Explicating Poetry
I.
Introduction
a. Paraphrase the poem (not summary; idea-by-idea)
b. Identify a theme of the poem
II. Body
a.
Literary devices and figurative language—consider how the poet’s choice of language
reinforces the message of the poem
i.
ii.
iii.
iv.
v.
b.
Simile
Metaphor
Hyperbole
Sensory detail
Allusion
vi.
vii.
viii.
ix.
x.
Personification
Colors
Movement
4 elements (earth, water, air, fire)
Juxtaposition
Sound devices—consider how sound devices help create mood and reflect or reinforce
message of poem
i. Rhyme
vi.
Repetition
ii. Meter
vii.
Caesuras
iii. Alliteration
viii.
Onomatopoeia
iv. Assonance
ix.
Cacophony
v. Consonance
x.
Euphony
III. Conclusion—Brief restatement of the theme/idea and the poem’s
strengths; consider relevance to reader
Terminology Definitions:
Alliteration: The effect created when words with the same initial letter (usually consonants) are used in close
proximity
Allusion: Where a poem makes reference to another poem or text.
Assonance: The effect created when words with the same vowel sound are used in close proximity - but
where the consonants in these words are different.
Cacophony: harshness in the sound of words or phrases
Consonance: The effect created when words share the same stressed consonant sounds but where the vowels
differ. Single consonance occurs when two words share one set of consonants e.g. 'brick' and 'clock' which
share a 'ck'. Double consonance occurs when two words share all the same consonants e.g. in 'black' and
'block'.
Figurative language: Language where the literal meaning of words or phrases is disregarded in order to show
an imaginative relationship between diverse things.
Mood/Tone: The 'tone' of a poem reveals the attitude of the poet being studied e.g. anger, love, resignation,
despair, fear, boredom etc.
Imagery: The creation of images using words. Poets usually achieve this by invoking comparisons by means of
metaphor or simile or other figures of speech.
Symbol: Words or images that signify more than they literally represent e.g. the 'sun' or the 'moon'. Symbols
can carry a number of different connotations.
Diction: A writer’s choice of words, particularly for clarity, effectiveness, and precision. A writer’s diction can
be formal or informal, abstract or concrete.
Rhyme: The effect produced when similar vowel sounds chime together and where the final consonant sound
is also in agreement
Meter: the regular pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables that make up a line of poetry. Meter gives
rhythm and regularity to poetry.
Hyperbole: A figure of speech involving exaggeration.
Personification: The endowment of inanimate objects or abstract concepts with animate or living qualities.
Caesura: A strong pause within a line of verse.
Onomatopoeia: The use of words to imitate the sounds they describe. Words such as buzz and crack are
onomatopoetic.
Juxtaposition: The arrangement of two or more ideas, characters, actions, settings, phrases, or words side-byside or in similar narrative moments for the purpose of comparison, contrast, rhetorical effect, suspense, or
character development.
Euphony: (from Greek "good sound"): Attempting to group words together harmoniously, so that the
consonants permit an easy and pleasing flow of sound when spoken.
Simile: A simile is a figure of speech used for comparison in the poetry with the words ‘like’ or ‘as’, for
example, "as black as coal".
Metaphor: Metaphor is used in poetry to make an implicit comparison. Unlike simile, here the comparison is
implied, for example, ‘Her laughter, a babbling brook’.