S.O.A.P.

S TONE POETRY
SPEAKER:
1. Who?
2. Authors background?
3. Is there bias or agenda?
OCCASION:
1. What time and place was the piece written in?
2. What prompted the author to write about that topic?
AUDIENCE
1. Who was this written for?
2. What do we assume about the audience?
3. Mixed race/sex? Social class? Political party?
4. Are there unusual words or phrases that maybe date the piece?
5. What does the speaker evoke (pathos)?
PURPOSE
1. What is the purpose/meaning/reason behind the text?
2. How is that conveyed?
3. Emotional state of speaker?
4. What and how is the speaker trying to get their audience to do?
5. How are you supposed to feel after reading this?
SUBJECT
1. What is the subject of the poem?
2. How do you know?
TONE
1. What is the attitude of the speaker based on the text?
2. What attitude does the speaker/writer assume? Sarcasm? Solemnity? Irony? Funny?