Analyzing Poetry

The art of analyzing poetry lies in the reading of the poem. 

How to read a poem:

• Read the poem over several times
• Read it aloud to yourself
• When reading aloud, pay attention to spacing and punctuation.  Periods, ellipses and dashes call for a verbal pause while commas demand a shorter break.  If there is no punctuation at the end of a line, no pause should be placed there, continue without break to the next line.
• Keep a dictionary nearby, consult it often to unravel words with heavy connotations.
• Read slowly   
• Try to follow the thought of the poem continuously through the end

Once the outer meaning has been gathered, break it down using these steps:

• Title:  Decide if the title has connotative meanings, write down synonyms for words in the title, and connect the title to as many different things as you can.
• Paraphrase: Rewrite the poem in your own words to deepen your understanding of what the poet is getting across. Fit phrases into modern day translations to ensure you grasp the full meaning.
• Connotation: Painstakingly go through the poem, jotting down every word that possesses a meaning alternate from the one assigned to it in the poem.  This kind of analysis can reveal hidden meanings and plays on words that might otherwise have remained unseen.
• Attitude:  What is the general attitude of the poem?  What feelings does it arouse in you, the reader?  What emotions do you think the poet wanted to awaken?  Watch punctuation, word choice and sound usage for clues.  (Soft words like “slide,” “feather,”“laughter” usually add a gentle feel, while words with harsh sounds like “corked,” guzzle,” “battled” can lend a clipped, acrimonious atmosphere.)
• Shift:  Where does the shift in thought arrive?  There should be a break, when the speaker ends one manner of speech, changes point of view, or pauses to consider something other than the subject.  This is known as the shift, referring to the shift in thought.  That place is generally the turning point of the poem, and it’s important to understand where and why the shift occurred in your poem.
• Title: After unlocking the puzzle of the poem itself, return to the title. The connotations you uncovered before analyzing the body can now be matched up to your results to see if they apply, or add any fresh perspectives.

    Also, identify the tone and the theme of the poem.  Discover how each is established, what kinds of melodic devices and imagery were used to bring them to life. Consider who the speaker is and take the setting into account.  Define for yourself the central purpose of the poem and be sure to take notice of symbols and figurative speech.