OPEN ENDED ANNOTATION FOR Poetry
CHOOSE a single poem, or a linked series of poems, to focus on.
Note the author name, title of poem(s), and source book if applicable.
Discuss how the work is constructed, what is strongest, why the author might have made
the choices s/he did. Some things to think about:
 Title, first line, last line.
 Imagery (sensory details)
 Connections and implications of imagery
 Ideas, narrative, opinion – elements that are not imagery. Describe them.
 Speaker/persona – who is speaking? What do you learn about that person?
 Activities /events in the poem
 Setting of the poem
 Information about the world (history, facts, etc).
 Structure of poem
o Number & length of lines
o Stanzas
o Relation of sentences to lineation (end stopped?)
o length.
 Patterns of rhyme and repetition – formal or informal.
 SOUND of poem – read out loud.
 Layers of meaning; literal, metaphorical, allegorical, biographical, spiritual, etc.
 Bottom line: what do you take to be most significant in this poem(s)? Why do you
think the poet wrote it? What strategies can you use in your own work?
You may focus on whatever you think is important, but ask questions and investigate the
structure of the poem/s and as many layers of meaning as you can.