1. Intro to Poetry

2. What is Poetry
Poetry comes from a Greek word that means crafted with words
It usually centers around a speaker and a listener
Since the length of a poem is much smaller than that of a novel or short story, a poet needs to infuse great meaning into his or her words.
Therefore, techniques and elements are even more important in poetry than they are in other forms of writing

3. How to read a poem
The more effort we put into understanding it the greater our reward as a reader will be
Since most poems write about experiences not our own, that we have not shared, or thought of in the same way we must focus on:
1) language
2) the ideas
3) attitudes
4) frames of reference that bring life to the poem

4. Steps to Reading a Poem
Step 1) Read it all through and get a general sense of the poem
Step 2) try to understand the poem’s meaning and understanding through the following elements:
1) Title: always informative the title usually affects the understanding of a poem
2) The speaker: Since poems have points of view like books. First person speakers talk from inside the action while third person speakers talk from outside the action. (usually)
3) You must find the meaning of all words either familiar or unfamiliar. Some familiar words have several meanings. You must use a dictionary or other resource to unlock all the words
4) Setting and situation: some set it vividly while other poems will hint at these. You must learn as much as possible about these

5. Steps to Reading a Poem continued
Step 2 continued:
5) Basic form and development: There are many forms of poetry. You should try to determine the form and map out the way in which the poem develops.
6) Subject and theme: subject is the specific or general topic while theme are the different ideas the author explores throughout the piece.

6. Steps to Reading a Poem continued
Step 3: Read the poem aloud, sounding each word carefully. This step may seem unimportant or embarrassing. However reading aloud will help you to better judge the poets use of sound, rhythm and rhyme. Be careful to pay attention to punctuation
Step 4: paraphrase and explain the ideas in a poem.
Adapted from the 5 edition of Literature: and introduction to reading and writing