Introduction to Poetry How do we read poetry?

You are reading this too fast. Slow down, for this is poetry and poetry works slowly. Unless you live with it a while the spirit will never descend. It’s so easy to quickly cut across the surface and then claim there was nothing to find. Touch the poem gently with your eyes just as you would touch a lover’s flesh. Poetry is an exercise in patience, You must wait for it to come to you. The spirity manifests in many guises; some quiver with beauty, some vibrate with song. What is happening? Slow down, slow down, take a few deep breaths, read the poem slowly, read the lines one at a time. read the words one by one, read the spaces between the words, get sleepy, this is poetry, relax until your heart is vulnerable, wide open. - Ken Norris

Questions to Ask Yourself… Who is the speaker in he poem? Are the speaker and the poet one and the same? Is there more than one speaker? Is the poet using an identifiable persona as the speaker? –What is a persona you ask? –When the poet creates a character to be the speaker, that character is called the persona and the poet imagines what it is like to enter someone else's personality. For example: the voice of an elderly person, a young child or a historical figure…

Questions to Ask Yourself… To whom, if anyone, is this poem addressed? How does the intended audience for the poem affect how we understand it? –Imagine the speaker expressing the meaning of the poem to one intended audience. Now picture the speaker talking to another possible audience. How does this “look” to you? Does it make sense?

Questions to Ask Yourself… What is the dominant tone of the poem? Can you identify the poet’s attitude toward the subject matter? –Ex// amused, judgmental, ecstatic… Can you identify the poet’s attitude toward the audience? –Ex// respectful, sarcastic, frustrated, charming?

Questions to Ask Yourself? Is there an identifiable plot? Is an event or occasion being described? Is the poem set in any particular time or place? –Ex// Is the poem about war? Is it about death? Which war it is about? Does the poem make sense on a literal level? Are there any parts that doesn’t make sense? Is this related to its structure?

Questions to Ask Yourself… Does the poet make generalizations? If so, do these seem to be true only within the context of the poem? –What do we mean by context? –Is it a feminist poem? Does it speak to Marxist ideals? Is it about a specific time period? Is it about a specific situation, like a relationships or breakup…

Questions to Ask Yourself… Do any words or phrases stand out? Has the poet used diction (word choice) to good effect? What level of diction is being used? –Formal, informal, slang… After reading through the poem several times, can you identify a specific mood? How does this poem make you feel? Do you think this is how the poet intended you to feel?

Questions to Ask Yourself… Most importantly! Has reading this poem given you any fresh insights or perspectives? What are they and how do they compare to ideas you had before?