IB English/Commentary
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1 How to write a Poetry Commen-
tary
In order to write a proper IB Paper 1 style essay, the fol-
lowing guidelines must be followed. For the IB commen-
tary, you are expected to explain a given poem or prose.
While it is not to be confused with a detailed explanation
as you might expect in college which would be anywhere
from 5-15 pages in length, the commentary is less formu-
laic and structured than the World Literature papers, but
at the same time, it adheres to formal standard English.
There are several disagreements as to what constitutes a
commentary. Some hold that by nature, it is not formal--
it can be a running commentary"(hence the term, com-
mentary) of what the examinee sees in a given poem.
Though this approach runs the risk of seeming like a liter-
ary version of a grocery list, as long as the examinee sees
some overarching, organizing method--an idea, concept,
or literary device that the poet uses to hold the poem to-
gether cohesively--the commentary need not be as tightly
formulaic as the ve paragraph thesis paper (which is gen-
erally despised in most circles because it discourages di-
vergent thinking).
Others say that this organic approach makes it impossi-
ble to surmise any actual literary analysis. A beginning
thesis of the poems focus, followed by organizing the
analysis into patterns, strands, or organizational groups,
makes it easy to follow a persuasive, holistic presentation.
All agree, however, on the paramount importance of
framing ones literary analysis within the terms and de-
vices of poetry; one must both identify literary elements,
analyze its purpose and eect, and speak intelligently as
to tone, diction, structure, mood, and form.
Below are some literary devices to get you started.
Accent: refers to the stressed portion of
a word. An accent is used to place em-
phasis on a word.
Note: accent and stress can
be used interchangeably.
Allegory: A description that has a sec-
ond, usually moral meaning.
1
Alliteration: is the repetition of ini-
tial (at the beginning) CONSONANT
sounds (if its a vowel repetition, you
would call it assonance. Assonance in-
cludes any repetition of a vowel sound in
any part of the word. It usually occurs in
the middle of words).
Allusion: refers to an event from an ex-
ternal content. It is understandable only
to those with prior knowledge of the ref-
erence in question (as the writer assumes
the reader has).
Apostrophe: Something that addresses
an object or person or idea who is not
present as though he/she/it could reply.
Antithesis: The juxtaposition of con-
trasting words or ideas to create a feeling
of balance (e.g Too black for heaven, and
yet too white for hell)
Assonance: The repetition of vowel
sounds may also add to euphony.
Aubade: Poetry referring to either the
dawn, a love song or about parting lovers.
Ballad: A form of poetry in a specic
meter meant to be sung. There is always a
repeating refrain and it is always narrative
in form. See below for more information.
Blank verse: Iambic Pentameter that
doesn't rhyme. (Much of Shakespeares
plays for example were written in blank
verse.)
Caesura: A cut or break in a line, could
be a comma or a semicolon.
Cacophony: Harsh sounding and gener-
ally unpleasant.
Consonance: The repetition of conso-
nant sounds NOT in the beginning of a
word (which would be alliteration). En-
forces relation.
Continuous Form: Lines follow each
other without any type of structural or-
ganization except by blocks of meaning.
Didactic Poetry: Poetry with a directly
morally teaching purpose.
Ethos: the validity of the source or nar-
rator/ speaker.
2 1 HOW TO WRITE A POETRY COMMENTARY
Euphony: Pleasant sounding.
Extended Figure: An apostrophe, sim-
ile, metaphor, etc. which is developed
throughout a poem.
Imagery: Language which appeals to
each of the ve senses.
Visual imagery: Sight. The
most frequent type.
Aural or auditory imagery:
Sound.
Olfactory imagery: Smell.
Gustatory imagery: Taste.
Tactile imagery: Touch, tan-
gibility.
Organic imagery: Human
sensations, hunger for exam-
ple.
Irony: Dramatic or otherwise, conveying
an aspect that is intrinsically unexpected
or self-contradictory.
Metaphor: A comparison between two
unlike things without using the words
like or as.
Onomatopoeia: Words which are writ-
ten to mimic a sound. (SHAZAM!
SPLAT! PLOP!)
Paradox: A statement which appears to
contradict itself but makes sense (usually
in an abstract sense).
Personication: Animals and inanimate
objects are given human characteristics.
Phonetic Intensive: A word whose
sound emphasizes its meaning.
Prose: Language which is not in meter.
Refrain: A repeated line, phrase, sen-
tence, etc. which appears throughout a
poem.
Rhetorical Poetry: Poetry written in su-
peruous language with the intention of
being overdramatic.
Scansion: The process of measuring
verse.
Simile: The comparison of two subjects
using like or as or something similar
Sonnet: See link.
Tone: The writers attitude toward the
subject.
Advanced Vocabulary for the Daring
Anaphora: Repetition of the same word
or words from the beginning of sen-
tences, lines, or phrases.
Ars Poetica: A poem about poetry
Conceit: The comparison of two dissim-
ilar things. Shall I compare thee to a
summers day
Dramatic monologue: Narrator speaks
to himself. The speaker is not the author.
Epiphany: A realization or comprehen-
sion of the essence of something.
Feminine Rhyme: Two syllable (Disyl-
labic) rhyme consisting of stressed sylla-
ble followed by unstressed
Incantation: Use of words to create an
archaic eect. (Opening scene of Mac-
beth and the Weird Sisters)
Incremental repetition: Repetition of
succeeding stanzas with small substitu-
tions of changes.
Masculine rhyme: Monosyllabic
rhymes.
Metonymy: Substitutes the name of one
thing with something closely associated
with it.
Synecdoche: Substitutes a part of one
thing to represent the whole, or vice
versa.
Pathetic fallacy: A reection of the ac-
tion/events through nature/weather. (A
thunderstorm during the creation of
Frankensteins monster sequence)
Persona: The character created by the
narrator.
Synaesthesia: A blending of sensations.
Trope: A way of extending the meanings
of words beyond the literal.
1.0.1 Types of Poems
Alexandrine: Twelve-syllable poetic
line of French origin.
Couplet: A poem or section consisting of
two successive lines, usually rhyming and
having the same meter and often forming
a complete thought.
Elegy: A poem of loss and consolation.
Panegyric: Praise for an individual, a
group of people, or a body.
Sonnet: A poem of fourteen lines,
usually following a strict rhyme
scheme/structure.
Stichic: A poem which is a continuous
sequence of lines without any division
into stanzas.

