Evaluation
What you see is what you get - Very little/no figurative language.
- This is a narrative/story of an underdog.
- A simple man represented in a simple story.
- He lives a simple life, he eats what he can find and he'd rather die than go to prison.
Author's Intent:
- Why do you think the author wrote this poem?
- What effect on the reader did he/she hope to have?
- What is the main idea that the author used the poem to communicate?
Reading Between the Lines:
- Why did the swagman jump into the billabong? What does this mean?
- Why do we like this man who is essentially a homeless thief?
- What is this poem about? What event, object, person or issue is discussed, and what do we learn about it?
- What structure, length and layout were chosen by the author? What title, poetry type, line and stanza length and title were chosen? Can we learn anything about the author's purpose?
- What ideas, issues and opinions are communicated by the author? What was the author's intended response in the reader?
- What connections can you make between this text and the world? What can you learn from it about life, human nature or the world?
Poetic Language Techniques:
Choose two language techniques used by the author in the poem to communicate ideas, impressions, bias or emotion. Give examples and analyze the use of each one:
Language Technique 1:
o Define & describe this technique.
o Example/s in text
o What did the author use it to communicate?
Language Technique 2:
o Define & describe this technique.
o Example/s in text
o What did the author use it to communicate?
Use your analysis and discussion of the given poem so far
Answer the following questions in a one-pager:
- What is the main reason this poem was written, and what response did the author intend for the audience to have?
- What was one section or phrase from the poem which created an emotional response in you? What was it and why did it get your attention?
- What can you learn from this poem about yourself, life, the world or human nature?
