Poetry Analysis Strategies

What should you remember when reading a poem?

• Stop at the end of each line to capture the poet's thoughts.
• The end of a line is not necessarily the end of the thought
• Punctuation in poetry is erratic, so ignore it.
• The most important element of a poem is its rhyme.

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What types of poems are better understood by being read aloud?

• All poems
• Only spoken word poems
• Only sonnets
• All poems EXCEPT sonnets

What is one way in which poetry is unlike prose?

• Metaphors are less likely to be found in poems.
• Poetry tends to focus more on plot and less on description.
• Every word matters in a poem.
• The speaker in a poem is usually the same as the author.

What effect does the identity of the poet have on your understanding of a poem?

• The poet's identity may provide a lens through which to view the poem.
• The poet's identity is the same as the identity of the speaker.
• The poet's identity is irrelevant.
• The poet's identity tells you whether the poem is good or not.

Poetry can be understood:

• only on a literal level.
• only on a figurative level.
• on both a literal and figurative level.
• No one knows. Poetry is impossible to understand. My brain is exploding. AAAAAHHHH!

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Each of these actions will help you understand a poem EXCEPT:

• visualizing the imagery in the poem
• understanding the connotations of the diction in a poem
• interpreting the metaphors in a poem
• ignoring the title of the poem.

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A poem's figurative meaning can be found though all of the following EXCEPT:

• the metaphors in the poem
• the symbols in the poem
• the meter of the poem
• the allusions in the poem

The shift in a poem is:

• the turning point or the place where the poem changes in meaning or tone.
• the end of the poem.
• the turning point or place where the rhyme scheme changes drastically.
• the title of the poem.

The shift is important for all of the following reasons EXCEPT:

• It often gives a clue as to the poem's meaning.
• It gives you something to write about when analyzing the poem.
• It often affects the tone of the poem.
• It is funny.

When should you consider the meaning of the title of a poem?

• Before you read the poem.
• After you read the poem.
• Before AND after reading the poem.
• Never. Titles are dumb.

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