How To Create A Thesis And An Outline For A Poetry Essay

How To Create A Thesis And An Outline For A Poetry Essay

Every academic paper you write requires a thesis. In a summary paper, your thesis is a statement that provides the meaning of the essay that you are summarizing. In a critique paper, your thesis is your own view or position, which you put forward in response to the essay you are analyzing. However, in a poetry essay, your main purpose is not to summarize or respond to other essays but to develop an idea of your own in greater depth and detail as your paper proceeds.

In order to develop a thesis:

1. Read the poem several times.  Read it aloud at least once. 
2. Underline the words in the poem that you do not understand, or words that you think you know the meanings of but cannot define.
3. What meaning does the title have for you?
4. Write down all the words and phrases that give you a clue about the speaker’s tone (attitude or emotional state) and character.
5. Whom the speaker is addressing?
6. Note any details that reveal the setting (social situation, physical place, time).
7. What is the dominant imagery of the poem?  Are there any contrasts in the imagery?
8. Take note of any use of sound effects and symbolism in the poem.
9. Make an extensive list of topics considered in the poem.
10. When you have a list of several topics, circle one or two that seem most relevant to the poem
11. The thesis of your essay will then be a statement that tells the reader what the theme is and which of the literary devices the author uses to develop that theme.  Write that sentence or sentences down.

Poetry Analysis Essay Outline

1. Introduction

• Attention-getter (question, quote, fact)
• Title and Author
• Clear Thesis that names the key elements to be analyzed

1. Body
   1. Meaning and Message
      1. Surface meaning (what is happening in the poem?)
      2. Deeper meaning (what is the poem actually about?)

• Theme (what is the message about life?)

1. Tone
   1. Who is speaking? Persona?
   2. What is the speaker’s tone about the subject?

• What is your proof?  Reasons?

1. Figures of Speech
   1. Similes/Metaphors/Personification
   2. What the figures of speech compare

• What the figures of speech reveal

1. Why they were used/Reasons

1. Sound Effects
   1. Rhyme scheme
   2. Alliteration

• Assonance

1. Onomatopoeia
2. Why were they used?  What did sound effects add to the poem?

1. Symbolism
   1. Identify the symbol(s)
   2. Explain what they represent

• Conclusion
  1. Repeat thesis in different words
  2. Summarize main points
  3. Relate the poem to broader themes in life. What can we learn from it?