Steps I had followed for analysis of a poem

1. Forget what the poem may or may not mean, or what it may be about.

2. Look at just the title and WRITE DOWN about half a dozen things that it suggests to you. Give literal meanings as well as other associations.

3. Read the poem once quickly, and then several times more slowly. Try to hear the poem aloud in your head. DO NOT recite the poem aloud in class; if you must hear it aloud, read it quietly to yourself.

4. WRITE DOWN a list of all those things in the poem that force their attention on you or which catch your interest for any particular reason. This includes unusual/odd/striking words, rhymes, or repetitions/patterns/contrasts, etc.

5. WRITE DOWN any features of figurative language in the poem: metaphors, similes, personification, alliteration, assonance, onomatopoeia, symbolism, etc.

6. WRITE DOWN groups of words that may be thematically similar (for example, that all similes make reference to animals/death/plants, etc., or all the first words of lines are conjunction words, etc.). Don't worry about whether your groups of words seem silly or improbable; look at what you have observed and ask yourself: what is its significance?

7. Look at your lists, notes, and groups. Do you see any pattern taking shape? If so, WRITE DOWN this pattern.

8. Read the poem again and WRITE DOWN your intelligent guesses of what the poem may mean.

9. Answer the following questions:
a) Who is "speaking" in the poem? Is it the POET or a PERSONA?
b) Who is the poem "spoken" to? In other words, who is the audience for this poem? Is it to a particular person, to the poet himself (reflective) or to the public in general?
c) What is the speaker's attitude to this audience? Is it angry, sincere, joking, teasing, etc.?
d) What is the POET's attitude to this audience? (This may be different from the speaker.)
e) Why is the poem organized in the way that it is?
f) What is the EFFECT of all the things you have written down in Steps 2-8?

10. WRITE DOWN your guess at the poet's intent: what do you think the poet hoped to accomplish in writing this poem?

This is very helpful, if you follow these steps you just might become a poet yourself...

Analysis of the "Snapshotland" poem

When I saw the title of this particular poem, I had thoughts that it suggests to me...
Words that we may not know:
-sepia> photos with brownish tin
-Kodachrome>a type of film



And here are they:
-Photos
-Camera
-Photo of scenery
-Land area
-Special occation
- Family people

List of all the things which force their attention on me or which catches my interest for one reason or another after reading this poem.......
The list/words are:
-smile
-never
-forever
-ever
-permanent
-just


Fugurative Language used in this poem:
(Alliteration) "and smile and smile and smile" and "smooth sand......sea......smile......smile....smile...sun shines...sepia.....sandboys......sandgirls.......stop smiling.....sea-shore"

(Assonance) "................... never
......................right
.....................air
......................passengers
........................sight"

(Symbole) "people seating at the beach relaxing"


Group of words that may be thematically similar (for example, that all similes make reference to animals/death/plants, etc., or all the first words of lines are conjunction words, etc.):
-"pleasure-boat"
-"gingham pinafores"
-"smiling through"

The poem is formal so there is no rythm or poems.....

Guessing the meaning:
>The poem is written to send a message to people to appreciate photos as holds the memories that you cherrish the most. As well as telling people to take care of the photos, they are your path through memory lane.

9)
a)Poet
b)Public in general
c)Sincere
d)Positive attitude
e)He wants to make the poem formalc
f)It makes the reader feel relax and joyful

10) The poet wanted the reader to appreciate what he/she have and make them feel happy and positive in mind.

The sounds of poetry

1) I heard the cats meowing in the darkness of the night, giving me the creeps before realise it was them. Tick, tick, tick, as they walked along the railings of the train station, screech, screech, screech, as the cats scratched the ground to sharpen their claws. The only sound I hear now is the purring of my dear cat, purrrrrr... Sweesh, I stroke my cat... Hoooohhh, my cat gave a yawn and boom, came crashing to its side, sleeping soundly as can be...



2) Woot woot.. the owl went, breaking the silence of the night. tick tock tick tock.. The grandfather clock seemed to sway tirelessly.. The night was still.. the air was dry.. but everything else was too eerily silence, as if the night was waiting for something or someone.. Suddenly, SCREECH! Bang! Meeeeow! Clash..! Zing! What was that?!! Sounded like the neighbour's cat being chashed away.. or.. maybe, frightened away by someone.. or something? Creeeekkk.. the front door inches.......

