Sample Question: In one paragraph, analyze the effects of one literary device found in the passage below. Excerpt from “Praise Song for the Day” by Elizabeth Alexander Praise song for struggle, praise song for the day. Praise song for every hand-lettered sign, the figuring-it-out at kitchen tables. Some live by love thy neighbor as thyself, others by first do no harm or take no more than you need. What if the mightiest word is love? Love beyond marital, filial, national, love that casts a widening pool of light, love with no need to pre-empt grievance. In today’s sharp sparkle, this winter air, any thing can be made, any sentence begun. On the brink, on the brim, on the cusp, praise song for walking forward in that light. Break Down the Question: 1. WHAT do you need to do in your answer? Highlight the “task words” (such as compare, describe, evaluate, list, etc.) In one paragraph, analyze the effects of one literary device found in the passage below. The word “analyze” means that you will need to explain how something works in the poem. “Analyze” tells you that you should pay attention to details, and try to think critically and creatively. The key words “the effects of one literary device” tell you that: 1) You will need to choose one literary device (like repetition, imagery, metaphor, etc.) to focus on. 2) You will need to analyze how that device impacts the poem. 1. WHERE do you need to look to find your answers? Highlight the “content words” that tell you where you’ll find the information on which to base your response. In one paragraph, analyze the effects of one literary device found in the passage below. “The passage below” are the key words to tell you where to look; in this case, we need to pay attention to the poem excerpt by Elizabeth Alexander. 1. HOW should you answer the question? Highlight any words that give you limitations or guidelines on how to structure your response. In one paragraph, analyze the effects of one literary device found in the passage below. These words tell us that we need to format our answer in a single paragraph. We also know that we need to choose just one literary device to focus on. Plan your response: 1. Choose one literary device to analyze. * Let’s choose REPETITION. 1. Find examples of that literary device. * “Love” and “praise song” both repeat a lot * “Light” repeats twice 1. Figure out your main point: How does repetition work in this poem? * All the words that repeat have positive connotations. The repetition contributes to building a hopeful emotional tone. Write your response: In her poem “Praise Song for the Day,” Elizabeth Alexander uses repetition to create a hopeful emotional tone. In the final stanzas of the poem, she repeats the word “love” a total of five times, a significant amount of repetition which serves to make this single word memorable and foregrounded in readers’ minds. Alexander also places emphasis through repetition on the word “light.” Similarly to “love,” the word “light” offers positive connotations. Repeating this word allows Alexander to emphatically build sunny, cheerful imagery in these stanzas. Finally, Alexander repeats the phrase “praise song,” which also serves as the poem’s title, several times throughout these stanzas. The phrase “praise song” references music and the sacred. By emphasizing these connotations, Alexander builds further upon the positivity of “love” and “light” to suggest an overarching theme of gladness, celebration, and beauty. Alexander’s repetition of words with positive connotations gives the poem its bright emotional tone. Check that the response meets all the requirements of the question. * Does the response analyze the correct passage? * Does it focus on one literary device? * Is it in the form of one paragraph? * Does it thoroughly answer the question? (ie. Does it explain how the literary device functions?)