Lit & Comp I/Moran

Poetry Process Log

You must complete this writing process (1-3) for each of the three
winter poems that we read, so you should have this sheet handy for
the next week. You will turn these logs in along with your Winter Poem
Assignment, which we will discuss next week, so hang on to the work
that you do! Make sure that you write legibly, and that your thoughts
are fairly organized. (Your ideas do not, of course, have to have the
same polish that I would expect in an essay.)

1. Read the poem through once, slowly. Do not make any marks or
take any notes during this first reading; just try to get an overall
sense of the poem’s subject and the speaker’s attitude towards
the subject. After your first reading, write in one or two
sentences what you think the subject of the poem is, and what
you think the speaker is trying to communicate about the
subject.
2. Read the poem a second time, marking the text and making
notes in the margins. Use a dictionary and context clues to help
with words that you do not understand. Reread what you wrote
in response to #1. Write a revised statement if you wish. If you
are content with your original statement, write “okay.”
3. Write a process log of your reading, in which you describe as
fully as possible the process of your reading. Use the following
questions to help guide your thinking about that process:
a. What did you understand, think, and/or feel after your first
reading?
b. What questions did you have?
c. What words and phrases were confusing to you?
d. What words and phrases helped your understanding?
e. As you read the poem a second time, what new insights
did you have?
f. What areas of the poem are still confusing to you?
g. What feelings does the poem evoke for you?
h. What does the poem express? What are some of its
meanings?