How to Analyze a Poem
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Arts | BeautyHow
to Analyze a Poem in 10 Easy Steps
Okay, so you have to analyze a poem. First, let¶s change the word analyze and make it less scary. We prefer the word approach because a poem can have different meanings for different readers. As Billy Collins says, you should not be trying to beat a confession out of a poem. 1) Read through at least twice. You will have to read a poem multiple times before even attempting to approach it for deeper meanings. Give yourself a chance to thoroughly and fully experience the poem. 2) Is there a title? Don¶t forget to take this into consideration. Readers often skip over a poem¶s title, which may contain important clues for understanding the piece. Often the title is an introduction that can guide you; for example, Langston Hughes¶ ³Mother to Son´ immediately lets you know who the speaker of the poem is and to whom she is speaking. 3) Stay calm! If there are any unfamiliar words or even a few foreign terms, don¶t panic and don¶t obsess. On your first read through, just let them go and try instead to focus on the larger meaning of the poem. On the second and subsequent passes, you should then look up those troublesome words or anything else that is problematic for you. 4) Read it aloud. Yes. You must do this. Poems are meant to be heard. Often you will find that places in the poem that gave you trouble on the page suddenly make sense when read out loud. You may feel silly at first, but soon you¶ll be comfortable. (Cats and dogs, by the way, make particularly good audiences...though cats tend to be more critical and may leave at a pivotal point in your performance.) Read in your normal voice. Don¶t try to sound like Maya Angelou. Unless you are Maya Angelou. 5) Pay attention to punctuation. Most poems use punctuation to help guide the voice of its reader. You need to pay attention because the end of a line is frequently not the end of a sentence. Consider these lines from Robert Frost¶s ³Birches´:
When I see birches bend to left and right Across the lines of straighter darker trees, I like to think some boy s been swinging in them.
If you stop reading or pause at the end of the first line, it will sound broken and unnatural. If you read smoothly through, pausing briefly at the comma and making a full stop at the period, the poem will have its proper conversational tone. 6) Try paraphrasing. It may be best for you to write in your own words what the poet is saying in each line of the poem. As you work through it, you¶ll see which areas you need to concentrate on. But again, avoid the notion that there is ³one true meaning.´ 7) Who is the speaker? Remember not to confuse the poet with the ³speaker´ of the poem. More often than not, the speaker is a character, just like in a novel or a play. Determining who the speaker is will help you approach the work more easily.
8) Be open to interpretation. Give it a chance. For example, William Carlos Williams¶ poem ³The Red Wheelbarrow´ is often dismissed as cryptic, confusing, and ultimately unknowable. But being open to the poet¶s intentions can lead you to some interesting ideas and questions (in this case, what is important to life?). 9) There are no useless words. Poets select each and every word carefully. None should be dismissed. Images and symbols all have a purpose in the overall meaning of the poem. 10) Don¶t expect a definitive reading. Many poems are intentionally open-ended and refuse to resolve their internal tensions. While it is desirable to understand what a poem is saying, remember that there are approaches and interpretations other than your own.
BASIC DIRECTIONS Title-- Ponder the title before reading the poem
List words and Phrases-- List the important Nouns, Verbs, Phrases, and Clauses in separate columns. Paraphrase-- Translate the poem into your own words Connotation-- Contemplate the poem for meaning beyond the literal Attitude--Observe both the speaker and the poet attitude (tone). Shifts-- Note shifts in speaker and in attitudes Title-- Examine the title again, this time on an interpretive level. Theme --Determine what the poet is saying.
SPECIFIC SUMMARY ANALYSIS Title: Ponder the title before reading the poem; predict what the poem may be "about."
