1. Unpacking a Poem
College English 106

2. Step 1—Read!
First, read a poem to yourself. Then, read the poem aloud. If you are asking yourself, “what?” after reading aloud, read aloud again, only slower, jotting down anything you are “getting” from the poem.

3. Things to Notice:
Stanzas? Lines? Enjambment or end-stopped? Effectiveness? Rhyme? Effectiveness? Sound devices? Alliteration? Assonance? Consonance? Onomatopoeia? Do these speed up or slow down the poem? Does it impact the rhythm? Syntax and punctuation? Point of view?

4. And more things to notice:
Who is the poem’s audience? Type of poem? Tone? Is there more than one? If it switches, where and why? Does the tone fit the topic, or is there irony? Diction—is it slangy or formal? Pick apart some words. Oh, the imagery. Is there any? What is its effectiveness? Symbols or metaphors? What is their function?

5. Step 2—Title
Usually contain important clues Does the title immediately change how you think about the poem? Does the poem’s title paint a picture that gives a specific time frame, setting, or action? Does it imply multiple possibilties?

6. Step 3—Paraphrase
Go line by line. Break down any figurative language you see. (Put in your own words to clear up some muddled language). Works well for shorter poems, but I usually work with stanzas when I get into lengthy poems.

7. Step 4—Theme
What is the universal truth, issue, or conflict? Connect pieces from poem: What is the subject? Who is the speaker? What situation is he/she in? How does speaker feel about subject? What is the mood? What do you get?

8. Step 5—Other connections
Are there any historical, literary, or political influences/allusions in the poem? The entire poem could be written about these influences, which could change a reading completely. Value What do you gain from the reading? What aspects make you want to reread it?

9. “Ask Me” by William Stafford
Some time when the river is ice ask me mistakes I have made. Ask me whether what I have done is my life. Others have come in their slow way into my thought, and some have tried to help or to hurt—ask me what difference their strongest love or hate has made. I will listen to what you say. You and I can turn and look at the silent river and wait. We know the current is there, hidden; and there are comings and goings from miles away that hold the stillness exactly before us. What the river says, that is what I say.