Understanding Poetry

Study Notes

Poetry can be intimidating, but having a strategy in mind can help make it more accessible.
The strategy you choose depends on your purpose for reading the poem.

Reading a poem aloud is a technique to help you understand the poem's tone and significance.
This technique helps you develop ideas that can lead to interpretation.
Pay attention to punctuation marks, such as exclamation points, to emphasize certain words or phrases.
Notice enjambed lines, which continue into the next line without a pause.
Reading aloud also helps you hear the sounds of the words, including euphony, which is a pleasant sound.

Scanning the right side of the poem helps you identify rhyming and non-rhyming lines.
Examine the poem's structure, including the number of lines in each group.
Check for patterns in punctuation and capitalization.
Count the syllables in each line to see if there's a regular pattern.
Identify traditional poetic structures, such as sonnets, to understand the poem's organization.

When analyzing a poem, start by considering emotions, connections, and images before looking for meaning.
Write about each topic in order to help your brain transition from initial confusion to generating meaning.
The topics to explore are:
- Emotion: How does the poem make you feel?
- Connections: What does the poem remind you of?
- Image: Choose an image and describe it in detail.
- Another image: Describe a second image in detail.
- Connect the images: What similarities and differences can you find between the two images?
- Meaning: What is one possible meaning you get from the poem?

Dickinson uses capital letters and punctuation to shape the poem's reading.
The poem has a mix of end-stopped and enjambed lines.
The lines have a regular pattern of four syllables.
The poem avoids a predictable rhyme scheme.
Reading aloud and making structural observations can help you understand the poem's tone and significance.