Paraphrase: Translate the poem into your own words. Focus on one syntactical unit at a time, not necessarily on one line at a time. Or write a sentence or two for each stanza of the poem. Connotation: Contemplate the poem for meaning beyond the literal. What do the words mean beyond the obvious? What are the implications, the hints, the suggestions of these particular word choices? Devices: Examine any and all poetic devices, focusing on how such devices contribute to the meaning, the effect, or both, of a poem. (What is important is not that you can identify poetic devices so much as that you can explain how the devices enhance meaning and effect.) Especially note anything that is repeated, either individual words or complete phrases. Anything said more than once may be crucial to interpretation. Attitude: Observe both the speaker's and the poet's attitude (tone). Diction, images, and details suggest the speaker's attitude and contribute to understanding. Shifts: Rarely does a poet begin and end the poetic experience in the same place. As is true of most of us, the poet's understanding of an experience is a gradual realization, and the poem is a reflection of that epiphany. Trace the changing feelings of the speaker from the beginning to end, paying particular attention to the conclusion. To discover shifts, watch for the following: key words: but, yet, however, although; punctuation: dashes, periods, colons, ellipsis; stanza and/or line divisions: change in line or stanza length or both; irony: sometimes irony hides shifts; effect of structure on meaning, how the poem is "built"; changes in sound that
may indicate changes in meaning; and changes in diction: slang to formal language, for instance, or postive connotation to negative; the crux, the one crucial part of the work that stands out, perhaps presenting the complete idea all by itself. Title: Examine the title again, this time on an interpretive level. Theme: In identifying theme, recognize the human experience, motivation, or condition suggested by the poem. Use this theme chart:
PLOT: A summary of the "plot" or events of a poem written in a short paragraph form
SUBJECT: Subjects of the poem are listed as words or phrases THEME: After combining subjects where appropriate, write a complete sentence identifying what idea the poet or speaker (narrator) is conveying about each subject.
NOW THE POEM SHOULD BE CLEAR! WRITE THAT INTRODUCTORY PARAGRAPH : Be sure to include the title, the author, an immediate explanation of the speaker's position, any title significance, an overall statement of "meaning," and a clear statement that answers every aspect of the prompt. Recreation
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ARTICLE: How to Analyze a Poem
By: Rachel Mork Want to learn how to analyze a poem? This simple step-by-step method of breaking down a poem lends itself to an easy report format, perfect for any school project or your own personal analysis of a poem. To get started, take a piece of notebook paper and divide it into three columns. Write the following headers at the top of each column: "General Information," "First Impressions" and "Second Take." Read the Poem Silently When reading a poem for the first time, look for the content of the poem. Jot down your first impressions of the poem, including what the poem seems to be about. Put these thoughts in your First Impressions column. Read the Poem out Loud When you read the poem out loud, you will notice rhythm, syntax and meter. Jot down any general observations about the poem in your Second Take column. Use these first two columns to help you create your introductory paragraph about the poem. Describe your observations in generic terms, and explain that you will go into further detail in your paper. Now go back through the poem and write out the answers to the following questions in the General Information column:
y
y y y
Author Information: Who wrote the poem? What do you know about the poet's biography? How long had this person been publishing poems? Take a few minutes to read up on the poet. Write down any information you glean about the poet that may relate to the poem at hand. It can help to consider the poem in comparison with earlier or later works by the poet. Perspective: Is the poem told from a fictional or real person's perspective? To whom is the poem spoken or directed? What purpose does the poem appear to have? To inspire? To share emotion? To convict? To honor someone or something of value? Imagery: What kinds of imagery, if any, are used in the poem? Do you see concrete or abstract imagery? Kinds of Language Used: Reread the poem, looking for interesting use of language. Can you find any metaphors or similes? Does the poet use alliteration or personification of inanimate objects? Does the poet use oxymorons, hyperboles, irony or puns? Is the language detailed and descriptive or general and elusive?
y
Syntax: Lastly, take a look at the format used for the poem. What kind of poem is this? What structure is used? How many meters are used per line? Is the poem divided into stanzas? Is there a refrain? How many lines are in each stanza? Do the lines vary in meter? Is there a specific pattern of stress or accents throughout the poem?
