1. Reading and Analyzing Poetry

2. How to read poetry
End-stopped line: A line of poetry that has some form of punctuation at the end.
As a reader, you need to pause—take a breath!
Enjambed line: A line of poetry that keeps going—there is no punctuation at the end.
Do not stop reading – keep going on to the next line!

3. Speaker Vs. Poet
Speaker: This is the imagined narrator of the poem. Speaker and poet should be separated.
Think about an imagined character or persona you can create for the speaker: Who is he/she? Think about age, gender, beliefs, upbringing, etc.
In many cases, the speaker is the same gender as the poet!
Poet: The author of the poem.

4. Analyzing Poetry – The Steps
When we read and analyze a poem – there are 7 steps to complete in order to obtain a full analysis.
Here they are:
1.) Title
2.) Paraphrase
3.) Connotation/Literary Devices
4.) Attitude
5.) Shift
6.) Title again
7.) Theme

5. Step 1: Title
Make predictions about the poem’s content based on the title.
Does the title have a literal meaning (denotative meaning)?
Does the title have a figurative meaning (connotative meaning)?
Examples: Cool Dog

6. Step 2: Paraphrase
Break the poem down line by line or stanza by stanza.
Summarize the poem in your own words.

7. Step 3: Connotation/Literary Devices
Break down the words! Look at:
Denotations: Dictionary/literal definitions of words
Connotations: Figurative meaning of words—what other meanings do the words have?
Literary Devices: Think about their meaning and the poet’s purpose

8. Step 4: Attitude
Determine the poet’s feelings or attitude towards a subject in the poem.
This is also called tone.
Example: What is the poet’s attitude toward love, music, and chocolate ice cream?

9. Step 5: Shift These are major changes in a poem.
Look for changes in content, attitude, time and place, punctuation, line divisions, and structure.
Shifts are done on purpose. Think about the poet’s reasons for the shifts.

10. Step 6: Title Again Re-read the poem’s title.
Connect the title to the analysis of your poem.
Think about the title’s purpose.

11. Step 7: Theme
Look for patterns in the poem. Consider repeated images, words, phrases, etc.
Determine how these patterns create a theme. Think about the moral or lesson.
Express themes as a complete sentence.