Another great way to engage your students is through the creation of storyboards that examine Structure, Meaning, Imagery, Language, and Effect. This activity is referred to with the acronym SMILE. In a SMILE analysis, students break down different aspects of the poem to facilitate in-depth understanding. Using the full text of “Those Winter Sundays” or just a single stanza, students can depict, describe, and analyze the way poetic elements work together to create a central message or theme.
| S | STRUCTURE |
This three-stanza, free verse poem is narrated by an adult son remembering his father’s care during his childhood. He begins by describing the painful physical labor his father performed in the cold each morning. The second stanza contrasts the son’s more relaxed morning with his father’s selfless chores. In the last stanza, the speaker laments his youthful inability to recognize and reciprocate his father’s acts of love. |
|---|---|---|
| M | MEANING |
Although he was not a warm man, the speaker's father showed love daily through small, unappreciated acts. As he recalls his past, the now-adult speaker feels a mixture of gratitude and guilt. The poem reminds readers of the sacrifices parents make for their children and of the often silent and invisible nature of love. |
| I | IMAGERY |
The dominant images in the poem are of cold and heat. The speaker's childhood home is cold, and his relationship with his father seems stiff, yet each day his father sacrifices his own comfort to build a fire and warm the house. The fire and its warmth are representations of the father's love. |
| L | LANGUAGE |
The cold is emphasized through diction and sound devices. The "blueblack cold" created "cracked hands that ached" along with sounds of "splintering" and "breaking" in the house. Alliteration with the letters "b" and "c" highlight the change of breaking, chattering, and shivering. This brutal language makes the father's sacrifice seem greater. |
| E | EFFECT |
The speaker’s nostalgic tone evokes a sense of regret and sadness. Readers may share this sorrow and be moved to appreciate the small acts of love their family members perform. |
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Student Instructions
Perform a SMILE analysis of “Those Winter Sundays”. Remember that SMILE stands for Structure, Meaning, Imagery, Language, Effect.
Incorporate a quick SMILE review at the start or end of poetry lessons to reinforce analytical thinking. Daily practice helps students internalize each SMILE element and apply them across various texts.
Lead a whole-class discussion breaking down a short poem together using SMILE. Use a projector or chart paper so students can visually track each component as you analyze it as a group.
Task small groups with designing posters that illustrate each SMILE element using examples from different poems. Display these posters in your classroom to serve as reference tools during poetry units.
Have students exchange their SMILE analyses and offer specific, constructive feedback on one SMILE component. This builds collaboration and helps students refine their analytical skills.
Invite students to keep a journal where they record insights and challenges from their SMILE analyses. Regular reflection encourages metacognition and tracks progress over time.
SMILE analysis is a method for examining poetry by breaking it down into Structure, Meaning, Imagery, Language, and Effect. It helps students understand how different poetic elements work together to convey the poem’s message or theme.
Start by having students read the poem, then guide them to analyze each SMILE element: Structure (stanzas, point of view), Meaning (main message), Imagery (cold, warmth), Language (word choices, sound devices), and Effect (emotional impact). Encourage students to use examples from the text and create storyboards or short written responses.
Key imagery includes the "blueblack cold", the father’s cracked hands, and the warmth of the fire. These images contrast coldness with warmth, symbolizing the father’s love and sacrifice.
SMILE analysis gives students a clear framework to explore complex poems. It helps them focus on specific elements, making poetry less intimidating and encouraging deeper thinking about the text’s message and techniques.
The central theme is unnoticed parental love and sacrifice. The poem reflects on how small, everyday acts can express deep care, and how these gestures are often recognized only in hindsight.