For each of the questions below, read the poem and the discussion that follows it in the text before answering,

Review what is Symbolism or allegory. Emily Dickinson’s “Because I could not Stop for Death” Is this poem generally symbolic or is it allegorical? Explain the significance of the details in lines 9-13 and lines 17-20.

What is syntax? Then read Sonia Sanchez’s “Towhomitmayconcern,” How is syntax instrumental in constructing voice and tone?

Review rhythm and meter. Then read Anne Sexton’s “Her Kind.” Identify the prevailing meter of the poem. How does Sexton keep the poem moving? Examine her uses of caesura and enjambment and comment on their effect on the poem’s rhythm.

Read Langston Hughes’ “I Too.” Scan the poem for the use of particular accents, such as iambs, trochees, dactyls, etc. How does the use of these patterns contribute to the tone of the lines?

References

DiYanni, R. (2008). Literature: Approaches to Fiction, poetry, and drama (2nd ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill.