This resource aims to give A-level students a strategy and example for reading a poem. We asked a Cambridge student to read a poem as though they were going to write an essay on it, and to write down their thoughts as they went through...

This introduction to a new collection of John Haines' poetry by poet and critic Dana Gioia surveys Haines' work and includes the poem, "The Flight."

This guide discusses how to approach analysis of a literary text, with the main focus being on the poem "Design" by Robert Frost. It explains how to examine the subject, the form, word choice or diction, and the theme. In each section,...

This lesson plan explains how analyzing poetry is a many-layered process. This lesson plan introduces the special characteristics of poetry and leads students through a look at how poems are structured and why. Includes links to poems...

This lesson is designed to help students begin to engage with metaphors on a deeper and more abstract level. The lesson will begin with a poem containing metaphors accessible at all levels, and with each poem, the lesson will progress in...

This analysis begins with a paraphrase of the poem and a glossary of unfamiliar terms. There follows a brief, clear analysis of the poem which focuses on Shakespeare's twist on conventional sonnet imagery.

This is a two-page PDF of the poem "The Road Not Taken" by Robert Frost with analysis including rhyme scheme and poetic devices. It also offers a list of websites for further analysis.

This webpage is a handout for a course on Emily Dickinson's poetry. It features information about Dickinson's life, her poems, her style, and her themes including: the inner world; death; pain, separation, and ecstasy; love; God and...

Check out this informative site featuring an analysis of Shakespeare. The objective of this activity is for students to analyze a sonnet and present their findings via slide show. This lesson integrates technology into the curriculum.

This resource explains how to approach an analysis of a poem. It discusses assumptions people may have, the importance of reading it closely before analyzing it, looking at the stanza structure, the type of poem, the sound patterns,...

This lesson is designed to help students review what they have learned in earlier classes and to begin to engage with similes on a deeper and more abstract level. Students will define similes and identify examples; read and analyze the...

This lesson introduces students to Emily Dickinson's poetry which often reveals a child-like fascination with the natural world. Students examine how she writes perceptively of butterflies, birds, and bats and uses lucid metaphors to...

A brief biography of Stanley Kunitz, who was known not only for his poetry, but for his unfailing support of young poets. This site includes the texts of several of his poems, as well as transcripts of several interviews and critical...

This site offers an review of the poem WE REAL COOL, by seven different people.

A biography and analysis of the life of the famous author, as well as literary criticism as well as online poems, letters and a bibliography. Includes many quotes and his poetry.

This language arts lesson grabs students' attention by incorporating a popular musician. The lyrics to "Over You" include vivid language that makes identifying figures of speech intriguing. The students will identify similes, metaphors,...

Meticulous exposition on the perspective and motivation of the author EA Robinson's writing, examining the role of the bible in his work.

This site is actually the study guide for the Emily Dickinson section of a course titled "The Emergence of the Modern," taught at Brooklyn College. Though it is written for college students, it should be accessible to high school...

This Bibliomania site surveys the literary history of the English in colonial Virginia. Includes analysis of the work of Captain John Smith, William Strachey, and George Sandys. Links to other notes about early American literature.

A wealth of information and analysis of Shakespeare's plays, background, themes, and other topics of interest to those students of Shakespeare. The site also offers the complete texts of all of Shakespeare's plays and sonnets, quotations...

An archive of various versions of Poe's poem "The City in the Sea," with helpful contextual notes about its publishing history. Includes brief analysis of the poem's content, specifically its mythological and Biblical allusions.

This Bibliomania.com site a biography of the 19th century American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882). Discusses his parents, early youth, education, literary ambitions, years of travel and study, Harvard tenure, love for...

This Bibliomania entry provides a biography of the 19th century American poet William Cullen Bryant and an analysis of his major poems. Discusses his role as a journalist and his translation of Greek classics. Includes suggestions for...

This summary of "The Raven" by Edgar Allan Poe also features an analysis of the poem. Links to full text of the poem and related resources.