Poem Analysis Guide
for AS-Level English Literature
Think and Write
On your sticky note, please answer the
following question in a word or brief phrase:
What is poetry for?
What is poetry for? According to poets...
Introduction to Poetry
by Billy Collins
I ask them to take a poem
and hold it up to the light
like a color slide
But all they want to do
is tie the poem to a chair with rope
and torture a confession out of it.
or press an ear against its hive.
They begin beating it with a hose
to find out what it really means.
I say drop a mouse into a poem
and watch him probe his way out,
or walk inside the poem’s room
and feel the walls for a light switch.
I want them to waterski
across the surface of a poem
waving at the author’s name on the shore.
Billy Collins, “Introduction to Poetry” from The
Apple that Astonished Paris. Copyright 1988,
1996 by Billy Collins. Reprinted with the
permission of the University of Arkansas Press.
Our Mnemonic
#123SPLITT
# - Number the lines!
• Number the lines of the poem. You can
mark every line or mark in sets of two or
five if you prefer.
1 – First Read Silently
• First, read the poem silently to yourself to
get a sense of the language/words.
– Practice “hearing” a voice read the words in
your head!
– Are there any words you need to look up
(definition or pronunciation) before you
proceed?
2 – Second Read Out Loud
• Second, read the poem out loud (or listen to
it read out loud).
– Listen for sound devices or patterns!
– Is there a natural rhythm to the words when
read out loud?
– How does sound contribute to the meaning?
3 – Divide in 3+ sections
• Divide the poem into 3+ sections. If there
are stanzas, use those. If there aren’t,
define a beginning, middle, and end.
S - Shape/Pattern
NOTICE:
• TITLE - first impressions?
• OPENING - gradual or sudden? informative or mysterious?
• STANZAS - regular or random? separate or connected ideas?
• REPETITION - words, phrases, sounds, grammatical
constructions?
• LINE LENGTH - regular or random? enjambment or caesura?
• RHYME - patterns? connections between words and ideas?
• RHYTHM - patterns? disturbances?
• ENDING - gradual or sudden? logical or surprise twist?
• POETIC FORM/STRUCTURE - predictable or irregular? a
particular name or pattern?
P - Point of View
NOTICE:
• NARRATOR - clearly defined? 1st person?
storyteller? observer?
• PERSPECTIVE (POV) - single or multiple?
when/where does it shift?
• BIAS/ANGLE - objective or subjective
narrator? complementary or contrasting?
• PERSONA - narrator = poet or created
character?
L - Language/Diction
NOTICE:
• LANGUAGE - complex or simple? formal or
informal? ornate or plain?
• DICTION - connotations of word choices?
complementary or contrasting? jargon?
slang? specialized field?
I - Imagery
NOTICE:
• SENSORY DETAIL - sight, smell, touch,
taste, sound
• SIMILE/METAPHOR/PERSONIFICATION
- comparisons to what? clear or open to
interpretation?
• OTHER FIGURES OF SPEECH - hyperbole?
metonymy? onomatopoeia? pathos? pun?
oxymoron/paradox?
T - Tone
NOTICE:
TONE/ATTITUDE - Humor? Sarcasm? Awe?
How do you know?
•
•
•
•
•
DICTION - word choice
IMAGERY - sensory details/figurative devices
DETAILS - ideas included/omitted
LANGUAGE - general sense of words
SYNTAX - sentence structure, punctuation
T - Theme
• In your own words, state what you think is
the THEME of the poem: what the poem is
about AND what the poet thinks about it
THEME = topic + opinion
• A theme statement must be
–
–
–
–
a complete phrase/sentence
supportable with evidence from the text
debatable (someone could logically disagree)
evaluative (express the author’s opinion)