Use this poetry analysis worksheet to help high school English students explore a short poem for the Halloween, fall/autumn, and back-to-school seasons: “The Witch Girl” by A. Leslie (originally published in Weird Tales). An answer key is included. This poem uses surreal imagery, allusions to folklore, and ironic details to create a Gothic atmosphere and explore how identity is shaped from birth.

By engaging with this poetry activity, students will:

• Conduct research on leprechaun lore to make connections to the poem’s speaker.
• Make evidence-based inferences (e.g., to identify why the author applies situational irony).
• Analyze the author’s use of em-dashes in context.
• Discern the function of a given stanza.
• Describe tone in context.
• Articulate the greater significance of a given detail (e.g., the lover “whose hair was like the sun”).
• Apply knowledge of poetry/literary devices (e.g., allusion and onomatopoeia).
• Consider themes in context.