How to analyze and annotate a poem at GCSE level

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How to analysze and annotate a poem at GCSE level

There are many ways in which you can analyse and annotate a poem at a GCSE standard, my favorite method uses the anagram MITSL. This allows an in depth analysis that will help you structure your essay response when it comes to finally sitting your exam.

To begin with, we need to work out the M of the anagram, being the meaning of the poem:

  • What is it about?
  • How does the writer reveal their feelings about the topic?
  • Why has the poet written the poem?
  • What is the message that the writer is trying to put across?
  • How is this relevant?

The meaning of the poem will allow you to link all of the poetic devices and methods that the writer has used together and come to your own conclusions on their purpose.

The next step is to identify the various examples of imagery that are present throughout the poem. This is the I in MITSL:

  • What imagery is created in the poem?
  • How is it created?(e.g. personification)
  • Why is it being used?
  • How does it reflect the characters in the poem?
  • What does it suggest about the poet’s feelings towards the topic of the poem?

Imagery plays a significant role in understanding and interpreting a poem. Language can also be used to create imagery and you can therefore use examples of imagery to support your ideas throughout your analysis. It also, a long with structure and language, helps set the tone of the poem. See how all of these are linked?

The third section in this analysis is the tone of the poem. Being the letter T in our anagram:

  • How would the speaker sound at different stages of the poem, if read aloud?
  • How is the tone created?(Language, punctuation etc.)
  • What is the effect?
  • What does the tone reveal about the speaker’s feelings about the specific topic.

Tone is almost the mood of the poem. Whether it be sad, angry or one of excitement, it is key when understanding both the speaker and the poets feelings. It is also a significant reflection of the poem’s meaning.

The penultimate step in both annotating and analyzing a poem is understanding its structure and why it is used. Again, this being the M in MITSL:

  • Is the poem conventional or unconventional?(Does it follow the normal rules and structure of a poem?)
  • What type of poem is it?(e.g. a sonnet)
  • How/Why?
  • Does the structure relate to the topic?
  • Is there any enjambment?
  • Have specific punctuation or line lengths been used?
  • Is there a rhyme scheme, if so why has it been used?
  • Is there a specific rhythm to the poem?
  • What effect does this have?
  • Does it develop the meaning of the poem?

Structure should be the biggest proportion of your analysis as this is where the high marks will come from and being able to link it to the other poetic devices and the question itself will show you have a sophisticated, in depth understanding of the poem. It will certainly impress the marker, especially important if you are aiming for those higher grades.

Finally, you need to be able to analyse the language features in the poem. This will conclude our MITSL structure, being the L:

  • Are there any metaphors, alliterations, similes, repetitions, rhymes. etc?
  • How do they add to the impact of the poem?
  • What do they reveal about the poet’s feelings?
  • What impact does it have on the reader?

The language often reflects the context of the poem, although it is not something that is compulsory to touch on in your analysis, it allows a deeper understanding of why and how the poet has does the things they have done.

The paragraph below is an example of how all of the aspects of MITSL link together. A similar idea could be used as a conclusion to your answer however some of this you will have already touched on in previous paragraphs. The ideas will need evidence through quotes as well as alternative interpretations in order to reach the top marks. Your conclusion should also be set out slightly differently in the sense that it is just to sum up all of the ideas that you have already touched on however the general idea is there.

The language used could reflect the time period it is set in. This could link to the structure of the poem. For example, a ghazal is an ancient, Persian form of poetry that is similar to a sonnet. This structural point could be relevant to the old language used or the historic themes of this particular poem. A ghazal is a love poem and therefore could create a tone of lust a longing. Various imagery has been created through all of these poetic devices in order to create the overall meaning of the poem.

Reminders:

  • You don’t have to use the MITSL structure but other methods use the same idea in general.
  • When answering the exam question, compare the two poems closely, ensuring you do not just write chunks on each poem with little comparisons. This will help you in achieving those higher grades.
  • A key problem in writing essay responses in exam conditions is the fact that people don’t write enough. It’s important to provide in-depth explanations and alternative interpretations but make sure you don’t get too carried away!
  • Manage your time correctly. Make sure you have practiced multiple times under exam conditions, ensuring you can write enough in the allotted amount of time.
  • When revising, think about the main themes of every poem whether it be relationships, conflict etc. And also practice making links between different poems.
  • Revising for English is incredibly important because there is so much content that you have to cover over the length of the course. Manage your time wisely however and don’t cram it in the nigh before the exam. I recommend using Mr Bruff as a revision source. You can find him at MrBruff.com or on his you tube channel which is simply MrBruff also.
  • Good luck!

If you have any questions, be sure to ask them in the comments!

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