Understanding commentary in poetry analysis

Commentary is the core of your analysis in the Poetry Analysis Essay (Question 1) on the AP English Literature and Composition exam. It's where you explain how a poet's use of specific techniques and elements contributes to the overall meaning or effect of the poem. Unlike simply pointing out a device, commentary requires you to dig deeper, showing why and how these choices matter to the reader's understanding.

Why commentary is crucial

• Showcases analytical skills - It proves you can interpret how poetic elements create meaning.
• Earns major points - Commentary is a key component of Row B (Evidence and Commentary) on the rubric, worth up to 4 points.
• Links evidence to interpretation - It connects specific textual details to your thesis, building a clear line of reasoning.
• Boosts sophistication - Nuanced commentary can help secure the Sophistication point (Row C) by demonstrating complex thinking.

Where commentary fits

In your essay, commentary comes right after presenting evidence in your body paragraphs. Once you've quoted or referenced a specific part of the poem, you must explain its significance. This explanation is your commentary, and it must tie the evidence to your broader interpretation of the poem's meaning.

The function-effect framework for analysis

To write strong commentary, you need to analyze poetic techniques on two levels: the function (what the poet is doing with a specific choice) and the effect (how that choice impacts the reader or shapes meaning). This framework helps structure your analysis and ensures you go beyond merely identifying devices.

What is function?

Function refers to the purpose or role of a poetic technique within the poem. It answers, "What is the poet trying to achieve with this choice?"

Examples of function:

• Creating a vivid sensory experience through imagery
• Establishing a rhythm or pace with meter or line breaks
• Highlighting emotional shifts through changes in tone
• Emphasizing a theme or idea using repetition

What is effect?

Effect describes the impact of the poetic choice on the reader or on the poem's meaning. It answers, "How does this technique influence our understanding or emotional response?"

Examples of effect:

• Evokes a sense of longing or loss
• Intensifies the feeling of urgency or tension
• Creates ambiguity that invites multiple interpretations
• Reinforces a central message or theme

Connecting function to effect

Strong commentary always links function to effect, showing why the poet's choice matters. For instance, a poet might use harsh, abrupt enjambment (function: breaking lines unexpectedly) to mirror the speaker's fragmented emotional state (effect: making the reader feel the speaker's distress and disconnection).

Steps to write effective commentary on poetic techniques

Follow these steps to craft commentary that demonstrates analytical depth and connects directly to your interpretation of the poem. This approach works for any poetic technique you analyze.

Building strong commentary

Use these four steps to develop comprehensive analytical commentary:

Step 1: Identify the poetic technique and its function

Pinpoint the specific element or device, such as metaphor, alliteration, or stanza structure. Explain what the poet is doing with this choice. Is it creating a comparison, building rhythm, or signaling a shift?

Step 2: Explain the immediate effect on the reader or meaning

Describe how this technique influences the reader's experience or shapes the poem's message. Does it evoke a particular emotion, clarify an idea, or create tension? Be specific about the impact.

Step 3: Connect to your thesis and overall interpretation

Tie the effect to your central argument about the poem. How does this technique support your claim about the poem's meaning or purpose? This keeps your analysis focused and coherent.

Step 4: Add depth for sophistication

Push your analysis further by exploring complexities or nuances. Does the technique create a contradiction or tension with another element? Could it suggest alternative meanings? This can help earn the Sophistication point.

Practical tips for better commentary:

• Be specific - Avoid vague phrases like "this is powerful"; instead, explain exactly how it affects meaning.
• Don't summarize - Focus on how the technique works, not what the poem says.
• Prioritize key techniques - Analyze the most significant elements in depth rather than listing many superficially.
• Use literary terms accurately - Name techniques precisely, with brief explanations if needed (e.g., "caesura (a pause within a line of poetry)").

Common mistakes in commentary and how to avoid them

Many students lose points on Row B because their commentary lacks depth or focus. Below are frequent pitfalls and strategies to overcome them.

Illustrative examples of commentary on poetic techniques

To see how commentary works in practice, review these examples. Each presents evidence from a hypothetical poem, followed by commentary at different levels of effectiveness.

