How to Read and Analyze Poetry
in Nine Steps
Step 1: Don’t panic! You are not going to understand it the first time!
Step 2: Read the title and think what the poem might be about.
Step 3: Read the poem all the way through without stopping. This is to get
a general understanding of the poem.
Step 4: Annotate (mark) parts of the poem that you: really like, reminds you
of something else, think is interesting, find confusing, suspect might be
important but don’t know why.
Step 5: Look up any words you don’t know. Use a dictionary.
Step 6: Identify the narrator. Figure out who is speaking in the poem. What
do you know about this narrator? What is the narrator’s tone? How does the
narrator explain the message or theme of the poem? What are the
narrator’s traits? What does the narrator want us to learn or know?
Step 7: Notice shifts or changes. Does the narrator use a ‘hinge’ word (but,
however, nevertheless) to change the momentum or meaning of the poem?
Pay special attention to the idea that comes immediately after one of these
hinge words.
Step 8: Figure out the structure. How did the poet put the poem on the
page? What’s interesting about the rhyme scheme, the meter of the lines, or
the physical layout of the text and use of ‘white space’ on the page? How
might these elements contribute to the poem’s overall message or theme?
Step 9: Read the poem one more time, aloud if possible. What new
meaning or insight can you see in the poem?
Poetry Analysis - 10 essential questions
1.
Who is the speaker in this poem? What kind of person are
they?
2.
To whom is the speaker speaking, or in other words, who is
the audience?
3.
What is the situation and setting in time (or what era) and
place?
4.
What is the purpose of the poem?
5.
State the poem’s central idea or theme in a single sentence.
6.
Describe the structure of the poem. How does this relate to
content?
7.
What is the tone of the poem? How is it achieved?
8.
Notice the poem’s diction. Discuss any words which seem
especially well-chosen.
9.
Are there predominant usages of figurative language? What
is the effect?
10.
1.
Metaphors
2.
Similes
3.
Imagery
4.
Allusions
5.
Personification
6.
Symbols
Explain the use of any sound devices and whether or not they
aid in conveying tone or theme.