1. Browning makes every detail of his poem work together to create a full picture of his speaker. Structure is one way of doing this. Does this poem have verses, and if so, how many? Does it have a rhyme scheme or noticeable rhythm? This poem does have a very particular structure, but it is hidden. A people: Count the number of syllables in each line and write the number at the end – pattern revealed? B people: Note the rhyme scheme on the poem, and see if it naturally splits into verses – number of verses? Rhyme pattern in each verse? C people: Re-read the poem thinking about the plot. Mark an asterisk in the text where you believe the turning point is. It may not be at the end of a line. D people: Re-read the poem and lightly circle the word and wherever it appears. Count how many times it is used. Of that number, how many times is it is used to start a line? Structure – no accident

2. Repetition of and How many times did you circle the word and? How many times was and the first word of the line? What types of people tell stories structured using lots of and’s? What does this tell us about the speaker? Are there any other instances where the speaker’s childish and selfish character traits are apparent? Look particularly at the first 19 lines. Repetition of her and she Count the number of times her and she are used in the poem. What does the overuse of these two pronouns tells you about the narrator?

3. A. (copy) PROMPT: How does the poet use figurative language and syntax in “Porphyria’s Lover” in order to reveal the speaker’s state of mind? “Porphyria’s Lover” is a dramatic monologue written from the perspective of a sinister character. Robert Browning’s poem tells the tale of a young woman named Porphyria who visits the speaker’s home late one evening. Porphyria visits her lover in order to engage in romantic activity, but the poem’s tranquil tone turns when the speaker strangles his lover with her own hair. Throughout the poem Browning carefully uses figurative language and syntax to reveal that the speaker no longer has a grasp on reality. #6: Intro. Paragraphs

4. B. (copy) PROMPT: How does Erik Larson use diction, imagery, details, figurative language, and syntax in order to establish the tone in the opening chapter of The Devil in the White City? DICTION: words with negative and/or sinister connotations (pg. 11/pg. 12) IMAGERY (the three best examples) DETAILS: # of trains that passed through Chicago; four jobs held by women who sought work in Chicago; three types of businesses found on the streets of Chicago (1 st sentence; 2 nd paragraph); names of four diseases that killed Chicago residents; three causes of violent death in Chicago during the first six months of 1892; three examples of the declining morals of Americans during the late 1800s FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE: simile: comparison of Chicago to a human being with ________________________________; alliteration in third to last paragraph, paragraph beginning, “And in Chicago…”—what sound is used? What is the effect? B. The Devil in the White City

5. SYNTAX: simple sentences used in paragraph describing anonymous deaths  emphasizes the frequency of death and how ordinary and mundane death was; repetition of “so easy” in second to last paragraph  emphasizes the ease with which H.H. Holmes hid his murders CHOOSE THE TWO MOST SIGNIFICANT DIDLS, AND COPY AND COMPLETE THE FOLLOWING IN YOUR NOTEBOOK: ____________________________ is a non-fiction book by ______________________ that explores the connection between the excitement of the 1893 World’s Fair held in Chicago and the serial murder of dozens of young women in Chicago during the same year. In the opening chapter of his book, Larson uses ______________________ and __________________ to establish a _____________________ tone. B. continued