1. English notes
ANALYZING A POEM:

2. What the poem does:
What does poem do?
 Expresses the poet‟s feelings
 Creates feelings in the reader.
 Makes the familiar unfamiliar , and thereby draws our
attention to the ideas and feelings the poet wishes to
share.

3. Effects of poem
What is the purpose of poetry?
 To persuade
 To make us look differently at familiar things and ideas
 To shock
 To amuse
 To entertain
 To experiment
 To make us understand
 Most of all, a poem seeks to express and create an
EMOTION. Our task is to find out HOW.

4. Poetic techniques
How does a poem work?
 We need to discover what the “engine parts” of the poem
are.
 We usually refer to these engine parts as “poetic
techniques”.
 Then we need to find out how these techniques make the
poem “work”.
 In other words, or task is to show how technique makes
meaning.
 Like an engine, a poem has components that make it
work.

5. Poetic techniques
Can be roughly grouped this way:
 Language (diction, syntax, repetitions and patterns,
titles, figurative language)
 Sound effects
 Contexts and traditions.

6.  Language (diction, syntax, repetitions and patterns,
titles, figurative language)
 Sound effects
 Contexts and traditions.

7. Imagery
Types of Imagery
 Symbol: reference to two, often commonly
associated things
 Simile: two things compared, using the phrase „as …
as‟ or the word „like‟.
 Metaphor: comparison of two dissimilar things

8. Sound effects
 Sound effects are created by:
 RHYTHM
 Rhythm is created by: repetition, stressed and
unstressed syllables, punctuation. The purpose of
rhythm is to provide unity and coherence; to fulfill or
defeat expectations; and to create a mood or feeling.
It is in its use of rhythm that poetry most resembles
music

9. RHYME
 Two or more words that sound alike, usually, (but
not always) at the end of a line. The function of
rhyme is to create unity, to join ideas or concepts
together.

10. Repetition of WORD-SOUNDS
 A poet can put the sounds of words to good effect,
especially if their sound imitates the thing they are
describing.

11. PUNCTUATION
 Punctuation (commas, full stops, exclamation marks,
semi-colons, etc) can often affect the pace of a line of
poetry. Absence of punctuation can create a smooth,
flowing effect. An abundance of punctuation can
have the opposite effect.

12. Contexts and traditions
 What historical events have a bearing on the poem?
 Context
 Who wrote this poem?
 What historical events have a bearing on the poem?
 Who is reading this poem?

13. Traditions
 What form does the poem take? Poems can take the
form of, for example, a sonnet, or a lyric, or a
dramatic monologue. Does the form of the poem
affect our understanding of it? (Note: we expect
certain forms of poetry to do specific things)