By now you have found a poem that speaks to you somehow.  There’s something about it that you like.  Maybe it’s the ideas that you see – Perhaps it’s the way the poem sounds.  It might be that you find some interesting or provocative images, or maybe there’s something else that draws your attention to the poem.

Here’s what I’d like you to do:

1. Copy the poem into your blog.  Make sure that you give the author credit for it!
2. Write a paragraph about why you like the poem in general.  How did the poem make you feel?  What was it in the poem that makes you like it?
3. Look again – very carefully – at the poem.  Annotate it.  For more on annotation, see the annotation section of the Study Skills Guide.
4. Select three of your favorite lines or phrases.  For each line/phrase that you select, write a sentence or two about why you like it.  If you’re having a hard time finding something specific to say, consider the following suggestions:

• Is there a phrase that helps you to “see” something?
• Does a line or phrase “sound” particularly interesting? 
• Is there a rhythm that you can describe, or a rhyme that connects two ideas or words?
• Does the repetition of a phrase or word help you to see a key idea?
• Are there startling or interesting words or phrases – or combinations of words or phrases that you would not expect to see?
• Did a particular metaphor or simile stand out for you?

After you have written about the poem, share it with someone else in the class.  Read the whole poem out loud, then explain why you like it.

If you have time, go back and find a picture that illustrates your poem.