Read the poem through at least twice.
- Look up the definitions of any words that you don’t know. Often, poets use secondary, less well-known definitions of words. Scan all definitions to help you better understand the poem.
- Paraphrase (put into your own words) each line of the poem.
- Change the order of the words in your head. Sometimes mentally moving phrases to a more understandable order helps you interpret the poem more easily. Often poets arrange words in an unusual syntax (word order) in order to fit a certain metrical pattern (beat) or rhyme scheme.
- Make a list of important images from the poem.
- Decide what the mood (emotional atmosphere) of each stanza is by classifying the words. Are there a lot of words that are happy, sad, angry, serious, humorous, etc.? You might make lists of words that have similar tone/mood.
- Look for turns/shifts/changes in the mood of the poem. Is there a line where the overall mood changes? Describe the change. Which images and words reinforce the change of mood?
- What, in your opinion, are the themes (messages) of the poem. Write down these themes in sentence form. A poem may have more than one theme.
- Always start with the words themselves, the literal. When you are discussing the poem, whether in writing or orally, pay close attention to the vocabulary of the poem to substantiate (back up) your interpretation. Consider the words themselves as the evidence for your opinions. Do not speak in too general a way about the poem. Always be specific and exact by quoting from the poem. Too often students find things and interpretations that are not in the poem. When you make a statement about the poem, ask yourself, “Am I sure that the poem is saying this? Where is my proof? Which words give me this interpretation?”
- When you discuss the poem (in writing or orally), use the literary present tense.
- Refer to the "speaker" of the poem, not the poet. Oftentimes, poets assume personas in their works; the voice of the speaker is not necessarily the same as the poet.
- Remember that punctuation is very important in poetry and adds to meaning.
- Improve your understanding of a poem by reading entire sentences; do not assume a thought or a unit of meaning ends with each line. Sentences turn over onto following lines. Stopping at line ends will often obscure full understanding.
