Evaluating the Effectiveness of a Poem
Discuss with students each of the areas in your class discussion to determine a thorough evaluation.
Determining an evaluation will assist in addressing the reader’s appeal, the audience and purpose of the poem. A
numerical value can be placed on each of the areas to provide a scale ranking of the poem as compared to other
poems in your discussion.
To evaluate the effectiveness of a poem consider how the poem fulfills the following areas:
Form/ Style-determine the form of the poem, free verse or rhymed
Does the form fit the purpose/ goal, theme, mood, or other devices used in the poem?
Is the form consistent with the character of the poem? For example, a poem about life as an adventure
or opportunity to discover might be better versed as a free verse poem.
Rhymed/Rhythm
Does the poem flow easily? Is the rhythm natural or forced? Is the rhythm consistent with the poem?
Poetic Devices-A poem to be poetry should be a creation of the masterful use of poetic devices. A writer
can use 15 devices in a poem.
Consider, how many poetic devices are used in the poem? How well are the poetic devices included in
the poem?
How do the devices accomplish the purpose or work together in the poem?
Coherence
Does the poem work together as a whole? Is the meaning conveyed in the writing?
Mood/ Imagery
Is the imagery used in the poem effective? Are the images moving? Do you feel, taste, touch, hear, or
see the images created in the poem? Are the images lasting in the poem?
Word Choice The combination of words should be free of clichés’ or typical words.
Consider the individual words. Are the words fresh? Has the writer created words or used a creative
combination of words?
Significance
How does the poem add to your understanding of the topic? Does the poem provide a new insight into
the topic?
Use of Punctuation, Spelling, Grammar
How does the writer use punctuation? Is the use of the punctuation conventional? Are there novel uses
of spelling /punctuation used in the poem?
Does the punctuation and/or spelling aid or hinder in the understanding of the poem?
Line breaks and endings
How are the lines broken up? Do the line breaks add emphasis on the conveyed idea? Are the lines
breaks significant?
Are the line endings significant for emphasizing the meaning?
Content
Has the writer made the content understandable to the reader? Does the writer make it easy or
accessible for the reader to easily come to the conclusion of the poem?
Universal
Does the poem address a universal subject? Can the poem be applied to the human condition
universally? Consider if this poem were to be translated would it be as effective in another country.