No matter what your previous experience reading and writing or talking
about poetry, these tips provide a quick overview.
- Read the poem once quickly and again more slowly.
- Read the poem aloud. Have somebody else read it aloud so you
can listen to the sounds.
- Write a literal prose paraphrase of the poem. Write what the
poem says rather than what it means.
- Now write what the poem means or suggests to you. Be informal
but clear here, as if you were explaining to a friend rather than writing
a formal academic analysis.
- Now think about and jot down a few notes about the how
the poem reveals its meaning: words, phrases, images, and sound patterns.
What makes this work distinctly a poem?
For more detailed notes, see Poetry Guide: Reading and Writing
for Understanding. For more examples and information about poetry
and other literary sites online, see Online Literary Resources.
for educational purposes only
Website developed 1996 and modified February 2005 by D. Reiss
|