IB English HL - Poetry Guide to Annotation Steps

Step 1

Record First Impressions
- What is the poem about
- What do you see

Step 2

Reflect on the Poems Title
- Denotation and Connotation
- Purpose of Title

Step 3

Basic Sense of Poem
- Who → The speaker and the other, to whom.
- What → Literally what the poem is about
- When → The time period or the date of time of the poem
- Where → Where the poem takes place, the location
- Why → The author’s purpose
- How → Tone, Authors attitude toward the subject matter, authors attitude.

Step 4

Paraphrase and Problematic Lines or Sentences
- Define words and lines you did not understand
- How is each very used to open meaning

Step 5

Note Poem’s use of Language
- Vocabulary, language, and diction
- Dominant literary devices and contrasts

Step 6

Map the Poem’s Tensions and Contrasts
- Look for oppositions and contrasts
- How the poem moves from it’s initial state

Step 7

Scan the Poem and Determine the Rhyme Scheme
- Scansion and rhyme scheme (ABAB)
- Effect of form (How does form contribute to meaning)

Step 8

Thesis Statement
- Authors message?
- How? (Dominant literary techniques)