Interpreting a poem

Poetry can be daunting. So many times you can be sitting there with a poem in front of you that you’ve read 20 times, and yet somehow it still doesn’t make any sense. The frustration and then distress of this situation is about a thousand times worse if you happen to be sitting in an exam room at the time. And the exam is focussed around that dodgy piece of poetry in front of you!

Some poems are notoriously difficult to interpret. Others however, can reveal their true meaning relatively easily, if you know where to look. Sometimes the fear and panic of interpreting a poem correctly can lead to instant blindness to the true poem meaning. This is commonly known as Poetry Anxiety!

Poetry Anxiety has been described as being, ‘caused by the bad teaching of poetry in the formative years, and common misunderstandings about what poetry is, and its function in our lives.’ The rationale for this term is that we are culturally conditioned to be suspicious of things that have multiple layers of meaning and ambivalent interpretations. This by default leads to anxiety that is provoked through being confronted with a work of art or piece of writing that does not have a clear meaning or what we cannot simply be ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ about.

Poetry Anxiety can be cured or at least reduced however!! Below are a few hints and tips on how to find a stress-free way to enjoying and interpreting poetry.

  1. Remember that practice makes perfect. Poetry does take time to get used to. So the more you read it, the more comfortable you’ll begin to feel with the language, and thus the easier it will be for you to focus on interpretation.
  2. It will take effort. Reading poetry should be an enjoyable way to pass your time yes, but it doesn’t work if you aren’t prepared to invest just a little bit of concentration. So when you start to read poetry, ensure that you are sitting somewhere quiet and comfortable, and that chances of distraction are minimised.
  3. Remember that poetry interpretation is just that – interpretation. You may find that your view of the poem and your understanding of the poem’s meaning differs to that of other people. That’s OK. As long as you know why you have interpreted the poem in a particular way, you are entitled to your own opinion.
  4. Unless you’re in a silent exam room, don’t be afraid of reading the poem aloud. Reading the poem aloud gives you the chance to focus on the rhythm and sound of the poem – you don’t need to focus on interpretation right away. Get to grips with how the poem sounds and how it makes you feel when you read and hear it first, then start to think about why you feel this way. And then finally concentrate on what you think the poem means.
  5. Images are frequently used within poems and by focusing on the images put forward, you stand a greater chance of being able to understand the poem in its entirety.
  6. Similarly, poems often use metaphors, symbols and simile to convey meaning. Whilst at first this can make the interpretation of the poem seem even trickier than before, actually understanding these symbols can be the key to interpreting the entire poem. Winged creatures for example are often used in poems to symbolise a longing for freedom or escape.
  7. Seek out patterns. Whilst a poem may initially seem to be a random collection of words and images, there is often a theme that runs through a poem, and if this can be cracked, so can the overall poem meaning.