How to Analyze Poetry…

Step 1 Read the poem & record any first reactions. What do you notice about the structure, what it says or anything else. Usually if you see it right away, it means something. Reading the poem out loud often helps it make more sense.

Step 2: Biography If available, take a look at a biography about the author. Poetry is very personal, so having background information sometimes helps to figure out what they’re saying. If you don’t have exact biographical information, think about what you know about where and when the poem was written and what might have influenced the poet.

Annotation The next steps require you to annotate the poem. Annotation is marking up the poem and pointing out all of its features. In order to understand a poem, you need to pull it apart. Poetry has a lot of meaning in a little space, so it’s important to look at all of the pieces first, before coming to a conclusion.

Step 3: Structure Does the poem follow a particular structure? Is it a haiku, sonnet, etc., or is it a free verse poem? Look at stanzas. Does the form of the poem put emphasis on anything? Does it rhyme? What does that show you? Does the poet repeat certain lines or words that draw your attention? Knowing the structure helps you focus in on what is important in the poem.

Step 4: Speaker and Tone Decide who the speaker is and what their purpose is. ◦ Is it the poet? ◦ Is it a narrator? ◦ Are they male, female, old, young? ◦ What nationality, race, religion, etc. are they? Answering as many questions about the speaker as possible will help you determine the poet’s meaning. They usually choose the speaker and voice carefully. Determine the tone of the poem…

Step 4: Speaker and Tone, cont.… Tone = the feeling behind the poem What is the poet trying to make you feel and understand through their poem? Is it happy, sad, thoughtful, angry, determined, expectant, etc.? This helps a lot of times, the poet’s main goal is to help you feel a certain way about something (mood), so the tone can be very important.

Step 5: Denotative Meaning Denotation = Literal Meaning Translate the poem into conversational English. How would you tell the poem’s story to a friend? Think in terms of, “What’s the most common dictionary definition of this word or phrase?” This also gives you time to look up any words that you don’t know.

Step 6: Connotative Meaning Connotation = implied meaning Look for words that stand out and might mean more than they appear. Take several key words or phrases from the poem and consider the kinds of connotations they carry. Think in terms of Diction: “Why this word and not another?” Often connotative meanings, rather than denotative, are what engage our emotions. For Example: Take the word “mother.” The dictionary would define mother as “a female parent.” OK, but the word “mother” probably creates emotions and feelings in you: it paints a picture in your mind. You may think of love and security or you may think of your own mother. The emotions and feelings that a word creates are called its connotative meaning.

Step 7: Symbolic Meaning Symbols = something that represents something else. Record any references to symbols. Think in terms of, “What could this stand for? Why?” Also, record any allusions you recognize. An allusion is a reference to past events, different places, or other literature. For example: Consider the word “light.” This may not refer to the literal condition that means the opposite of darkness; often “light” is used to symbolize knowledge, truth, peace, joy or spirituality.

Step 8: Poetic/Literary Devices Look for imagery, metaphors, similes, personification, onomatopoeia, alliteration, assonance, etc. Finding these things help you to figure out what the poet was emphasizing and if there are particular patterns that you need to pay attention to

Step 9: Putting it all together At this point, stop and ask yourself, “What is the author trying to say? What is her/his goal for this poem? What kind of a reaction is s/he trying to get out of readers? Why?” Try to identify the author’s purpose for writing using everything you’ve discovered so far. What is the theme of the poem?

Analyzing a Poem Example “The Negro Speaks of Rievers” By Langston Hughes

First, Read the poem aloud…

STEP 1: REACTION

STEP 2: BIOGRAPHICAL INFO

STEP 3: STRUCTURE

STEP 4: SPEAKER/TONE

STEP 5: DENOTATIVE MEANING

STEP 6: CONNOTATIVE MEANING

STEP 7: SYMBOLIC MEANING

STEP 8: POETIC/LITERARY DEVICES

STEP 9: ANALYSIS (PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER)