Reflection Prompt

The Poem You Can Hear

Choosing one image and showing how the poem makes it work

Literature is made of language, and language works through both meaning and sound. A poem's power often comes from the gap between what its words say literally and what they suggest, and from the way the form (sound, line, and stanza) reinforces that suggestion. This reflection asks you to look closely at a short poem of your choice.

The prompt

Choose a short poem (no longer than about twenty lines) from this unit (Dickinson's "Because I could not stop for Death," Hughes's "Harlem," or Whitman's "A Noiseless Patient Spider") or from a poem you already love. Read it aloud twice, then write about it:

  1. Pick one image from the poem and describe what it asks you to picture.
  2. Explain what the image suggests beyond its literal meaning. Is it a metaphor, a simile, a symbol, or an objective correlative?
  3. Show how the poem's form (line breaks, rhythm, repetition, or placement of the image) makes that suggestion stronger. What would be lost if the same idea were stated in a plain sentence?

If you are not sure where to start, begin with a single word that surprised you and ask why the poet chose it over a more obvious one. Diction, the choice of words, is where many strong readings begin.

Your Reflection

This is a thinking space — your response is not saved or submitted. Copy your work if you want to keep it.