Assignment 1 2025
Unique #:
Due Date: 23 April 2025
Detailed solutions, explanations, workings
and references.
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, SECTION A: REFLECTIVE ESSAY: POETRY (UNIT 2)
(4 ANSWERS PROVIDED)
Throughout Unit 2 on Poetry, I found both moments of success and challenges
that shaped my understanding of the subject matter. Reflecting on the activities
provided, I realize that engaging deeply with the poetic texts has transformed my
approach to literature.
I completed my activity journal in which I recorded my thoughts on each exercise.
I found this particularly useful when analyzing specific poetic devices. For
instance, when examining the poem ‗Whales‘ by Kelwyn Sole (p. 469), I noted
down how the word ―lugubriousness‖ slowed the pace and deepened the
mournful tone, urging me to reflect on why such adjectives were chosen.
Recording these reflections helped me identify patterns in diction and imagery,
and it also boosted my confidence in interpreting complex texts.
Among the activities, I found that tasks involving close reading and identifying
literary devices were the most manageable. These exercises shared a common
feature: they required careful attention to detail and a methodical approach in
breaking down the poem‘s language. I particularly enjoyed the process of
underlining all instances of personification, as described in the tutorial letter (e.g.,
the description of the whales as embodying both grandeur and decay). This
systematic process allowed me to see the structure behind the seemingly
abstract writing.
However, I found the activity that required reconciling my personal interpretation
with the ―official‖ interpretation provided in the study guide quite challenging.
While I understood the intended meaning behind words such as ―daintiness‖
juxtaposed with ―huge‖ (p. 469), I struggled to merge my intuition with the
expected analytical framework. The dissonance between my spontaneous
response to the imagery and the structured analysis demanded by the unit was a
hurdle that took considerable self-reflection to overcome.
The aspect I found least enjoyable was deciphering the subtle differences
between tone and mood in some poems. The instructional excerpt on pages 21–
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