Annotating a poem- “The Poet with His Face in His Hands” by Mary Oliver.

For this discussion, we will be annotating a poem. Annotations are notes based on observations or your Reader Response of the reading. Use the following questions and the Lecture Materials to guide you through annotating a poem. The annotation can be a printout of a poem that you marked up and upload an image of your annotation (please ensure the image is clear). You can also submit digital annotations or a video of your annotations.

Visit this page for an example of an annotated poem Links to an external site..

Select one of the assigned poems for your discussion board post. Use a minimum of 5 elements from the chapter introductions to help you annotate the poem. Consider the following questions to better understand the use of literary elements within the poems:

After reading the poem aloud, what questions pop into your thoughts? Jot them down in the margin of the page.
Identify all words that stand out, familiar and unfamiliar.
Who is the speaker? What are you able to determine regarding the speaker’s age, sex, sensibilities, level of awareness and values? Is the speaker addressing anyone in particular?
How have you (the reader) responded to the speaker? Favorably? Negatively?
What is the situation? Are there any special circumstances that inform what the speaker says?
What does the title emphasize?
Is the theme presented directly or indirectly?
Do any allusions enrich the poem’s meaning?
What is the tone? mood?

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