1. Thesis Statement: In “Poem Title Here,” author name here uses (or another good verb) poetic element 1 and poetic element 2 to explain the theme you chose here. Example: In Emily Dickinson’s poem, “I could not stop for death,” the theme of inescapable death is illustrated through the use of personification and imagery. Example: In the poem by Robert Todd, “Firefly Moon” the theme of sanity vs. insanity is slowly developed through the use of repetition and inverted syntax structure. Example: The theme of independence is displayed through the use of end rhyme and extended metaphor in Shell Silversteins’ poem, “To pick a pint or a pickle?”

2. Checklist 1.Name of poem 2.Name of author 3.Theme of poem 4. Way the theme is developed (2 poetic devices) This is what you will be talking about in most of your paper. Examples of the way a theme is developed: style, literary devices (personification, allusions, metaphors, extended metaphor) sentence structure, imagery, rhyme scheme, word choice (syntax), etc.

3. Now write your thesis for your poem in ONE sentence. In “Poem Title Here,” author name here uses (or another good verb) poetic element 1 and poetic element 2 to explain the theme you chose here.