QUESTIONS 1 AND 2 (POETRY AND PROSE PROMPTS)
Some prompts may give you a list of literary elements or techniques to consider for your argument,
but some may not. If there is no list, then you are expected to know what literary techniques are
significant.
Do not be a tour guide. Even though the prompt may give you a list of literary elements to explore,
it’s not your job to take your reader on a tour of the text, pointing out this example of imagery or that
metaphor. Instead, focus on one or two elements that are most effective and show how they are
effective. This is your analysis.
Do not write about a literary element if it’s not working toward the purpose or effect in the text. For
example, rhyme is rarely a significant element in a poem. If you say it is, then it is your job to show
how or why.
Poems are short and therefore students may think simple. However, poems are laden with figurative
language. Do not mistake the figurative for the literal. Read poems at least twice to be able to write
intelligently.