Villanelle: 19 lines divided into 6 stanzas
5 of 3 and 1 of 4.
Apostrophe: A poem directed to a per-
son or thing not present/alive.
1.0.2 Step 1: Reading the Poem
Read the poem silently once. Take a
mental note or actually write down if you
can't remember any impressions, emo-
tions, or confusions the poem may orig-
inally stir.
Read the poem once more; try to under-
stand its meaning or the course of events
it may describe.
Read the poem aloud if possible. If
you're in an exam room you can read the
poem under your breath. Take note of
the tone and speed of the poem.
Read the poem again and take notes
about the literal and gurative context of
the poem. This should include its mean-
ing on the literal level and any gurative
meanings it may include.
Read the poem again, this time looking
for literary devices. These should be, but
not limited to:
Imagery
Assonance
Consonance
Onomatopoeia and Phonetic
Intensive words
Metaphors, Similes, and Per-
sonications.
Juxtaposition and Contrast
Once you're sure you've found these liter-
ary devices, proceed to look further for:
What does the title suggest- is
it related to our understanding
of the poem?
Note: Compare your
rst impression of
the title to its actual
meaning.
Does the poem have an apos-
trophe?
Are sections cacophonic or eu-
phonic? If so, do the previous
literature features make them
so?
Is there any irony?
3
Does the poem have an exten-
sive gure?
Is there a refrain?
Next, once you've gone through the
poems meaning and its literary devices-
its time to look for form!
Note: Knowing a poems scan-
sion is not necessarily re-
quired. You don't need to state
this poem is written in dactylic
hectometre, but its pretty ob-
vious if a poem is written in
iambic pentameter and count-
ing meter isn't too dicult.
Is the poem in a continuous
form, a stanzaic form, or a
xed form? (Such as a Ballad
or a Sonnet)
Take note of the poems
structure- how many stanzas,
how many lines, etc.
Make extra note of the authors
tone and how this inuences
the poem.
1.0.3 Step 2: Looking for Detail
Now that you've found the poems literal
and gurative meanings, its form, and its
literary devices - its time to get to work!
Make connections - in what
ways do the poems literary de-
vices add to the poems mean-
ing?
What eect does the writers
tone have on the readers per-
ception of the poem?
What eect does meter and
form have on meaning?
An excellent way of keeping your entire commentary in
focus is, asking yourself these simple yet signicant ques-
tions:
1) Whats being said (content, maybe theme, character,
ideas, relationships, ideas, love, peace etc.)
2) How is it being said (stylistic devices, rhyme, structure,
diction, etc.)
3) So What? (I.e. for what ends, purposes, extrapolation
chances, personal connection and response, etc.)
Remember its not a grocery list of memorized terms-
barfed out in a time period of 2 hours. It is supposed
to be an intricate and insightful response to what you as
a reader, understand from the text, the authors intended
4 1 HOW TO WRITE A POETRY COMMENTARY
message. The planning phase is perhaps the most impor-
tant, even more important than the writing phase (which
comes naturally succeeding it, if planning goes well the
written should be equally responsive).
1.0.4 Step 3: Structuring your Commentary
There is no denitive structure to a po-
etry commentary; this isn't like writing a
history essay. However, structure is an
important aspect in writing a poem com-
mentary and you can prepare yourself in
advance by having some notion of the or-
der in which you will write. Here is an
example of a possible essay structure:
Note: Everyone is dierent,
if you want to write your po-
etry commentary in a dierent
form, by all means do so- this
is merely a suggestion aimed
at guiding your writing.
Introduction
State the poems title, author,
and a small introduction to the
poems overall literal meaning.
State the poems form, and
any important literary devices
which appear throughout it.
Write about an important as-
pect of the poem which you
will further discuss in your
wildcard paragraph and even-
tually conclude in your last
paragraph.
Paragraph One: Structure and Nar-
ration
Briey mention the poems
structure. Make note of the
use of Enjambment or the
juxtaposition of words.
Write about the poems meter
and its speed.
Make note of the poems
speaker (do not use narrator)
and his/her tone.
Paragraph Two: Meaning
State the poems literal mean-
ing.
State the poems gurative
meaning.
Paragraph Three: Devices
Write about the poems liter-
ary devices.
Write about important themes
present in the poem.
Paragraph Four: Combine
Write how literary devices and
meaning interconnect.
This paragraph should begin to
bring things together.
Paragraph Five: The Wild Card
Introduce an important theme
or aspect of the poem in great
detail. This could be a refrain,
an extended gure or an apos-
trophe.
Conclusion
The conclusion should com-
bine the Wild Card with the
above paragraphs. In this case,
one could talk about how lit-
erary devices or the poems
structure aid in supporting an
extended gure.
Here is another suggestion for a structure which requires
about 10-15 minutes of planning, but is still just as
ecient-
Introduction
State the poems title, author,
and a small introduction to the
poems overall literal meaning.
If any, state the relevance of
the background of the au-
thor (i.e. their philosophies,
causes, a message..)
Construct a 'map' to your an-
swer. Concisely, write one
sentence on each idea that will
be put forth in the essay
Paragraph One: Idea One
Use PETER
Point: State the
point you are trying
to prove, e.g. The
conict in the extract
symbolizes change
 5

