“Steps in Analyzing a Poem”
by Dene Grigar
Step I. Familiarize Yourself with the Poem
and its Origins
1. Read the poem.
2. Consider the origins of the poem.
Look at the date the work was
written and who wrote it. Ask
question: What literary period does
the poem fall into, and does it
possess the traits of that period?
Step II. Identify the Poetic Form
1. Number the lines, count the
stanzas, count the lines in stanzas.
2. Step back and consider the poem’s
physical layout (lines and stanzas
and shape). Ask this question:
Does the poem follow any
particular identifiable poetic form?
(In other words, if it has 14 lines, is
it a sonnet? If it tells a long story
that seems like it can be sung, is it
a ballad? Etc.). If it does, identify
the form.
Step III. Determine the Content of the
Poem
1. Reread the poem for content. Ask
these questions: What does the
poem say? What is going on in the
poem? Who is the speaker?
2. Apply the various literary elements
and devices to the poem (setting,
point of view, imagery, etc.). Ask
this question: How is meaning
made using these elements and
devices?
Step IV. Examine the Poem’s Structure
1. Scan the poem to determine its
meter and linelength. Remember,
if it is a closed-form poem, the
scanning may reveal a regular
meter and foot (iambic tetrameter,
for example). If it is open-form
poetry, then the poem’s meter and
foot may not be regular, but IT
DOES NOT MEAN IT DOES NOT
MAKE USE OF STRESS LINE
LENGTH. It just means it is not
regular. So, read the poem, line by
line and circling the words stressed
by the poet.
2. Look to see how the lines are
treated: Do the words run-on to the
next line? Do they stop with
punctuation at the end of the line?
Now, ask this question: How is
meaning made with the meter and
line length and line treatment????
Step V. Consider the Sound of the Poem
1. Read the poem aloud and listen to
its sound. Ask this question: What
sounds emerge as dominant ones? If
there is a heavy use of sibilants, for
example, do they give the poem a
lushness, or are they used to provide a
diabolical feel to the poem––that is, a
hissing? Are “M”s heavily used? If so,
does their quality to lengthen a word
help to make meaning in the poem?
Etc.
Step VI. Synthesize analysis of all Poetic
Components
1. Reread the poem, considering as
you read, all of the components
(origins, form, content, structure, and
meaning) you have analyzed. Ask this
question: How do they add to an
understanding of the poem? Keep in
mind when analyzing poetry, it is not as
important to ask what a poem means,
but, rather, how the poem comes to
mean what it means.
This process requires an in-depth investigation of a poem. Although you are asked to look at the
individual components that help to make meaning in a poem, you are required to synthesize your
findings into a final consideration of how the poem comes to mean what it means. Synthesis goes
beyond analysis and is the necessary step for moving toward evaluation. In other words, synthesis
is a higher level of thinking than analysis.