Poetry has a unique style and form compared to other types of writing.The deliberate line breaks, sound patterns, and rhythm of poetry makes it different from prose and contributes to how readers understand it.To understand poetry, you need to understand the meaning of the poem and how it intersects with other meanings.The subject and form of the poem, as well as the style and the context, can help you understand a poem.If you can decipher the meaning of the poem, you will be able to better understand the piece.
Step 1: The poem should be read loud.
If you want to listen to the poem more closely, you should start by reading it out loud.You can listen to the poem line by line.Look at the sounds in your mouth.You may start to notice that the poem uses certain effects, like rhyming, word patterns, or line breaks, to create a certain mood or tone.The first time you read a poem, try to listen to what's happening in it.You need to read the poem out loud at least 3 times and listen to the words on the page.If you don't like reading poetry out loud, you can ask a friend or peer to read it for you.The imagery of the poem is what you should focus on the first time you read it.You can notice the impression you get from listening to the words.Pay attention to the action the second time you read the poem.What is happening in the poem?The third time, focus on the sounds.How do they contribute to your understanding of the poem?
Step 2: You should read the poem in full.
You should read the entire poem from beginning to end to fully understand it.If noted, read the title of the poem as well as the author.Endnotes and footnotes should be read at the bottom of the poem.You should read and digest all of the poem because it is a work of art.
Step 3: Take note of the poem as you read it.
As you read the poem out loud and in your head, you should have a pencil or pen with you.Refer to any words that have a strong meaning or sound to your ears.If you find any words confusing or jump out at you, circle them.In the margins of the poem, you can write notes to yourself.There is a question mark next to a passage that strikes you as strange or unique.You can write a note about the sound of certain lines or drawn arrows.
Step 4: Consider the title of the poem.
The title of the poem can tell you a lot, so you should start with it.Determine what the title tells you and what expectations it creates for you as a reader.The title can be used as a jumping off point for analyzing the rest of the poem.You can use the title as a clue to what the poem is about, such as "Love and Friendship" or "Ode to Melancholy."In the margins of the poem or piece of paper, write down your initial reaction to the title.What do you think about the poem based on the title alone?
Step 5: The main subject of the poem is identified.
You should try to identify the main subject of the poem once you have read it several times.To answer the question, what is the poem about?When you answer this question, try to be as precise as possible.The subject of the poem should be avoided.You might be trying to understand the poem, "I Hear America Singing" by Walt Whitman.The poem is about America, both as a larger idea and as individual people in a nation, such as the boatman, the mason and the mother.
Step 6: The key situation in the poem is determined.
You should think about the situation of the poem.Determining the situation of the poem will help you understand it better and make you a better reader.What appears to be going on in the poem?Who is talking to whom?Where is the poem going?The poem is being told.Is the poem a turning point where the tone, focus, and rhyme scheme change?You could say that the speaker of the poem is the Negro and that it is being told to help share the negro's story and his history.The poem is a testament to the life of the negro.
Step 7: Refer to literary or historical events.
You should look for allusions to literary events or historical events in the poem, as well as known historical or literary figures.The events are in the poem for a reason.They can provide context for the poem and help you understand it better as a reader.You can see that in the poem "The Negro Speaks of Rivers", there are references to the rivers that were important to black civilization.The references to the historical figure of Abraham Lincoln are important because they place the subject in the context of world history and American history.
Step 8: The author of the poem has a history.
You should gather information about the author of the poem and the poet to get further context.You can find the poet at your local library.You can use this context to figure out the themes of the poem.Read up on biographical information about the poet, such as where they are from, the time period they were writing within, and their other poems or publications.General thoughts on the poet's writing concerns and common themes that arise in their other poems are what you should read.
Step 9: You don't understand the meaning of some words.
You should look at the word choice in the poem in order to analyze it on a deeper level.Words that are unfamiliar to you, as well as words that have multiple meanings, are possible.Use a good dictionary to look up words that you don't know.Think about how the words fit in the rest of the poem.In "I Hear America Singing", the words "varied" and "blithe" can be seen.You can notice how these words add meaning to a line in a poem or the poem as a whole.
Step 10: The verbs are used in the poem.
The verbs used in the poem should be looked at.It is possible to tell what is happening in the poem on a deeper level with the use of the verbs.Consider how the verbs function in each line of the poem.You may notice that Hughes uses the words known,bathed, built, looked, and heard in his poem.When the speaker is doing something active, like bathing or building, and then becomes more passive, such as looking or hearing, it's a mix of active and passive verbs.
Step 11: The poem has a sound and a rhythm.
