John Milton is best known for his literary works and political pamphlets. Milton’s use of blank verse, allegory, and metaphor influenced many poets. In this activity, you will analyze and explore the theme and structure of the poems you read in the lesson. Use textual evidence to support your claims. Make sure that the claims you make are relevant to the questions. The claims and counter claims you provide for your answer should be fair and rational. They should provide relevant information to support your ideas and thoughts. These are the characteristics of good claims. Bad claims, on the contrary, can be ambiguous and often illogical, irrelevant, or impossible to support with reasoning and evidence. Part A What words and sounds does Milton use in the poem “Il Penseroso” to create a quiet, somber tone?

“tell me o swan, your ancient tale” by kabir “the swan” by rilke “spanish dancer” by rilke “your laughter” by pablo neruda “birthplace” by shaffarzadeh “it’s this way” by nazim hikmet “counting small-boned bodies” by robert bly choose two poems that you would like to write about. analyze each poem. study the perspective, or point of view, of the speaker in each of the two poems that you select for this assignment. consider these questions: who is the speaker in each of these poems? what is the speaker’s tone? is there a conflict? is there a message? what does each of the poems have in common? what is different about each of the poems? which literary devices are used in the poems? are these literary devices found in both of the poems? what does the speaker hope to achieve in each of the poems? how are these achievements/goals been met? directions: using the two poems of your choosing, write a clear, concise, two hundred and fifty word essay that compares and contrasts the two poems. make sure you include at least two of the following to support your thesis: tone, point of view, literary devices, and meter.