WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN A POEM…

WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN A POEM…

STRUCTURE:

When you are analysing a poem’s structure, ask yourself the following questions:

• The stanzas. How many are there and how long is each one? Are the verses all the same length or are they different?

• The Punctuation. Does each verse end with a full stop or not? How does the punctuation affect the flow of the poem?

• The Rhyme Pattern. Is there a constant rhyme pattern? Does this affect the structure and flow of the poem?

• The ‘Storyline’. Does each verse contain a particular part of the story, or does it run throughout?

STORYLINE:

When you first read a poem, you are looking for meaning. What is this poem about? Some poems are not ‘about’ anything - they simply evoke a mood, or an emotion, or a vivid atmosphere. But even these poems can be said to have a ‘story’, because the poet is saying something to the reader. When you are analysing a poem, you should avoid saying it is definitely about ‘X’ or ‘Y’. Try instead to interpret its possible meaning or meanings in your analysis. Often, the ‘story’ in a poem will work on more than one level. There could be the literal level, at which the plot or action of the poem is apparent, but there could also be one or more deeper levels of meaning.

When you see a poem for the first time, take the following steps:

• On your first reading, simply gain a feeling for atmosphere or emotion. Do not try to ‘make sense’ of it.

• On your second reading, look to see if there is something happening in the poem. What is the poet or character doing?

• On your third reading, start to look deeper. Does the poet create a metaphor? Is the poem really about something else?

VIEWPOINT:

The word ‘viewpoint’ describes the point of view from which a poem is written. Just as in a novel, a writer might use a first or third person narrative, so with poetry it is important to identify what viewpoint the poet is using. Sometimes, poets will use a real or invented character, to tell their story, while other poems might be written from the poet’s own perspective. Some poems use a mixture of viewpoints, shifting between them in a way not possible in a novel. Poems that simply describe a place or an emotion might not use either the first or third person narrator. When the poet writes as though he or she is a ‘godlike’ voice, looking at the world from ‘on high’, rather than through a person, this is known as the omniscient viewpoint.

The three main types of viewpoint=

• First Person Viewpoint. This viewpoint is easily identifiable, because the writer talks directly to the reader. Look out for the words “I”, “my”, “me”, and so on.

• Third Person Viewpoint. In the third person viewpoint, the poet is slightly more distant, talking through a character. Look for the words “he”, “she”, “him”, “her”, and so on.

• Omniscient Viewpoint. With this viewpoint, the poet is even further away from the reader, and from his or her subject. The poem written using this viewpoint might provide a description, without any sense of character.

THEME:

Poets use a huge range of themes or subjects in their work. Often, poets will deal with more than one theme in a piece of work. For instance, a poet might deal with the themes of childhood, memories and the natural world, all within one piece of poetry. Remember, when you are analysing poetry, you must comment on the effects or images that are created, as well as simply identifying the themes.

RHYME:

The English language has many words that rhyme, including homonyms, which are words that sound the same but have a different spelling and meaning, e.g. son and sun. There are various different types of rhyme that you should learn to identify:

• End Rhyme: words that rhyme at the end of a line.

• Internal Rhyme: words that rhyme within a line.

• Half Rhyme: words that ‘almost’ rhyme, either within or at the end of a line.

RHYTHM:

Poetry is about sound as well as about creating images. Even if you are not reading a poem out loud, you should still be able to ‘hear it’ in your head. Rhythm is an important aspect of poetry. As well as changing the way that you say a poem, it can also link to the images that the poet describes. For instance, if a poet were describing a clock ticking, he or she might use short, alliterative words to help echo the sound of the clock. Rhyme and rhythm are inextricably linked, and the use of rhyme will create a certain rhythm naturally within a poem.

As well as use of rhyme, other aspects of a poem that will help to create rhythm=

• The length of the words used. A series of monosyllables will create a very different effect from longer words.

• The length of the lines. When we are reading a poem, we tend to stop or pause at the end of a line.

• The use of punctuation. Full stops, commas, semi colons and other forms of punctuation will all have an impact on a poem’s rhythm.

• The use of techniques such as alliteration and imagery. These affect the way we say the words and consequently the rhythm of a poem.

TONE:

The tone of a poem is one of the first things that you will notice it about it as you read. The word ‘tone’ describes the overall sort of atmosphere and feeling that the poem seems to have. A good way to understand exactly what tone means, is to think of a poem like a song. Ask yourself: if this poem was set to music, what sort of music would it have? For instance, a poem about losing a lover would probably have a sad, emotional music, because this would fit its tone. On the other hand, a poem about a beautiful morning have a more energetic, positive tone.

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