English 102

Journal Assignment 3

Write a one-paragraph response to your assigned poem and be prepared to discuss. Consider these questions:

1. Who is the speaker of the poem? Is it an identifiable persona? A young person? An old person? A rich person? A poor person? (This is a different question than “Who is the poet?”)
2. Are there any unusual, archaic or obscure words? Look them up in a dictionary. How does knowing what they mean affect your understanding of the poem?
3. How would you describe the poem’s treatment of its subject matter? What kind of tone does the poem have? For example, is it mournful, sarcastic, angry?