Writer’s choice
What do you notice about the language? Word choice, images, sensory description (sight, taste, sound, touch, etc), metaphors or similes, personification, alliteration, tone, motifs (look it up!), etc. What message and meanings (plural and be specific—students often say “the poem is about racism or motherhood or love” but be specific…what about racial identity or racial injustice or social custom/attitude is being explored? What are you seeing or taking from the poem? If a text is teaching us something, what might that be? What responses are you having? What do you admire in the text? What don’t you like? What annoys you? Where are you confused? Of course you have to organize these ideas or other reactions. You DON’T have to answer all of these or any of these as long as you stay focused on the text. And don’t simply answer one question after the other. It is an essay not a short answer quiz. While you might make a connection to personal experience, that shouldn’t be the whole paper. While you might make a connection to another text, a song, a movie, an event or issue today, do it quickly and return to the text.
