Lesson 4.

Analyzing Poetry
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 Learning Competency

At the end of this lesson, you should be able to

compare and contrast the contents of the materials
viewed with outside sources of information in terms of
accessibility and effectiveness (EN10SS-IVa-15,
EN10V-IVa-30, EN10LT-IVa2.2).
 Objectives

At the end of this lesson, the learner should be able to

do the following:
● Determine the elements of Greek lyric poems.
● Recognize the different devices in poetry.
● Explain how reading poetry improve one’s critical
thinking.
● Compare and contrast the themes of different
selections.
Essential Question

How does reading poetry improve one’s

critical thinking skills?
Try it!
Warm-Up

You will be listening to the song “Starry Starry Night.” This

song alludes to a classical work of a famous painter, Vincent
Van Gogh. While listening to the song, try to illustrate and
draw what you think the song is telling to you and how you
feel about it. Afterward, share your work with your
seatmate and talk about the music.
 Try it!
Warm-Up

Guide Questions:

1. How do you think lyric poetry appeals to the

audience?
2. What happens if a poem is sung and performed like
Greek lyric poetry?
Unlocking of Difficulty
firmament (noun) - sky or heaven
When I looked out the window, I saw twinkling stars in the
firmament.

hearth (noun) - the floor of a fireplace

I asked my nephew to sweep the ashes from the hearth.

cull (verb) - to choose or select something from a group or

collection
The best paintings were culled from the old artist’s collection.
fain (adverb) - gladly
I would fain visit you this summer, my friend.

incorruptible (adjective) - pure; quite honest

The old nun was respected and believed to be incorruptible.
 Learn about It

To better understand poetry in general and Greek lyric poems

in particular, it is necessary to look into its subject, context,
and form.
 Learn about It

Subject - refers to the topic being presented in the poem and

involves the tone, author’s experience, and context

● What does the title tell you about the poem’s subject, tone, and
genre?
● What is the subject of the poem? What is it all about?
● What is the situation portrayed in the poem? Who is talking to
whom?
 Learn about It

● Is it formed on an analogy? How are the two compared

elements alike and different?
● What is the author’s attitude toward the subject?
● Does the poem appeal to a reader’s intellect, emotions, or
reason? In what way?
 Learn about It

Context - refers to the factors under which a poem is created,

including its purpose, time, the background of the writer, and
its target audience

● Are there any allusions used in the poem? How are they
appropriate?
● What do you know about this poet? About the age in which
he or she wrote this poem? How about the other works by
the same author?
 Learn about It

Form - refers to the shape and structure of the poem in terms

of lines, stanzas, and verses

● What are the form and genre of this poem?

● What can you notice from each line? What can you notice
from each stanza?
 Learn about It

Sound - This refers to the figurative or literal language that adds

meaning to the poem. In terms of the sound and rhythm of the
poem, use the following guide questions.
● Is there a metrical pattern? If so, how regular is it?
● Does the poem have rhyme? If yes, what was the rhyme scheme?
● What do the meter and rhyme emphasize?
● Were sound devices like alliteration, assonance, and
onomatopoeia used? If yes, name it or them.
● How do these relate to the poem’s meaning? What effect do they
create in the poem?
 Learn about It

To better understand the devices in poetry, you may consult the table below:
Literary Device Definition
Alliteration the repetition of similar sounds, either consonants or vowels at the beginning
of closely spaced words
Allusion a brief and indirect reference to a person, place, thing, or idea of a historical,
cultural, literary, or political significance

Analogy a comparison that presents the similarities between two concepts or ideas

Assonance the repetition of vowel sounds that form internal rhymes in a line

Onomatopoeia the repetition of identical (or similar) sounds in two or more words, most
often at the end of lines in a poem
 Learn about It

Olympian Ode I (For Hieron of Syracuse, Winner in the

Horse-Race)
Pindar of Thebes
 Learn about It

Guide Questions

1. What does the title tell you about the poem’s subject, tone, and
genre?
2. What is the subject of the poem? What is it all about?
3. What is the theme of the poem?
4. Were sound devices like alliteration, assonance, and
onomatopoeia used? What are these?
5. Does the poem appeal to a reader’s intellect, emotions, or
reasons? Justify your answer.
Analysis

Olympian Ode IX (For Epharmostos, Winner in the

Wrestling-Match)
Pindar of Thebes
 Analysis

Guide Questions

1. What is the subject of the poem? What is it all about?

2. What is the author’s attitude toward the subject?
3. What is the theme of the poem?
4. Are there any allusions used in the poem? What are these?
5. In what way can this poem affect or influence your life right
now? Cite situations and expound on each.
 Analysis

Criteria Score
Content
(The question is answered well; textual evidence is given.)
5 pts.
Organization
(Logical progression of details; clear transitions between
ideas.) 3 pts.
Language
(Use of proper spelling, mechanics, grammar, and word
choice) 2 pts.
Score: /10
 Values Integration

As a student, how can your knowledge about analyzing

poetry allow you to appreciate poetry and see it in a
different light?
 Synthesis

1. Form four groups.

2. Each group should do the following:
a. Compare and contrast the two poems discussed (Olympic
Odes I and IX) in terms of theme and use of literary/sound
devices.
b. Present your work in front of the class.
 Synthesis

3. As a wrap up, answer the following questions:

● How did you feel about the activity?
● What were the difficulties that you encountered while
working with a group in comparing the two poems in
terms of their theme?
 Assignment

Conduct research about other examples of Greek lyric

poems and choose one that you like the most. Using a
graphic organizer, identify the subject, mood, persona,
tone, and imagery used by the poet.
 Bibliography

Compton, Todd M. “Chapter 9. Alcaeus: Poetry, Politics, Exile.” Center for Hellenic Studies.
Accessed April 2, 2018. http://chs.harvard.edu/CHS/article/display/4920.

Edmonds, J. M. 2007. Lyra Graeca. London: William Heinemann LTD.

“Helen and Thetis.” Accessed April 3, 2018.

http://www.blackcatpoems.com/a/helen_and_thetis.html.

“How to Read a Poem.” Literary Analysis Papers: How to read a poem. Accessed April 1,
2018. http://writing.wisc.edu/Handbook/ReadingPoetry.html.

King, Nathalia, and Daphne Kleps. “Greek Lyric.” Archaic Greek Lyric. Accessed April 2,
2018. http://www.reed.edu/humanities/110Tech/lyric.html.
 Bibliography

Nagy, Gregory. “Oral Poetry and Ancient Greek Poetry: Broadening and Narrowing the
Terms.” Center for Hellenic Studies. Accessed April 2, 2018.
http://chs.harvard.edu/CHS/article/display/5262.

“Sappho circa 630 B.C.” Isle of Lesbos: Poetry of Sappho. Accessed April 2, 2018.
http://www.sappho.com/poetry/sappho.html.

“Pindar, Olympian, 1.1-64.” Pindar. Accessed April 3, 2018. http://www.rhapsodes.fll.

vt.edu/PindarOlympia.htm.

Titchener, Frances B., Justin Hall, Brent Haslam, Richard Wilkinson, and Sarah Wright.
“Chapter 5: Greek Lyric Poetry.” USU 1320.001: Ancient Literature and Language.
2004. Accessed March 02, 2017.
https://www.usu.edu/markdamen/1320AncLit/chapters/05lyric.htm.