When analyzing poems, it can be very helpful to look at other poems published at the same time, or at literary criticism of poetry. Sometimes these other sources reveal meanings hidden inside a poem. Feel free to speculate about these in your paper, as long as you can back up your statements with examples or quotes. You may just find something new that spurs great discussion.
to Analyze a Poem in 10 Easy Steps
Okay, so you have to analyze a poem. First, let¶s change the word analyze and make it less scary. We prefer the word approach because a poem can have different meanings for different readers. As Billy Collins says, you should not be trying to beat a confession out of a poem. 1) Read through at least twice. You will have to read a poem multiple times before even attempting to approach it for deeper meanings. Give yourself a chance to thoroughly and fully experience the poem. 2) Is there a title? Don¶t forget to take this into consideration. Readers often skip over a poem¶s title, which may contain important clues for understanding the piece. Often the title is an introduction that can guide you; for example, Langston Hughes¶ ³Mother to Son´ immediately lets you know who the speaker of the poem is and to whom she is speaking. 3) Stay calm! If there are any unfamiliar words or even a few foreign terms, don¶t panic and don¶t obsess. On your first read through, just let them go and try instead to focus on the larger meaning of the poem. On the second and subsequent passes, you should then look up those troublesome words or anything else that is problematic for you. 4) Read it aloud. Yes. You must do this. Poems are meant to be heard. Often you will find that places in the poem that gave you trouble on the page suddenly make sense when read out loud. You may feel silly at first, but soon you¶ll be comfortable. (Cats and dogs, by the way, make particularly good audiences...though cats tend to be more critical and may leave at a pivotal point in your performance.) Read in your normal voice. Don¶t try to sound like Maya Angelou. Unless you are Maya Angelou. 5) Pay attention to punctuation. Most poems use punctuation to help guide the voice of its reader. You need to pay attention because the end of a line is frequently not the end of a sentence. Consider these lines from Robert Frost¶s ³Birches´:
When I see birches bend to left and right Across the lines of straighter darker trees, I like to think some boy s been swinging in them.
If you stop reading or pause at the end of the first line, it will sound broken and unnatural. If you read smoothly through, pausing briefly at the comma and making a full stop at the period, the poem will have its proper conversational tone. 6) Try paraphrasing. It may be best for you to write in your own words what the poet is saying in each line of the poem. As you work through it, you¶ll see which areas you need to concentrate on. But again, avoid the notion that there is ³one true meaning.´ 7) Who is the speaker? Remember not to confuse the poet with the ³speaker´ of the poem. More often than not, the speaker is a character, just like in a novel or a play. Determining who the speaker is will help you approach the work more easily.
8) Be open to interpretation. Give it a chance. For example, William Carlos Williams¶ poem ³The Red Wheelbarrow´ is often dismissed as cryptic, confusing, and ultimately unknowable. But being open to the poet¶s intentions can lead you to some interesting ideas and questions (in this case, what is important to life?). 9) There are no useless words. Poets select each and every word carefully. None should be dismissed. Images and symbols all have a purpose in the overall meaning of the poem. 10) Don¶t expect a definitive reading. Many poems are intentionally open-ended and refuse to resolve their internal tensions. While it is desirable to understand what a poem is saying, remember that there are approaches and interpretations other than your own.
BASIC DIRECTIONS Title-- Ponder the title before reading the poem
List words and Phrases-- List the important Nouns, Verbs, Phrases, and Clauses in separate columns. Paraphrase-- Translate the poem into your own words Connotation-- Contemplate the poem for meaning beyond the literal Attitude--Observe both the speaker and the poet attitude (tone). Shifts-- Note shifts in speaker and in attitudes Title-- Examine the title again, this time on an interpretive level. Theme --Determine what the poet is saying.
SPECIFIC SUMMARY ANALYSIS Title: Ponder the title before reading the poem; predict what the poem may be "about."