Example 1 - Weak vs. strong commentary on imagery

• Evidence - The poet describes the setting as "a field of shattered glass under a bleeding sky."
• Weak commentary (scores 1-2) - This imagery shows the place looks dangerous. It makes the poem feel dark. The poet uses strong words.
  • Why it's weak - It summarizes the content without explaining how the imagery works or its specific effect on meaning. It lacks connection to a broader interpretation.
• Strong commentary (scores 4-5) - This imagery of "shattered glass" and a "bleeding sky" functions to transform a natural field into a battleground scarred by violence (function: visualizing destruction). The harshness of "shattered" and the personification of the sky as "bleeding" evoke visceral pain, forcing the reader to confront the aftermath of conflict (effect: emotional intensity). This reinforces the poem's critique of war's devastation, showing nature itself as wounded (connection to thesis). The unusual metaphor of a bleeding sky also suggests an unnatural disruption, hinting at cosmic consequences of human violence (sophistication).
  • Why it's strong - It explains the purpose of the imagery, its impact on the reader, links to the poem's theme, and adds nuanced interpretation.

Example 2 - Weak vs. strong commentary on sound devices

• Evidence - The poet repeats the hard consonant sound in "crack, crumble, crash" across a single line.
• Weak commentary (scores 1-2) - The poet uses alliteration here. It sounds nice and catches attention.
  • Why it's weak - It names the device but offers no insight into its purpose or effect, relying on vague praise.
• Strong commentary (scores 4-5) - The alliteration in "crack, crumble, crash" functions to mimic the abrupt, destructive sounds of collapse through harsh consonant repetition (function: auditory imitation). This sound pattern intensifies the reader's sensory experience, making the moment of ruin feel immediate and violent (effect: heightened realism). It supports the poem's portrayal of chaos as overwhelming and inescapable, echoing the speaker's loss of control (connection to thesis). Additionally, the progression from "crack" to "crash" suggests an escalating destruction, mirroring the poem's movement toward total breakdown (sophistication).
  • Why it's strong - It analyzes the role of sound, its impact on the reader, connects to the poem's meaning, and explores subtle progression for added depth.

Worked example - Commentary in a poetry analysis essay

Below is a sample prompt and excerpts from responses at different scoring levels, showing how commentary on poetic techniques affects the score.

Sample prompt

The following poem, published in 1916, explores themes of transience and memory. Read the poem carefully. Then, in a well-written essay, analyze how the poet uses literary elements and techniques to convey the speaker's complex attitude toward the past.

[Hypothetical poem excerpt]
"The garden wilts, its roses shed / Like tears upon the ashen bed, / A whisper winds through hollow years, / Echoing grief in silent ears."

[Suggested time: 40 minutes]

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Developing response excerpt (scores 2-3)

The poet uses imagery to show the garden is dying. The line "roses shed like tears" makes it seem sad. This shows the speaker doesn't like what happened in the past. The poet also uses a rhyme scheme, which makes the poem flow nicely.

Why this scores lower:

• Limited commentary - Identifies imagery and rhyme but doesn't explain how they create meaning beyond surface observation.
• Vague analysis - Statements like "makes it seem sad" and "flow nicely" lack specificity and depth.
• Weak connection - Fails to tie techniques to a nuanced interpretation of the speaker's attitude toward the past.
• No sophistication - Misses opportunities to explore deeper effects or complexities in the language.

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Sophisticated response excerpt (scores 5-6)

Through vivid imagery and deliberate sound patterns, the poet conveys the speaker's bittersweet reverence for a past both cherished and painful. The description of roses shedding "like tears upon the ashen bed" functions to personify the garden's decay as an act of mourning (function: emotional projection), evoking a profound sense of loss as nature itself grieves for what once was (effect: emotional resonance). The word "ashen" further deepens this, suggesting not just death but cremation, as if the past has been reduced to irretrievable remnants (sophistication: layered meaning). This imagery supports the speaker's complex attitude, blending nostalgia with sorrow as beauty transforms into ruin (connection to thesis). Additionally, the alliteration in "whisper winds" mimics a ghostly sigh, reinforcing the haunting presence of memory that lingers yet cannot be grasped (effect and sophistication: auditory evocation of absence). Together, these techniques underscore a past that is both vividly alive in memory and achingly out of reach.

Why this scores higher:

• Detailed evidence - Uses specific quotations to ground the analysis.
• Clear function and effect - Explains what the imagery and sound do and how they impact the reader.
• Strong connection - Links techniques to the speaker's nuanced attitude toward the past.
• Sophistication - Explores deeper connotations (e.g., "ashen" as cremation) and subtle effects (e.g., ghostly alliteration), showing complex understanding.

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Comparison of commentary quality