Analysing Unseen Poetry

As part of your Literature studies, for English you are

required to be able to Analyse and make meaning of a poem
termed ‘unseen’. Students usually dread the ‘unseen poetry
that appears in the Literature paper, however, by following
the steps below the exercise can be made both enjoyable
and stress free.

How do you analyse poetry?

The following Spider diagram serves as good summary of
the steps involved in the process of analysis. Remember to
follow the steps below keeping in hand your tools
(highlighters, colour pens or pencils):

Image from Poetry resource pack GDE

A detailed explanation of the above diagram is found below:

Step 1
Look at the title and try to predict what the poem is about.
Look at the form of the poem. How many stanzas are there?
How many lines are there in each stanza? Is the poem in a
special shape? If so, does the shape mean anything?
Step 2
Read the poem 'aloud' to yourself in your head. Imagine you
are reading it out loud (but don't actually do it or you might
get
into trouble). This is very important because it will help you to
notice the rhythm and the rhyme in the poem.
DON'T PANIC IF YOU SEE WORDS YOU DON'T KNOW IN
UNSEEN POEMS !
You can usually guess them by looking at the other words.
Step 3
Think about who the 'speaker' is? Is the poem written
through the poet's eyes or is it written in the third person
(he/she).
These are the voices of the poem.
Step 4
Think about the main subject of the poem. You need to think
about the setting and the situation.
Step 5
Look at the choice of words. Are they negative or positive?
Are there any ideas that are repeated? This will help you to
identify themes (such as nature). Remember not to panic if
there are words you don't know.
Step 6
Look at the rhyme and rhythm of the poem,
Does the poem rhyme? What is the rhyming pattern? (e.g.
ABAB or ABCB etc.)
Why do you think the poet has chosen this rhyme/rhythm to
express his ideas?
Do the sound and rhythm of the lines seem light and bouncy,
or do the lines move more slowly with heavy rounded sounds
and
a slow rhythm? Are the sounds and rhythms different at
different places in the poem?

Step 7
Identify any poetic devices such as metaphors, similes and
personification. How do they affect the meaning of the
poem?
Do they make it stronger?
Step 8
Look for imagery - descriptive language that 'paints a
picture' in the reader's mind.
What are the main images (pictures) the poet uses? Look
closely for metaphors, similes and personification
Which images are particularly striking? Why?
Are there parts of the poem that ask you to use your senses of
hearing, sight, smell, touch or taste?
Step 9
Look at the mood of the poem.
What is the mood or tone of the poem? Does it feel happy,
sad, angry, surprised or any other emotions?
Is the poem trying to teach you something, persuade you,
touch you, entertain you or whatever?
How does the poet feel about the subject of the poem?
Step 10
Lastly, what message is the poem giving? Are there any
deeper meanings? What can you learn from the poem?
How is the message conveyed?
What is your personal response to the poem?
How did you react to the poem?
Did it touch you?
Did it make you think about an issue more deeply, or from a
different point of view?
Do you think the poem is effective? Why?

The next question students usually ask is, “ Can I condense

these 10 steps?” The answer is yes.
The 10 step method can be summarised into 5 steps as
shown below:

FIVE STEPS TO ANALYSING AN

UNSEEN POEM
STEP ONE: Work out what the poem is about...
What is the subject of the poem?
Who is speaking?
Who is the narrator speaking to?

STEP TWO: Identify the themes and message of the poem...

Why has the poet written the poem?
What are they trying to say?
What ideas are they using?
Is it an emotional response to something that’s happened?
Is it trying to get an emotional response from the reader?
Is it portraying a message or opinion on a subject or event?

STEP THREE: Identify the attitudes and feelings in the poem...

What are the different emotions and feelings of the narrator
or poet?
What is the mood or atmosphere of the poem (e.g. sad,
angry, etc.)?
How has the poet used different poetic techniques to show
these attitudes
and feelings?

STEP FOUR: Identify the poetic techniques used in the

poem...
What are the different poetic techniques that the poet has
used to show
the attitudes and feelings in the poem?
How has the poet shown these feelings through form and
structure (e.g. rhyme, rhythm, line length, stanza length,
etc.)?
How has the poet used poetic devices to show these feelings
(e.g. metaphors, similes, caesura, enjambment, alliteration,
juxtaposition, personification, etc.)?
STEP FIVE: Explore your personal response to the poem...
How do you feel about the poem?
How well does the poet get the message across in the
poem?
What is the impact of the poem on the reader (refer to ‘the
reader’, rather
than ‘I’ when talking about the impact of the poem)?
Are there any other ways the poem could be interpreted?

Activity:

Practise going through these steps with unseen poems over

and over again until you can do it in good time (you have 30
minutes to answer the question in the exam, so you should
take about 5-10 minutes reading and planning).

Here is a poem for you to look at and have a go at the 5 step

process with.

Read the poem A Wish for my Children by Evangeline

Paterson and answer the questions that follow.

On this doorstep I stand

year after year
to watch you going
and think: May you not
skin your knees. May you 5
not catch your fingers
in car doors. May
your hearts not break.
May tide and weather
wait for your coming 10
and may you grow strong
to break
all webs of my weaving.

1. Explain what is shown by the repetition in line ‘year

after year’. (2)

2. Refer to stanza 2. Comment on how a child’s

needs change as he/she grows. (2)

3. How does the image in stanza 3 show the change

in the relationship between mother and child? (3)

4. Refer to the last stanza and explain how it relates

to the wish expressed in the title of the poem. (3)
[10]