Here is an example analytical paragraph based on a Hughes poem written in the 1950's. Click here for a link to the poem.
1 Make a point
Write one simple and straightforward point relevant to your overall topic
Hughes describes nature as a powerful force.
2 Expand on point
Write a more complex sentence that engages with the specific poem / extract in relation to the essay title.
In the poem The Horses Hughes writes about the dramatic scene at sunrise
3 Introduce quote
Introduce the quotation you are just about to use. One way to do this is by referring to the immediate context of the quote. This is your opportunity to summerise or describe the poem.
where he stumbles across a group of horses on Dartmoor he sees the sun
3 Evidence
Quote no more than a word or phrase. Be very selective. Choose quotations that you can write a lot about.
‘Then the sun
Orange, red, red erupted’
4 General point
Show how the quotation addresses the point made at the opening of the paragraph
The dawn is presented as an act of apocalyptic violence that appears to affect the whole earth.
5 Literary points
Comment on a literary feature or features expressed through the quotation.
Hughes uses colours associated with the element of fire. Connotations of the colour ‘red’ include blood, danger and destruction. The noun is repeated to help give emphasis. The verb ‘erupted’ is associated with volcanoes, one of the most violent and destructive forces of nature on the planet.
6 Effect on reader
Comment on the effect the poetic techniques used in the quotation have on you / us as readers of the poem.
We are drawn to the bright colours, they are dynamic and interesting. And this contrasts strongly with the ‘black’ and ‘grey’ earlier in the poem.
7 Further literary points
It’s clear from the quotation that Hughes is describing a dramatic event and he is awed by this experience. His description of the sunrise supports these feelings.
The syntax in the quotation is also fragmented and broken that suggests something explosive.
The Paragraph
Hughes describes nature as a powerful force. An example of this power can be seen In the poem The Horses where he describe the sun rising.
‘Then the sun
Orange, red, red erupted’
The dawn is presented as an act of apocalyptic violence that appears to affect the whole earth. Hughes uses colours associated with the element of fire. Connotations of the colour ‘red’ include blood, danger and destruction. The noun is repeated to help give emphasis. The verb ‘erupted’ is associated with volcanoes, one of the most violent and destructive forces of nature on the planet. We are drawn to the bright colours, they are dynamic and interesting. And this contrasts strongly with the ‘black’ and ‘grey’ earlier in the poem. It’s clear from the quotation that Hughes is describing a dramatic event and he is awed by this experience. His description of the sunrise supports these feelings. The syntax in the quotation is also fragmented and broken that suggests something explosive.
