Directions: Read the
rubric and these guidelines. Annotate key words. Then, begin drafting your
reading response in your notebooks.
Guidelines on Writing a Reading Response on Poetry
I.
Writing
the Introduction – include the following in this order:
a.
Possible Leads:
i.
Universal statement or theme
ii.
Important fact or detail from the text
iii.
Thought-provoking quotation
iv.
Relevant personal opinion or anecdote.
b.
Context and transition to thesis
c.
Thesis statement
Read the sample introductions and label the parts:
1.
Many
people read a poem by trying to “torture a confession out of it.” This is not
the right way to read a poem. Instead, as the speaker in “Introduction to
Poetry” by Billy Collins suggests, readers should listen to and enjoy a poem.
2.
I love reading poetry, everything from Bessie
Smith’s blues to Walt Whitman’s modern free verse to Rumi’s sacred verse. I try
to encourage my students to also love poetry and appreciate its music and
meaning. Reading Billy Collins’ “Introduction to Poetry” reminds me of my own
attempts to teach students to immerse themselves in the imagery in a poem and
to enjoy exploring its rooms.
II.
Citing
Poetry: follow guidelines on handout
titled: Incorporating Quotations Correctly. In addition, use / to indicate line
breaks; at the end of the sentence in which you quote the poem, cite the line
numbers in parentheses. Follow these examples:
The speaker wants the readers to “walk inside the poem’s
room / and feel the walls for a light switch” (Collins 7-8).
The problem with reading poetry is that students overanalyze it and think there is only one concrete meaning: “all they want to do / is tie the poem to a chair with rope / and torture a confession out of it” (Collins 13-15).
More guidelines: http://www.georgetowncollege.edu/eng/resources/how-to-quote-poetry-in-english-papers/
III. Writing the Conclusion – offer new insight and perspectives you gained while writing the response; connect back to the thesis in a meaningful way
a.
Possible sentence starters to begin your
conclusion:
i.
After reading this poem, I realized…
ii.
Reading this poem reminds readers that…
iii.
While it is important to … readers should…
iv.
Some people think… However, people should…
b.
Example: Reading a poem is like observing a
painting. First, we should appreciate the colors, shapes, and images. Then, we
should contemplate different meanings without restricting it to one idea. Experiencing
a poem in this way might help more readers enjoy reading poetry.
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