “One day you finally knew what you had to do, and began.”

  1. Go through the poem, explaining line-by-line if possible (or address several lines at a time if it makes more sense). Use transitions between paragraphs with language that goes beyond “first,” “second,” “in conclusion,” etc. Note: Use forward slashes (/)to indicate line breaks.

EXAMPLE: But the voices around her are not allowing her to do right. They are trying to persuade her to do wrong: “the voices around you/ kept shouting/ their bad advice.” She keeps listening to many voices that she knows that she does not want to hear: “’Mend my life!’/ each voice cried!/ But you didn’t stop.”

  1. Go through the entire poem this way. You do not have to quote every single line, but you should discuss key lines in every stanza.
  1. In your conclusion, do not repeat the introduction verbatim. Tell what the author’s message, lesson, or insight is.

EXAMPLE: Overall, Mary Oliver is trying to say that we must fight through the bad advice that is given to us and do what we think is right.

© 2009 Sarah Tantillo, Ed.D., LLC @