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Writing an analytical essay on a poem is something only a few people can do because it is very challenging. It is very difficult to know where to even begin writing this type of essay and that is why many students turn to pay for essay writing services here maintained by academic experts. These writing companies, similar to CustomWritings, have many expert writers on their roaster and plenty of students turn to them because they find this form of academic writing to be stressful and time-consuming. 

This is especially common for college students who have very little experience to no experience. This type of essay is different from a literary analysis because a writer must dissect and analyze a particular poem. It is time-consuming and stressful as pointed out above however, below are a few tips you can use to get the job done. 

Read the poem provided 

Content will not even get off the ground if you don’t read the poem you’re analyzing. Read it carefully to become family with it because you will produce a good essay when you fully understand the poem before you begin writing. Make note of the rhyming scheme, the poem type, and other techniques used to bring the poem to life, especially the language used. 

All the points mentioned above are very important when you come to writing an analytical essay on a poem because they form the structure of your content. If your structure is wrong, you will produce mediocre work, so it is highly recommended to read a poem from start to finish before you begin wiring. Having some knowledge about the poem’s subject matter gives you the confidence you need to tackle the challenge on the given topic head-on. 

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Choose a writing style 

There is a specific writing style that you must follow when it comes to writing this type of essay. You should use verbs in the present tense most of the time rather than those in the past tense. You are encouraged to use as many quotes as possible to make your work stand out and explain to the reader what all the quotes you’ve used mean as well as their significance to your text. You can use the MLA citation format, which is the most popular in this type of easy and include outside criticisms by famous critics in your content. 

Know the theme of your essay 

Poems are used by poets to express feelings and meanings in a very unique way. To better understand what they are trying to say, you need to look deeply at all their phrases and words. 

You can examine their words in different aspects such as:

  • The context of the poem is the author’s background, the time they wrote the piece, personality, and more.
  • The genre of the poem can be the narrative, sonnet, or lyric.
  • The title of the poem to understand its meaning and important
  • The theme of the poem can be about nature, religion, love, war, or death.
  • The poet’s tone needs to be taken into consideration as well. Was it playful, somber, humorous, or satiric?
  • Was the mode of the poem cheerful, jolly, fearful, mysterious, provocation, ominous or festive?
  • The language of the poem whether it was euphony, cacophony, alliteration, or sibilance.
  • The rhythm of the poem whether it was confessional, dance, conversational, frolic, or meander.
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Conduct research 

Once you have read the poem provided and decided how you will go about writing the essay, you might come across some words you don’t understand. Find yourself a good dictionary and look up any words you don’t know the meaning of. 

Alternatively, if you don’t own an Oxford dictionary which is one of the most recommended ones, you can simply hit the internet. You can see how other people used the same words you come across in text or other areas where they might be mentioned. Once you’ve figured out what most of the words you’ve come across mean, you can incorporate them in your essay. 

Follow academic guidelines 

All essays should consist of an introduction, main body, and conclusion. Analytical essays on poems are no different and the first thing you do is introduce the subject. You can do this by having a quotation, a provocative question, a statement, or all of the above. You should end your introduction with a thesis statement that highlights the main point you are trying to make in your essay. To help your reader understand your work better by providing background information like the title of the poem and who wrote it. 

When you’re done with the introduction, you need to start writing the main body which should consist of 3 paragraphs that will back-up your ideas. You need to include concrete evidence you’ve uncovered from doing secondary research. You can paraphrase, use direct quotes, summarize your points, and more as long as you don’t forget to credit the source. Lastly is the conclusion and this will complete your essay by rounding up all the main points you highlighted. It doesn’t have to be long, just simply summarize any key points you’ve added in your essay. Always give your essay a catchy title because that’s one of the first things that readers will see.

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Proofread your work 

To ensure that your work is perfect, you need to proofread it and iron out any mistakes made. Microsoft Word and Google Docs have built-in features that will highlight any flaws in your essay enabling you to correct them immediately. If you are not a fan of the built-in features found on Word and Google Docs, you can use popular websites like Grammarly. This grammar correcting website is free to sign up and very easy to use. It does have paid membership programs as well which offer account holders more features like plagiarism checks. 

An analytical essay on a poem should be approached the same way as any other academic essay with an introduction, main body, conclusion, and references at the end. Read the poem over and over again until you fully understand the context, key statements made the theme, tone, mood, and all. This will make you produce something that will earn you a high grade guaranteed.