ANALYZING POETRY

1. Read. Reread and Read it Aloud

By reading a poem multiple times, you can immerse yourself in its language, rhythm, and
musicality. This allows you to appreciate the poem's beauty and the specific choices made by the
poet in crafting their work. Repeated readings help you absorb the poem's aesthetic qualities and
develop a more profound connection with it. In addition, poetry often contains layers of meaning
and symbolism that we cannot dissect in just one reading. Reading a poem repeatedly when
analyzing it allows for a deeper exploration of its meaning, appreciation of its poetic devices,
exploration of different perspectives, absorption of its aesthetic qualities, and personal
engagement with the poem. Through multiple readings, you can unlock the richness and depth
that poetry has to offer.

2. Look at the connection of title to its content

In analysis, then, the title is a big clue: it tells you what the author wants you to be thinking about
as you start reading. When the title doesn't seem to match the content of the poem, you have to
ask yourself why the author wanted you to be thinking about something that isn't obviously
relevant. Does the title add some bit of information that makes you see the poem in a different
way? Do the words in the title have multiple meanings? Most clever titles often seem to have one
meaning, but by the end of the poem, you realize they have layers. The title often provides
crucial contextual information and sets the tone for the poem. It can give insights into the subject
matter, theme, or central idea of the poem. By dissecting the title, you gain a preliminary
understanding of what the poem might be about and can focus your analysis accordingly.

3. Attempt to dissect the theme after initial readings. 

Theme is the message of the poem. Does the poem have something to say about life or human
nature? That message would be the theme and there can be more than one theme in the poem.
Poetry themes include some common ideas such as love, nature, beauty, and as complex as
death, spirituality, and immortality. An understanding of the theme helps readers to identify the
core message of the poem or the poet’s purpose for writing the poem.
 4. Close reading; analyze each element of the poetry.
Like any other literary pieces, we can apply a certain approach to poetry mainly the New
Criticism Approach or the Formalism Approach because we are dealing with all elements present
in the poem. The elements of poetry include rhyme, rhyme scheme, rhythm, meter, symbolisms,
imagery, persona, tone and figures of speech.

 Rhyme- Rhyme is the repetitive pattern of sounds found in poetry. They are used to
reinforce a pattern or rhyme scheme. In specific poetry forms such as ballads, sonnets,
and couplets, the rhyme scheme is an important element.

 Rhyme scheme- A rhyme scheme is the pattern of rhymes that occurs in a poem. It
represents the arrangement of end rhymes or the repetition of similar sounds at the ends
of lines. Rhyme schemes are often represented using letters to symbolize different rhyme
sounds. In a poem, each line is assigned a letter to indicate its rhyme. Lines that share the
same rhyme sound are assigned the same letter. The most common way to label the
rhyme scheme is by using lowercase letters of the alphabet in alphabetical order.

 Rhythm- is a set pattern that is formed by these sounds. In poetry, rhythm refers to the
metrical rhythm that involves the arrangement of syllables into repeating patterns called
feet.

 Meter- The meter is the pattern of beats in a line of poetry. It is a combination of the
number of beats and arrangement of stresses.

Iamb: consists of one unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable, as in des-pair, ex-
clude, re-peat, etc.
Trochee: is a metrical foot containing one stressed syllable followed by an unstressed syllable,
as in sis-ter, flow-er, splin-ter, etc.
Dactyl: comprised one stressed syllable followed by two unstressed syllables, as in si-mi-lar.
Anapest: consists of three syllables, where the first two are unstressed and the last one is
stressed, as in com-pre-hend.
Spondee: contains two stressed syllables, like “drum beat”.
Pyrrhic: is the opposite of spondee and contains two unstressed syllables.

 Symbolisms- These are objects, characters, places, or actions that represent abstract ideas
or concepts beyond their literal meaning. These symbols are intentionally employed by
authors to convey deeper meanings, evoke emotions, or enhance the thematic richness of
a poem.

 Imagery- Imagery in poetry refers to the use of vivid and descriptive language that
appeals to the reader's senses, creating mental pictures and sensory experiences. It
involves the use of words and phrases that evoke sensory perceptions of sight, sound,
taste, touch, and smell, allowing readers to visualize and experience the poem more
vividly.

 Persona- is one who narrates the poem. In poetry, we tend to think that the poet is the
speaker himself. However, it is not always the case. Sometimes, poets assume an
imaginative character and write the poem from their perspective. Generally, the poem is
told from the perspective of a first-person speaker or a third-person speaker. Poets also
use the second-person point of view in order to communicate directly with readers.

 Tone- The tone or attitude of a poem’s speaker and the mood of the entire text is part of
poetic diction. To understand the speaker’s attitude or tone to the subject, readers have to
look for the poet’s choice of words, figurative language, and sound devices.

 Figures of speech- The sound devices such as alliteration, assonance, consonance, and
onomatopoeia are used to create musical effects. Elements of poetic diction such as irony,
symbolism, and juxtaposition leave a poem open to several interpretations. In the same
way, poetic devices such as metaphor and simile are used to build a relationship between
different images previously not perceived.
 In discussing the following elements of poetry, group will provide the definition of the following
and its significance in building a poem’s identity.

Suggestion of Poems to Analyze in the discussion:

“Sonnet 18: Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?” by William Shakespeare

-can be used in showing rhyme scheme, rhythm, meter because it is strictly structured

“Daffodils” by William Wordsworth

-contains vivid imagery and symbolisms that can be easily discussed. 

Sonnet 18: Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?

Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?

Thou art more lovely and more temperate:
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And summer’s lease hath all too short a date;
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,
And often is his gold complexion dimm'd;
And every fair from fair sometime declines,
By chance or nature’s changing course untrimm'd;
But thy eternal summer shall not fade,
Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow’st;
Nor shall death brag thou wander’st in his shade,
When in eternal lines to time thou grow’st:
   So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,
   So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.
Daffodils

I wandered lonely as a cloud

That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shine

And twinkle on the milky way,
They stretched in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

The waves beside them danced; but they

Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:
A poet could not but be gay,
In such a jocund company:
I gazed--and gazed--but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:

For oft, when on my couch I lie

In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.
Writing the Analysis

1. Introduction

-provide information about the port, time it was published and the poem itself

-state thesis statement, main argument of the analysis

2. Body Paragraphs

-support thesis statement

-include textual evidences to support analysis and interpretation

-discuss the literary devices and its significance on the entirety of the poem

-analyze the elements

-consider historical and cultural context when the poem was written and how it influenced the
poet’s writing.

3. Conclusion

-summarize main points and restate thesis

-offer final thoughts and what is its value as a literary piece

-leave the reader with a final impression or question to ponder

References:

https://poemanalysis.com/poetry-explained/elements-of-poetry/

https://papersowl.com/blog/how-to-write-a-poetry-essay

://poets.org/text/how-read-poem-0