How to Analyze a Poem in 6 steps:

Step One: Read

Have your students read the poem once to themselves and then aloud, all the way through, at
LEAST twice. Feel free to play a recording of the poem or show a video of someone reading the
poem, too. Afterward, talk to your class about their first impression and immediate responses,
both positive and negative. Also, discuss the poem's structure and rhythm. For example, are the
lines short and meant to be read slow? Or, does the poem move fast, and if so, why?
Step Two: Title
Think about the title and how it relates to the poem. Titles often provide important clues
about what is at the heart of a piece. Likewise, a title may work ironically or in opposition to a
poem. Questions to talk about and consider are:
 Does the title immediately change how you think about it?
 Does the poem’s title paint a picture that gives a specific time frame, setting or action?
 Does it imply multiple possibilities?
Step Three: Speaker
Understanding the speaker is at the center of a poem may help the piece appear more tangible to
students because they’re able to imagine a person behind the language. Questions to consider
are:
 Who “tells” the poem?
 Does the poem give any clues about the speaker’s personality, the point of view, age, or
gender?
 Who is the speaker addressing?
 Does the speaker seem attached or detached from what is said?

Step Four: Mood and Tone

After talking about the speaker, it’s important to address the attitude or mood the poem is
attempting to convey. Some can be brooding or grieving; others may have a song-like cadence
and rhyme. Discuss the attitude each speaker or characters give off. Moreover, talk about if there
places where the poem's tone may switch and why. This is also a good time to talk syntax and
the effect certain words have on us.
Step Five: Paraphrase
Since you discussed figurative language, mood, setting, and speaker—there’s no better time than
to apply what you’ve learned line-by-line. Paraphrasing may seem pretty self-explanatory.
However, keep in mind this is not about skipping lines or condensing. Instead you should
lead students line-by-line and translate figurative language or unclear phrases into simpler terms
that will not get in the way of analyzing the poem later on.
Step Six: Theme
Last but not least, it's time to get to the core of what the poem is about by identifying its theme.
The theme of a poem relates to a universal truth, issue, or conflict. To determine the theme, look
over all of your analysis and connect the dots:
 What is the subject?
 Who is the speaker?
 What situation are they in?
 How do they feel about the subject?
 What is the mood?
Source: https://www.teachforamerica.org/stories/how-to-analyze-a-poem-in-6-steps
What Is Poetry Analysis?
Poetry analysis is examining the independent elements of a poem to understand the literary
work in its entirety. Analyzing poems line by line allows you to break poems down in order to
study their structure, form, language, metrical pattern, and theme. The purpose of literary
analysis is to interpret the meaning of a poem and appreciate it on a deeper level.

5 Things to Consider When Analyzing Poetry

Poetry involves different elements like language, rhythm, and structure. Together, they tell a
story and create a complexity that is unique to poetic verse. When studying poems in-depth,
look at these individual elements:

1. 1. Theme: Poetry often conveys a message through figurative language . The central

idea and the subject matter can reveal the underlying theme of a poem.
2. 2. Language: From word choice to imagery, language creates the mood  and tone of a
poem. The way language is arranged also impacts the rhythm of a poem.
3. 3. Sound and rhythm: The syllabic patterns and stresses create the metrical pattern of
a poem.
4. 4. Structure: The framework of a poem’s structure affects how it is meant to be read. A
poet sculpts their story around stanzas, line breaks, rhyme patterns, punctuation, and
pauses.
5. 5. Context: The who, what, where, when, and why of a poem can help explain its
purpose. Look at these elements to discover the context of a poem .

How to Analyze a Poem in 10 Steps

Reading poetry  is a rewarding experience in and of itself. But to really see how all of the
elements of a poem work together, you’ll want to study the qualities and characteristics of
each. Follow this step-by-step guide to analyze a poem:

