Writing a Literary Analysis Essay about Poetry

Question 1

Which is the most effective thesis statement for an essay about how Romantic poems often illustrate Wordsworth’s idea that poetry should present the ordinary in unusual ways?

Revolt · Accepted Answer

"Ode to the West Wind," "She walks in beauty," and "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud" all present something ordinary in unusual and creative ways.

Question 2

Read the sentences below.(1) Wordsworth believed that poetry should include emotional experiences, and his poem "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud” includes several of these experiences. (2) The speaker encounters a field of daffodils that he describes as "jocund company.” (3) Later, as the speaker reflects on seeing the cheerful daffodils, he says the memory gives him great joy. (4) The speaker realizes that the memory of the flowers provides a more powerful emotional experience than the experience itself did.

Revolt · Accepted Answer

“As a result”

Question 3

What should be included in a strong conclusion? Check all that apply.

Revolt · Accepted Answer

a restatement of the essay's overall thesis; a restatement of each paragraph's main idea

Question 4

Read the lines from "She Walks in Beauty."She walks in beauty, like the nightOf cloudless climes and starry skies

Revolt · Accepted Answer

a simile.

Question 5

Read the lines from "She Walks in Beauty."The smiles that win, the tints that glow,But tell of days in goodness spent,A mind at peace with all below,A heart whose love is innocent!

Revolt · Accepted Answer

Poetry should present the ordinary in unusual ways.

Question 6

Read the sentences below.(1) In describing the woman's beauty, Byron writes, "And all that's best of dark and bright / Meet in her aspect and her eyes." (2) At the end of the poem, the woman is described as having "a mind at peace with all below" and "a heart whose love is innocent." (3) Through the use of common words and phrases such as these, Byron succeeds in using everyday language to describe the woman's beauty.

Revolt · Accepted Answer

"Also"

Question 7

Read the excerpt from "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud."I wandered lonely as a cloudThat floats on high o'er vales and hills

Revolt · Accepted Answer

everyday situations.

Question 8

Which lines from "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud" describe an emotional experience of the speaker?

Revolt · Accepted Answer

And then my heart with pleasure fills,And dances with the daffodils.

Question 9

Read the point that is being made and the illustration that follows it.Point: In his poem "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud," William Wordsworth presents an ordinary situation in an unusual way when he describes someone encountering daffodils while taking a walk.Illustration: He describes how the daffodils are "fluttering and dancing in the breeze" and "tossing their heads in sprightly dance."

Revolt · Accepted Answer

In describing the daffodils as "dancing," the speaker uses an unusual image to add interest to the scene.

Question 10

Read the paragraph.In describing the woman's beauty, Byron writes, "And all that's best of dark and bright / Meet in her aspect and her eyes." At the end of the poem, the woman is described as having "a mind at peace with all below" and "a heart whose love is innocent." Through the use of common words and phrases such as these, Byron succeeds in using everyday language to describe the woman's beauty.

Revolt · Accepted Answer

Wordsworth's belief that poetry should include everyday language is reflected in Lord Byron's poem "She walks in beauty," which relies heavily on common language to describe the woman.

Writing a Literary Analysis Essay about Poetry Answers

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