Life Metaphor 2

Life is like an antique book, thick, dusty, yellowish pages and fading pictures. Flipping through the old book will reveal adventures of a writer in his life, from beginning to end. Noticing dog-eared pages and scribbling on several pages, reminds you of... Blow gently on the book and dust will float in the air. Looking at the last page signifies the grand ending. As you will know...Every ending is a beginning and every beginning is an ending...

Life Metaphor

1)Life is a holy cemetery, it is filled with wandering lost souls, tombstones, marking the remains of once a living body, withstanding rain and sunlight. Funerals celebrate the depature of loved ones, people moaning, crying, and praying, all was not special but something extraordinary. As a new tombstone stands, a new visitor has arrived...



2)Life is a christmas tree, everlasting green leaves, broad in its bottom to sharp at its end, decorated beautifully with intricate miniature Santa Clauses at christmastime. Its sharp leaves falls when disturbed, it sways as the breeze comes by, and utmost important of all the shiny delicate star stands proudly at the highest point, shining light whenever the sun is present...



3)Life is a river, often raging from mountain tops, cutting through rocks and lands, shaping and changing it's course along the way. But mellows as it reaches flat land before it ends with the meeting of the sea, always evolving, always flowing, always ends.

Sound Poem

I heard the sheep bleating beyond the hill.
I heard the wolves howling in the dark dark night.
I heard the cats meowing in the dark alley.
I heard dogs barking loudly.
I heard sparrows chirping in the trees.
I heard frogs croaking in the pond.
I heard ducks quaking in the bushes.
I heard the oxen bellowing across the land.
I heard bees buzzing around the flowers.
I heard whales singing as they called out.
I heard donkeys braying in the barnyard.
I heard mice squeaking on the floor.
I heard owls hooting in the darkness.

Paul the Octopus

With reference to his/its biography....

Paul the Octopus (hatched January 2008) is a common octopus living in a tank at a Sea Life Centre in Oberhausen, Germany, who is used as an animal oracle to predict the results of football matches, usually international matches in which Germany is playing. He came to worldwide attention with his accurate predictions in the 2010 World Cup.

During a divination, Paul is presented with two boxes containing food, each marked with the flag of a national football team in an upcoming match. He chose the box with the flag of the winning team in several of Germany's six Euro 2008 matches, and in all seven of their matches in the 2010 World Cup—with Germany's third place playoff win over Uruguay on 10 July, his success rate rose to 85 percent, with 11 out of 13 matches correctly predicted. He has predicted a win for Spain against the Netherlands in the World Cup final on 11 July by eating the mussel in the box with the Spanish flag on it.

Life of the octopus

Paul was hatched from an egg at the Sea Life Centre in Weymouth, England, then moved to a tank at one of the chain's centres in Oberhausen, Germany. His name derives from the title of a poem by the German children's writer Boy Lornsen: Der Tintenfisch Paul Oktopus.

According to Sea Life's entertainment director, Daniel Fey, Paul demonstrated intelligence early in life:

There was something about the way he looked at our visitors when they came close to the tank. It was so unusual, so we tried to find out what his special talents were.The animal rights organisation PETA commented that octopuses are some of the most intelligent of invertebrates, with complex thought processes, long, and short-term memories, and different personalities. They can use tools, learn through observation, and are particularly sensitive to pain, according to the group. They say it would be cruel to keep Paul in permanent confinement. Sea Life Centres responded that it would be dangerous to release him, because he was born in captivity, and is not accustomed to finding food for himself.

The octopus's amazing prediction....

There are always people who want to eat our octopus but he is not shy and we are here to protect him as well. He will survive.
—Oliver Walenciak (Paul's keeper)
Paul correctly predicted the outcome of the semi-final, by choosing the food in the box marked with the Spanish flag. German supporters drew hope from his incorrect choice for the Germany versus Spain match in the UEFA Euro 2008 but were disappointed. The prediction led to death threats as German fans called for Paul to be cooked and eaten. In response, Spanish prime minister Jose Zapatero jokingly offered to send Paul official state protection, and the Industry Minister Miguel Sebastian called for Paul to be given safe haven in Spain.