1. Read the poem. The first time you approach a poem, read it to yourself. Go through it
slowly, appreciating the nuances and details you might miss when reading it quickly.
Examine the title of the poem and how it relates to the meaning of the piece.
2. Read the poem again, this time aloud. Given its rhythmic patterns, poetry is designed
to be read aloud. As you read a poem aloud, listen to how the words and syllables shape
the rhythm. It can also help to hear someone else read the poem. Look online and find a
recording of the poem, if you can. Listen to how the words flow from line to line, where
the breaks are, and where the stress is placed.
3. Map out the rhyme scheme. You’ll notice right away if a poem has a rhyme
scheme or is written in free verse (i.e. without a rhyme scheme or regular meter). Map
out the rhyming pattern by assigning each line a letter, giving lines that rhyme the same
letter. See if there is a distinct pattern and a formal rhyme scheme, like terza rima
(three-line stanzas with interconnected scheme of ABA BCB, etc.)
4. Scan the poem. Scansion is how you analyze the meter of poetry based on the pattern
of stressed and unstressed syllables in each line. Mark each foot—the basic
measurement of a poetic line consisting of one stressed syllable paired with at least one
unstressed syllable. Next, mark the pattern of stresses throughout the line. Identify the
meter based on this information. For example, a poem written in iambic pentameter  will
 have five feet with a syllabic pattern of da DUM, da DUM, da DUM, da DUM, da
DUM.
5. Break down the structure. Take a step back and look at the poem on the page. Notice
the white space around the words. Poetry is meant to make a visual statement as well as
an emotional one. Look at the details of this structure—like how many lines are in each
stanza. Notice where the line breaks are. Does the end of every line coincide with the
end of the thought? If not, the poet may be using enjambment,  where one line continues
into the next.
6. Determine the form of the poem. In your poem analysis, note what type of poem
you’re reading based on the elements you’ve examined. For example, if a poem has
three quatrains (four-line stanzas) followed by a couplet, the poem is a sonnet. Other
formal types of poetry include sestina, haiku, and limerick.
7. Study the language in the poem. Poets make deliberate word choices to craft their
poems. Examine each word and its significance in the line and the poem. How does it
contribute to the story? If there are words you don’t know, look them up. See how the
poet plays with language through the use of metaphors, similes, and figurative
language. Note any literary devices used , like alliteration and assonance, that help
sculpt the poem’s language.
8. Study the content of the poem. As you wade through the language of the poem, look
at the content and message of the piece to uncover the theme. Learn when it was written
to learn the historical context of the poem. Find out where it was written, and what
language the poet used. If you’re reading a translation, see if there are other variations
that can show how different translators interpreted the original work.
9. Determine who the narrator is. Try to identify the speaker of the poem. Is it told
through first-person point of view, second-person, or third-person? What tone does the
narrator convey? The speaker’s identity influences the telling of the poem based on
their personal perspective.
10. Paraphrase the poem line by line. Finally, go through the poem again. Beginning
with the first line, paraphrase each line. In other words, interpret the meaning, writing
down your summary as you go. Once you’ve gone through the entire piece, read your
words to grasp the meaning of the poem.

Source: https://www.masterclass.com/articles/how-to-analyze poetry#13cKlNlt8V2Ig3DhhlmjwH

Types of poetic techniques:
Analysing poem is different from analysing novels or short stories. They are written with limited
words and vague phrases.

That’s why it is essential that poets rely on other elements to create meaning: sound, structure
and arrangement, and images (visual, olfactory, tactile, auditory and gustatory).

Sounds
Poets rely on sounds to create particular atmospheres and tones. These shapes the audience’s
emotions and gives an indication of the poem’s themes and message.

Some techniques that rely on sound are:

 Alliteration
 Assonance
 Anaphora
 Cacophony
 Euphony
 Rhyme
 Rhythm
 Metre

Structure
A poet is able to control the arrangement of the whole poem, the stanzas, lines and even the
syllables of each word to create meaning. These particular structures help the poet create a
particular atmosphere.

Here are some techniques that relate to the structure of the poem:
 Rhyme scheme
 Verse (free verse vs structured)
 Stanza forms
 Metre
 Ballads
 Sonnets
 Villanelles
 Rounds
 
Images
Poets often deal with more abstract ideas and themes in a limited amount of words. That’s why
they need to create a particular atmosphere with the least amount of words possible.
This is often achieved through strong visual, olfactory, tactile, auditory and gustatory images.
These images shape the atmosphere, foreshadows events and can also have symbolic meaning.

Some techniques that rely on images are:

 Tone
 Mood
 

Meaning
Since poems rely on limited words, poets heavily rely on symbolism to effectively convey
meaning and their message. One image, word or phrase is capable of representing a whole
abstract idea.

Here are some techniques that help create meaning:

 Symbolism 
 Metaphor
 Allusions
 Allegory

Source: https://www.matrix.edu.au/beginners-guide-poetry/ultimate-list-of-poetic-techniques/#type