Poetry Toolbox
What do we call the voice expressing thoughts and feelings in a poem?
The speaker, who is not necessarily the poet.
Which figurative-language device compares two things using “like” or “as”?
Simile.
Who is the lost loved one the speaker remembers throughout the poem?
Annabel Lee.
How many lines are in a Shakespearean sonnet?
14 lines.
What do the letters in ACES stand for?
Answer, Cite, Explain, Summarize.
What is the difference between tone and mood?
Tone is the speaker’s attitude; mood is the feeling or atmosphere created for the reader.
Identify the sound device in this original phrase: “Soft summer sunlight.”
Alliteration—the repeated initial /s/ sound.
According to the speaker, why did the angels cause Annabel Lee’s death?
He believes they were jealous of the lovers’ powerful love.
What does “temperate” mean when the beloved is compared with summer’s rough winds and excessive heat?
Mild, moderate, or balanced.
Paraphrase this idea from “Sonnet 18”: “every fair from fair sometime declines.”
Everything beautiful eventually loses some of its beauty.
A poem tells events from a relationship while expressing intense personal feelings. Explain why it can be both narrative and lyric poetry.
It is narrative because it tells a story and lyric because it expresses feelings.
In “Sonnet 18,” the “eye of heaven” refers to the sun. Identify the device and explain the comparison.
Metaphor. The sun is compared to an eye in the sky, creating a vivid image.
How does the seaside tomb connect the setting to the speaker’s actions?
It is the place where he goes to lie beside Annabel Lee at night, showing his continued attachment.
Name the two stanza or section types that make up a Shakespearean sonnet, and give its rhyme scheme.
Three quatrains and one concluding couplet; ABAB CDCD EFEF GG.
Explain both parts of the term “iambic pentameter.”
An iamb is an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable. Pentameter means five metrical feet per line—typically ten syllables in iambic pentameter.
A student says, “The theme of ‘Annabel Lee’ is love.” Explain what needs to change, and give a stronger theme statement.
“Love” is a topic. A theme expresses a complete message, such as love can remain powerful even after someone dies.
Poe refers to “seraphs,” or angels from religious tradition. Name the device and explain what their supposed envy suggests about the lovers’ relationship.
Allusion. The religious reference makes their love seem so extraordinary that, according to the speaker, even heavenly beings envy it.
How does repeating Annabel Lee’s name and phrases about the kingdom by the sea affect the poem? Give two effects.
It creates a songlike rhythm and repeatedly returns attention to his memories and grief, emphasizing his persistent devotion.
The word “But” begins the turn, or volta, at line 9. What change in ideas occurs there?
The poem shifts from natural beauty eventually fading to the beloved’s beauty lasting through poetry.
What does the opening question, “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?” accomplish beyond asking a question?
It is a rhetorical question that introduces the comparison the poem develops: the beloved is more lovely and enduring than summer.
A student writes, “The speaker is devoted because the poem takes place by the sea.” Give stronger evidence and explain why it supports the claim.
The speaker lies beside Annabel Lee’s tomb at night or insists their souls cannot be separated. These details show continued attachment, while the sea alone only identifies the setting.
Shakespeare describes Death as able to “brag.” Name the device and explain how it supports the poem’s message.
Personification. Death becomes a boastful rival, but the speaker claims poetry can preserve the beloved’s memory despite death.
A reader says, “The poem proves that jealous angels killed Annabel Lee.” Explain why that statement needs revision and what the explanation reveals about the speaker.
The poem presents the speaker’s belief, not independently established proof. His explanation reveals his grief and conviction that their love was exceptionally powerful.
Explain how the final couplet completes the poem’s argument. Does it promise that the beloved will physically live forever?
The couplet explains that as long as people read the poem, it preserves the beloved’s beauty and memory. It promises lasting remembrance, not physical immortality.
How do the poems present different ways love can endure? Support your comparison with one detail from each poem.
Poe emphasizes an unbroken emotional bond, shown by the inseparable souls or nightly visits to the tomb. Shakespeare emphasizes preservation through poetry, shown by the final couplet’s promise that readers will keep the beloved’s memory alive.