Hints for Reading Poetry

Although a poem belongs to a special literary genre, remember that it is also one more piece of writing and thus will yield to many of the methods that you use with other genres. Attend to the text. Look for an argument. Look for "position" of the writer. Many of the suggestions above may be helpful when addressing a poem. Below are some additional suggestions to help you understand a poem.

• Always read a poem aloud as well as silently.
• Always read a poem more than once—at least three times, before you begin to "explain" it.
• Paraphrase the poem.
• Look up any words you are not sure of. Look for possible double meanings of words.
• Does the poem have a form? Does it have stanzas? If so, how many? How many lines in each? Does the poem have end rhyme? If so, is there an obvious rhyme scheme? What is it?
• Is the poem written in a definable form such as a sonnet, villanelle or sestina? (You may need to look up definitions of these forms.)
• Who is the speaker of the poem? How do you know?
• What are the setting and time of the poem? How do you know?
• What is the tone of the poem? Can you identify anger, humor, tolerance, irony, etc? What lines or specific words lead to your answer?
• Does the poem address someone (or some thing) in particular?
• Does the poet use personification or hyperbole in the poem? If yes, which lines make you think so?
• Are there figures of speech in the poem (metaphor/simile)? If so, what is/are the stated comparison(s)?
• Is there a noticeable rhythm in the poem? Where do the syllabic accents fall? How many accents per line? How many syllables per line?
• What devices are used to enhance the sound of the poem? Where do the syllabic accents fall?
• Repeated words enhance both sound and meaning. Are there any?
• Are there any allusions (references to history or literature) that might help you understand the poem? If so, look them up.
• Allow your mind to "free associate" to the language of the poem. What does it make you think of? "Thinking of something" does not prove that what you think of is the subject of the poem, but use association as one of the many tools to help you read and understand the poem.