How To Analyze A Poem:
1. CONSIDER THE DICTION: What specific word choices seem especially meaningful?
What are the connotations of these words? Why do you think the poet chose these
particular words? How do they impact the reader’s experience of the poem?
2. DETERMINE THE SPEAKER: What is his/her situation? Attitude? Who is the
speaker speaking to? What relationship is implied between the speaker and
listener? Between the speaker and the subject matter? Do you detect any irony in
the poem’s voice? Does the speaker mean something different from what the words
denote? Are we meant to view the speaker with some ironic distance? What is the
tone of the poem, and do you detect any shifts in tone?
Some adjectives you might use in describing tone: aloof, angry, awe-struck,
bemused, blissful, detached, dismissive, dull, elated, embarrassed, enthusiastic,
fearful, impulsive, indignant, inspirational, joyful, nostalgic, optimistic,
passionate, pessimistic, sarcastic, scornful, silly, sorrowful, sympathetic,
wistful… there are many more!
3. OBSERVE PATTERNS: Notice techniques that are used to create patterns in the
poem. Some techniques you might observe include:
a. Imagery: Is there a specific image or type of image the poet returns to more
than once? How do these images relate to one another? What emotions are
conveyed by them?
b. Parallelism: Does the poet employ any repetitions of syntax to help establish
a rhythm or heighten the emotional impact of the poem?
c. Figurative Language: Does the poet employ a specific pattern of similes or
metaphors? Does the poet extend a metaphor in any way? Do you detect any
potential symbols?
d. Rhyme, Alliteration, Consonance, Assonance: Does the poet make notable
use of any of these sound techniques to generate ideas in the reader, or to
heighten the emotional impact of key passages?
e. Meter: Is there a noticeable rhythmical pattern to the poem? Does the
rhythm shift or vary at any point? What impact does rhythm (or lack of it)
have on the reader’s experience of the poem?
4. IDENTIFY A TURNING POINT: Do you observe some significant shift in theme, mood
or technique at any point? Does the speaker make some significant discovery in the
course of the poem, or solve a problem? Is there a moment where the poem takes
an unexpected turn, or breaks the reader’s expectations in some other way? What
impact does this turning point have on the reader’s emotional and intellectual
experience of the poem?
5. USE ALL OF YOUR OBSERVATIONS TO ARGUE FOR A PARTICULAR READING OF
THE POEM THAT GENERATES INSIGHT INTO SOME KEY EMOTION, EXPERIENCE OR
IDEA: