Choose a poem that you have studied. Find examples of any three of the poetic techniques mentioned below and explain why you think the poet uses each one. ❍ Assonance ❍ Alliteration ❍ Onomatopoeia ❍ Enjambment ❍ Figurative language OR
Write about your favourite poem using one of the following prompts. Use quotes from the poem to help explain your point of view.
❍ The poem changed the way I think because … ❍ The poem made me feel sad because … ❍ The poem made me happy because …
Sample Answer
My favourite poem, though it is very sad, is ‘Mid-Term Break’ by Seamus Heaney. The poet is telling the story of a real incident in his life – the death of his four-year-old brother when the poet was away at school. This poem made me feel sad because it is about a very traumatic incident from the poet’s life.
The poem starts with an image of the poet away at school and being brought home for the funeral. I imagine that the poet must have felt very lonely and confused before he gets home. He sits ‘all morning’ in the sick bay – waiting for someone to come get him and bring him home.
When he arrives home, the poet meets his father fi rst, who is crying. This must be very hard for the young boy to see, as likely he has rarely if ever seen his father crying before. His mother too is devastated, but in contrast he says she lets out ‘angry tearless sighs’ – she cannot even cry, she is so angry and upset. I found these scenes very upset ing and true to life.
The saddest line of all, in my opinion, is the last line, ‘A four-foot box, a foot for every year’. This line is devastating because it is now so clear that the lit le four-year-old boy is lying in his small casket and will never get the chance to grow up and experience life such as the poet has.
