Task 1. Read and Answer Questions. Read the first two paragraphs on page 124 of the main text and answer the following questions.

1.			According to the authors, what makes a written text a poem?
2.			What are some of the elements that identify "poetry"?
3.			What is the critical difference between prose and poetry, according to the authors?
4.			Compare your perception of the differences between prose and poetry with that of the authors. How is your perception the same and how is it different?

Task 2. Paraphrase.

5.			In order to understand the heart of poetic analysis, it is important to understand the relationship between theme and structure. Paraphrase the following sentence from page 124 of the text: "Ningún tema es en sí mismo poético, porque lo que hace que un texto sea prosa o poesía no tiene nada que ver con el tema que se transmite sino con el modo de transmitirlo, es decir, con el arte que utiliza el poeta para transmitirlo."

Task 3. Restate.

6.			In the fourth paragraph on page 124, the authors offer their definition of poetry. You must understand their perspective in order to understand why they have selected certain poets and poems. Restate the paragraph as carefully as possible.

Task 4. Interpret. Based on the paragraph in Task 3, state in your own words what you understand the authors to mean by "poetry." Specifically, what do they mean by musicalidad, sonoridad, and armonía?

7.			Poetry is:
8.			musicalidad:
9.			sonoridad:
10.			armonía:

Task 5. Read and Identify.

11.			Read the fifth paragraph on page 124. According to Plato and Aristotle, there are three classes of poetry. What are they and how are they described?

Task 6. Read and Define. The words used to create poetry are combined according to poetic rules (las reglas de la Poética), which are very prescriptive in how the words go together. Read the next two paragraphs, on pages 124 and 125, and define the following important terms related to poetic rules.

12.			la Poética:
13.			el verso:
14.			la estrofa:
15.			el ritmo:
16.			la versificación:
17.			el metro:
18.			la sílaba:
19.			el poema:
20.			la poesía:

Task 7. Make connections. Look back at the poetic terminology you just defined, then re-read the paragraphs on pages 124 and 125. How do these terms relate to each other according to the poetic rules? Explain the connections among them.

21.			el verso la estrofa el ritmo la versificación el metro la sílaba el poema

Task 8. Test Yourself. Before you continue, make sure that you can answer the following questions without referring to your notes.

22.			What are the two most important elements of a poetic verse that are instrumental in learning to analyze poetry, and why are they important?
23.			What are the critical differences between prose and poetry?
24.			Using the poetic terminology you now know, how would you teach someone else about el ritmo musical of a poem?
25.			What do you now know about poetry that you did not know before?