Essay Question #1: Analytical Focus

Benjamin’s study guide/essay question # 1

Diction

Diction refers to the author’s style and expression. Diction can help the reader comprehend the vocabulary for the sake of understanding the poet’s inner feelings. Diction is key when answering the essay question because we can use diction to describe how the poet uses the vocabulary to describe a particular place or event that can be question on the essay.

Tone

Tone in poetry expresses the poet’s attitudes toward the subject. It can also reveal if the author has a positive or negative attitude toward their work. Tone can also refer to the overall mood of the work itself. Tone may help us answer the essay question because we can use tone to emphasis the tone of voice and facial expressions to figure out the true meaning of the work as a whole and its purpose.

Figurative Language

Figurative language changes the literal meaning of the work to make it very clear and sure. There can be complexity throughout the work, but it is for us to take the meaning to a whole different level. Basically we capture the meaning to a greater extent where it is not even seen in the poem at times. Figurative languages can be useful to help answer the essay question because we can use simile, personification, hyperbole, metaphor and many other literary techniques to express and even show the literal meaning of the work.

Essay Question #1: Thematic Focus

• Paraphrase

  • Paraphrasing will help ease the effort it takes to understand the poem and cut down on the time it takes to look for specific examples to use in the essay.

• Identify the tone

  • Knowing the tone will help understand what the speaker is discussing and how he or she feels about the particular subject. Many essay #1 questions will require the test taker to discuss the tone or attitude in their essay.

• Contrasting

  • Look for any contrasts in the poem. Contrasts are usually used to emphasize something the speaker is discussing. Rhetorical shifts are an important type of contrast to look for because they signal a change in attitude. This is another popular requirement for essay #1 questions.

• Why's and How

  • It is important to discuss why the speaker does something more than what he did. The speaker has a reason for using a certain rhyme scheme, word choice, or other literary element. It is important to discuss why he or she did this and how it was done.

• Always Think About Purpose

  • Whether looking for contrast, tone, themes, or anything else, it is important to think about the speakers purpose for including those things. Discussing the purpose will make the essays more insightful. Thinking about the purpose will help with avoiding including needless things such as plot summary or irrelevant details in the essay.

Thematic Focus by Jonpierre. Analytical Focus by Benjamin.