Paraphrase: Translate the poem into your own words. Focus on one syntactical unit at a time, not necessarily on one line at a time. Or write a sentence or two for each stanza of the poem. Connotation: Contemplate the poem for meaning beyond the literal. What do the words mean beyond the obvious? What are the implications, the hints, the suggestions of these particular word choices? Devices: Examine any and all poetic devices, focusing on how such devices contribute to the meaning, the effect, or both, of a poem. (What is important is not that you can identify poetic devices so much as that you can explain how the devices enhance meaning and effect.) Especially note anything that is repeated, either individual words or complete phrases. Anything said more than once may be crucial to interpretation. Attitude: Observe both the speaker's and the poet's attitude (tone). Diction, images, and details suggest the speaker's attitude and contribute to understanding. Shifts: Rarely does a poet begin and end the poetic experience in the same place. As is true of most of us, the poet's understanding of an experience is a gradual realization, and the poem is a reflection of that epiphany. Trace the changing feelings of the speaker from the beginning to end, paying particular attention to the conclusion. To discover shifts, watch for the following: key words: but, yet, however, although; punctuation: dashes, periods, colons, ellipsis; stanza and/or line divisions: change in line or stanza length or both; irony: sometimes irony hides shifts; effect of structure on meaning, how the poem is "built"; changes in sound that
may indicate changes in meaning; and changes in diction: slang to formal language, for instance, or postive connotation to negative; the crux, the one crucial part of the work that stands out, perhaps presenting the complete idea all by itself. Title: Examine the title again, this time on an interpretive level. Theme: In identifying theme, recognize the human experience, motivation, or condition suggested by the poem. Use this theme chart:
PLOT: A summary of the "plot" or events of a poem written in a short paragraph form
SUBJECT: Subjects of the poem are listed as words or phrases THEME: After combining subjects where appropriate, write a complete sentence identifying what idea the poet or speaker (narrator) is conveying about each subject.
NOW THE POEM SHOULD BE CLEAR! WRITE THAT INTRODUCTORY PARAGRAPH : Be sure to include the title, the author, an immediate explanation of the speaker's position, any title significance, an overall statement of "meaning," and a clear statement that answers every aspect of the prompt. Recreation
|
ARTICLE: How to Analyze a Poem
By: Rachel Mork Want to learn how to analyze a poem? This simple step-by-step method of breaking down a poem lends itself to an easy report format, perfect for any school project or your own personal analysis of a poem. To get started, take a piece of notebook paper and divide it into three columns. Write the following headers at the top of each column: "General Information," "First Impressions" and "Second Take." Read the Poem Silently When reading a poem for the first time, look for the content of the poem. Jot down your first impressions of the poem, including what the poem seems to be about. Put these thoughts in your First Impressions column. Read the Poem out Loud When you read the poem out loud, you will notice rhythm, syntax and meter. Jot down any general observations about the poem in your Second Take column. Use these first two columns to help you create your introductory paragraph about the poem. Describe your observations in generic terms, and explain that you will go into further detail in your paper. Now go back through the poem and write out the answers to the following questions in the General Information column:
y
y y y
Author Information: Who wrote the poem? What do you know about the poet's biography? How long had this person been publishing poems? Take a few minutes to read up on the poet. Write down any information you glean about the poet that may relate to the poem at hand. It can help to consider the poem in comparison with earlier or later works by the poet. Perspective: Is the poem told from a fictional or real person's perspective? To whom is the poem spoken or directed? What purpose does the poem appear to have? To inspire? To share emotion? To convict? To honor someone or something of value? Imagery: What kinds of imagery, if any, are used in the poem? Do you see concrete or abstract imagery? Kinds of Language Used: Reread the poem, looking for interesting use of language. Can you find any metaphors or similes? Does the poet use alliteration or personification of inanimate objects? Does the poet use oxymorons, hyperboles, irony or puns? Is the language detailed and descriptive or general and elusive?
y
Syntax: Lastly, take a look at the format used for the poem. What kind of poem is this? What structure is used? How many meters are used per line? Is the poem divided into stanzas? Is there a refrain? How many lines are in each stanza? Do the lines vary in meter? Is there a specific pattern of stress or accents throughout the poem?
When analyzing poems, it can be very helpful to look at other poems published at the same time, or at literary criticism of poetry. Sometimes these other sources reveal meanings hidden inside a poem. Feel free to speculate about these in your paper, as long as you can back up your statements with examples or quotes. You may just find something new that spurs great discussion.
