How to Analyze Poetry
CIS Literature
Poetry is the dramatization of experience in metrical language. To study or analyze poetry, consider the traditional elements of poetry and the unique style and ideas of the poet. A good way to start is by reading the poem silently. Then read the poem a second, third, or fourth time aloud. Reading the poem aloud makes its meaning clearer and you will hear the various poetic sound devices such as alliteration, rhyme, rhythm, etc. Also, remember to read sentence by sentence, not line by line. Consider the following:
I. Dramatic Situation. Consider the poem as a dramatic situation in which a speaker addresses an audience or another character.
A. Who is speaking and to whom? Is the speaker the poet or a specific persona? How is the speaker involved in the poem? Is the speaker an omniscient narrator or casual observer? Does the speaker refer to him/herself in the 1st person? What is the speaker’s attitude? Does the speaker’s attitude change? Is the speaker’s attitude reflected in the overall tone of the poem?
B. What is the situation? What happens in the poem? Is there a plot? If not, what is the basic design (e.g., rumination on life, patriotic tribute, elegy?) What is the date and/or time of day? Where is the setting or physical location? Does the poet include historical, political, religious, philosophical, or social issues of the time period?
C. What is the point of tension or confict in the poem? Is there an internal or external conflict? Physical, spiritual, moral, philosophical, social, etc.? How is the tension resolved?
D. What is the speaker’s motivation? Why does he or she feel compelled to speak at this moment?
II. Language and Rhythm. How does the language and rhythm contribute to the meaning, purpose, or emotional force of the poem?
A. Word choice. Why does the poet choose one word over another? Do any of the words have multiple meanings? Are there any puns or plays on words? Is the word choice formal, conversational? Does the poet speak in dialect? Use slang? Use archaic language? Use language that is specific to a time period, profession, or group of people?
B. Meaning. What are the connotations and denotation of particular words? Are particular words repeated? Are they concrete or abstract? Literal or metaphorical? Is the meaning ambiguous? Are words paradoxical? Ironic?
C. Does the poem have an identifiable rhythm arranged in meter (iambs, spondees, trochees, dactyls, etc.)? How many syllables are in each line? Does it follow a pattern? What syllables are stressed and unstressed? How does alliteration, assonance, or consonance enhance the rhythm and musicality of the poem?
III. Figurative Language and Imagery: How does the figurative language and imagery construct the poem’s theme, tone, and purpose?
A. Visuals and Sensory Images. Are the images literal or figurative, abstract or concrete? What sensory experiences are evoked? Are certain images repeated? Does the poet paint a word picture through sensory description? Do the images result in irony, ambiguity or paradox?
B. Figurative Language. Does the poet use metaphor and simile to make comparisons and express images or abstract ideas? Is there an extended metaphor? What is the effect of the metaphors on the tone and theme of the poem? (can a poem be a poem without metaphor?) Does the figurative language result in irony, ambiguity or paradox?
C. Symbolism. Are certain objects or actions developed in the imagery symbolic of an abstract idea? Do these symbols reoccur? Do they help develop the theme or purpose of the poem? Are some symbols unifying devices, tying together the poem into a unique whole? Does the symbolism result in irony, ambiguity or paradox?
IV. Form: How does the form correspond to the theme and purpose of the poem?
A. Structure. Does the poem follow a formal poetic structure such as a sonnet, haiku, sestina, elegy, blank verse, free verse? If so, what are the characteristics of that form? How does the poem deviate from that form?
B. Stanza and Lines. Are stanzas and lines consistently the same length? Do they follow a particular pattern? Are there any stanzas, lines, words that diverge from the pattern?
C. Rhyme Scheme. Does the poem follow an identifiable rhyme scheme, corresponding to a specific poetic form? What kind of rhyme is used: internal or end rhyme, near rhyme, true rhyme (vowel rhymes)? Is the rhyming consistent or scattered throughout? If not where does the rhyme change or appear and why? What is the overall purpose or effect of the rhyme scheme?
V. Syntax. How do the poet’s syntactical choices change or expand the ideas in the poem?
A. Enjambment. How are the lines broken? Are thy broken before a grammatical or logical completion of a thought to create an enjambment (end of the line in the poem is not the end of a sentence; the end of a sentence may be in the middle of a line)? Does enjambment create a duality of meaning or cast a spotlight on a certain word, phrase, image or metaphor?
B. Verbs. Are verbs active or passive? What tense does the poet use? Is it consistent or inconsistent? What is the effect of tense on the passage of time in the poem?
C. Sentence Structure. Does the poet use complete sentences, fragments, or a combination of both? Is there a pattern? How does the poet’s sentence choice contribute to the understanding of the poem? Within the sentence, is the word order natural or grammatically irregular?
D. Punctuation. How is punctuation used or not used? Is it consistent with grammatical conventions? What effect does the punctuation create on how the poem is read? How does it affect the speed? Where are the pauses? Does the poet use italics, bold fonts, dashes, indents, or any uncommon fonts of punctuation devices? Why?