You should pay attention to how the lines sound in the poem.There is a rhythm to the lines.Is the way the lines are broken up in the poem a reason for certain words to be emphasized?The elements relate to the poem's meaning.The sound and rhythm in the poem have an effect on you.The poem has a metrical pattern.Does every line rhyme?Is it possible for words to start with the same letter in a row?You could be analyzing the poem "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" by Samuel Taylor Coleridge.The second and fourth lines of the poem follow a certain pattern.There is no rhyming in the poem "I Hear America Singing" by Walt Whitman.When read out loud, the poem still has a certain rhythm.
Step 12: The poem can be ordered or sectioned off.
The lines of the poem are divided or sectioned off.There is the same number of lines in each poem.The lines may be separated using line breaks, where the line seems to shift right or left across the page.The sectioning of the lines was done to add meaning to the poem.There is a line break in the third line of the poem.When the poem is read out loud or in your head, it creates a rhythm that makes you pause on the last line.The fourth line of the poem is a single line.Hughes seems to be trying to emphasize the importance of this line, forcing the reader to slow down and take in the line as a whole.
Step 13: The mood of the poem should be noted.
The mood of the poem can be friendly or frightening.Word choice, rhythm, imagery, and description are used to evoke the mood.It's possible to determine the mood of the poem to get a deeper meaning.When I read the poem, what sense do I get?How do I feel when I read it?You can feel the mood of the poem is celebratory and joyful with the use of words such as delicious,robust, friendly, and melodious.
Step 14: The poem has a tone.
The tone of the poem depends on how the speaker sounds and views their subject.The speaker could be happy, sad, angry, critical, or distant.The speaker in "I Hear America Singing" appears to be appreciative of the songs America sings.
Step 15: The form of the poem should be identified.
Identifying the form of the poem will help you understand its meaning.You can use elements like rhyme scheme, section breaks, and word choice in the poem to help you identify the form.If you were analyzing "I Hear America Singing", you might notice that the lines are not rhymed or organized in a way that makes sense.You can determine if the poem is written in the free verse form.If you were analyzing Samuel Taylor Coleridge's "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner", you might notice that it follows a certain rhyming scheme and has long lines.The poem follows the form but with some exceptions.
Step 16: There are metaphors, similes, and imagery in the poem.
If you want to understand the meaning of the poem, you should look at how the poet uses literary devices.These devices can be used to add meaning to a line or word.A metaphor is when a subject uses another object.If you were analyzing Emily Dickinson's poem "Fame is a Fickle Food", you might notice that it uses a metaphor.In the poem "The Negro Speaks of Rivers", the speaker uses a simile to describe themselves: "My soul has grown deep like the rivers."The poet can use metaphors, similes, and other literary devices to create strong imagery.In "I Hear America Singing", the poem ends with a striking imagery about the songs of America that uses description, strong word choice, and action.
Step 17: Look at the language in the poem.
You can understand the meaning of the poem by looking at how the poet uses language.A figurative language is words that are repeated often in a poem.A metaphor that is repeated more than once is used to begin or end a poem.In the poem "I Hear America Singing", the word "singing" appears ten times.This shows that the poem is important and holds meaning.The first line of Emily Dickinson's poem "Fame is a Fickle Food" only contains the word "fame".The use of food imagery indicates that food is a key element in the poem, especially in relation to fame.Don't forget to pay special attention to the nouns that stand out.The words may be symbolic.
Step 18: The first and last lines of the poem are important.
You should pay attention to how the poet opens and closes the poem.The poet can begin with a question in the first line and then have it answered or addressed in their last line.The first line may be used as a jumping off point or a point of exploration in the last line of the poem.The first line of Emily Dickinson's poem "Fame is a Fickle Food" acts as a sort of prompt or proposition.Dickinson then explores this first line in the rest of the poem and ends with a striking line, "men eat of it and die."According to Dickinson, eating fame leads to unhappiness or death.
Step 19: Try to remember the meaning of the poem in a few sentences.
You should try to write down the meaning of the poem from your point of view once you have considered the language use, imagery, and specific key lines.A few sentences that sum up the meaning of the poem can be created.What is the poem trying to say?What was it like to read and analyze the poem?If you want to sum up Langston Hughes' poem "The Negro Speaks of Rivers", you can focus on how the speaker uses rivers to communicate and exist.The poem is about how the figure of the negro is connected to the natural world and the history of man through rivers.According to Hughes, the negro has a soul that is deep, wide, and abundant, an essential part of nature that cannot be separated based on skin tone or race.There is no one right way to understand a poem.You should use evidence in the poem to support your interpretation if you have your own take on it.