Evidence: Give evi- That oats on high o'er vales and hills,
dence for the conict
by quoting When all at once I saw a crowd,
Technique: State the
literary features A host, of golden daodils;
Elaboration: De-
velop your point Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
further and give a
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.
deeper explanation
on your point. Also Continuous as the stars that shine
state the reason for
the point that the And twinkle on the Milky Way,
author was trying to
make, or the reason They stretched in never-ending line
for which the literary
feature was used Along the margin of a bay:
Response: Describe
the emotions or Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
ideas evoked into the
reader, if any Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.
The waves beside them danced, but they
Paragraph Two: Idea Two
Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:
e.g. Point: The rst person
narrative is used to gain empa-
thy from the reader. A Poet could not but be gay,
(Follow the same pattern as
used for the rst idea) In such a jocund company:

(An ideal commentary has 3-5 ideas. Remember to fo- I gazed--and gazed--but little thought
cus more on developing the ideas than to have more of What wealth the show to me had brought:
them. 3 well developed ideas will fetch more marks than
For oft, when on my couch I lie
6 baseless points.)
In vacant or in pensive mood,
Conclusion

(O record: One must realize
that a conclusion is usually just
the introduction which is para-
phrased with a more conclu-
sive tone and possibly a fact or
two more!)
The conclusion must contain
a brief summation of all the
points you have made and why
were they the most important.
It could also include some per-
sonal interpretation that you
are not condent about adding
in the body of your essay.
1.0.5 Step 4: Example Commentary
Confused? Don't be! Here everything will be made clear
as together we'll decipher a poem. Our poem of choice is
The Daodils by William Wordsworth.
I wandered lonely as a cloud
They ash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure lls,
And dances with the daodils.
Try to do it by yourself rst- even if
roughly.
Ready?
First impression: The poem is ex-
tremely euphonic and uses quite a bit of
pleasant imagery. When spoken, it rolls
o the tongue naturally. This reinforces
the poems joyful tone which proceeds
through out the poem except for mo-
mentarily in the fourth stanza where the
rst two lines are cacophonic. The poem
deals with an extended gure which may
be considered an apostrophe.
6 1 HOW TO WRITE A POETRY COMMENTARY
Structure: The poem is in a stanzaic
form of four stanzas of six lines each.
The rhyming scheme alternates at rst,
ABAB, but ends in a rhyming couplet CC
which adds to the euphony of the poem
and the ease at which its spoken. The
lines are in iambic tetrameter.
Note: Meter can be found by
counting the syllables in each
line and simply dividing them
by two. If this is the same
for each line, then the poem is
written in a specic meter.
Speaker: The speaker is obviously the
poet himself. By sharing his own rst ex-
periences with such a crowd of daodils
the reader gains the same rst impres-
sions.
Literal Meaning: The poet recalls his
rst experience of seeing such a won-
drous crowd of daodils beside a bay.
The blowing wind moves them in an awe-
some formation, a spectacle of nature of
which the poet remembers in order to lift
his spirits.
Figurative Meaning: Everyone has had
their good experiences in life. Perhaps
its the sensation of getting a new dog or
seeing a beautiful bird take ight. Its im-
portant for us to remember those experi-
ences, in times when we are down.
Imagery: Lots of visual imagery
Golden daodils (4)
Sparkling waves (14)
stars that shine / and twinkle
on the milky way (7-8)
Kinesthetic imagery
Fluttering and dancing in the
breeze (6)
Tossing their heads in
sprightly dance (12)
The waves beside them
danced (13)
Metaphors and Similes
I wandered lonely as a cloud
(1)
Continuous as the stars (7)
Personication of the Daodils
I saw a crowd / a host, of
golden daodils (3-4)
Tossing their heads in sprightly
dance (12)
In such a jocund company (16)
Assonance
A host of golden daodils (3)
Beside the lake, beneath the
trees (6)
For oft when on my couch (19)
heart with pleasures lls (23)
Alliteration
Beside... beneath... breeze (5-
6)
stars...stretch...shine (7-8)
glee...gay...gazed...gazed (13-
15)
Repetition:
Dance (6), (12), (13), (24)
Gazed (15)
Wildcard: Importance of the Speaker
The speaker shows a great
tranquility and appreciation of
nature. The juxtaposition of
the rst two lines of the last
paragraph with the rest of the
poem and the use of the word
couch suggest unhappiness
with the material surround-
ings.
Great! Now that we've written down the
basic aspects of the poem- its time for us
to connect their meanings and eects!
The Commentary
The Daodils by William Wordsworth describes the
poets sight of a spectacular eld of daodils situated by
a bay. He uses worldly imagery to magnify such a small
feat of nature in an attempt to demonstrate how both na-
ture and memories are important in dealing with many of
the woes of a modern society. The personied daodils
are the center of the poem which is written in a stanzaic
form with a consistent rhyming scheme. Through the use
of literary devices and intensive visual and kinesthetic im-
agery, the reader is able to adopt the same feeling of awe
at this simplistic spectacle as once felt by the poet.
The poem is written in stanzaic form of four stanzas
each consisting of six lines with each line written in
 7

iambic tetrameter. For the rst four lines of each stanza,

the rhyming scheme alternates as ABAB, but ends with
a rhyming couplet. This stanzaic form serves to rein-
force the poems euphony, with the ending the consis-
tent rhyming scheme serving to ensure that the poem pro-
gresses smoothly. Indeed, the structure of the poem may
even serve to reect the extended gure of the poem, for
like the daodils, we too are entranced by the product of
its general simplicity. The poem is told through the eyes
of the poet himself.
The poem describes in detail, a simplistic wonder of na-
ture, a crowd, / a host, of golden daodils (3-4) situated
along the margin of a bay (10). The daodils dance
(6) and though not mentioned directly, this dance is most
likely caused by the wind. The poet is amazed at two
things, the sheer number of daodils, comparing their
numbers to the number of stars in the the milky way
(7) and the intricate dance that they produce. He then
states that the waves of the lake also danced, most likely
ripples once again caused by the wind, but the eect the
wind had on the owers Out-did the sparkling waves in
glee"(13). The sight was so beautiful that the poet gazed
and gazed (17), clueless of the wealth (18) gained from
the experience. From then on, when the Poet is in a va-
cant mood (20), he recalls this experience in his mind
and his heart [lls] with pleasures (23) as he too dances
with the daodils (24).
(Note: this commentary isn't the best example... the use
of the quotes at the end is exactly what IB doesn't want.
Additionally its far too short - a commentary should be
about one thousand words)
Sources http://courses.durhamtech.edu/perkins/aris.
html
8 2 TEXT AND IMAGE SOURCES, CONTRIBUTORS, AND LICENSES

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2.1 Text
IB English/Commentary Source: https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/IB_English/Commentary?oldid=3034038 Contributors: Ixfd64,
Panic2k4, Jomegat, Jguk, Daniel.Stevens, Ealgian~enwikibooks, Akademix, Mike.lifeguard, Recent Runes, Ramac, Heronumbazero, Dan
Polansky, Illustrious, Dallas1278, Kayau, Techman224, QuiteUnusual, Omnipaedista, Adrignola, Tyfq, Frenziedst00ge, Xandros Markai,
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