Analyzing Poetry

By Myra GeorgeMilwaukee Area Technical College

Prepared for English 223

How do you feel about poetry?

Most students have strong feelings about poetry. Either they love poems or they don’t like them at all.

One of the reasons that some people feel uncomfortable about poetry is that they don’t understand it.

Poetry is complex. Think about it. A novelist has hundreds of pages she can write to convey her message. A short story writer also has pages and pages she can use. But a poet expresses the same thoughts, but in far fewer words.

Each word is loaded with meaning. Each word has to be analyzed.

Misconceptions

Poetry is also challenging because students have misconceptions about it. One popular misconception is that “a poem can mean whatever the reader

thinks it means.” Or, to put it another way, “A poem can mean lots of different things to

different people.” Well, no, that isn’t entirely true. It is true that different people can react to a poem differently. One reader

might love it. Another reader might not understand it. Still another reader might really dislike the poem. All those reactions are fine.

But in this class, our emphasis is not on reactions. It’s on interpretations. Even when people have different reactions to a poem, they should have

fairly similar interpretations of the poem. An interpretation answers two basic questions: a) what was the poet trying

to accomplish? And b) what techniques did she use to accomplish this.

More misconceptions

Another misconception is that a poem should have a universal message or a theme, and this is the most important thing about a poem.

Again, this is partly true and partly false.There are actually several important aspects of any poem.An important task is to learn how to analyze and interpret

poems.Even if you find that you really dislike most poems, you

should still be able to discuss the reasons why you think the poem is not effective. In other words, you should be able to interpret the poem even if you dislike it.

Interpretation??

So, how does a reader analyze a poem?There are several things you should do

with any poem that you encounter.

Step 1: Read It…Again

Poetry is written to be heard, so always read poems aloud.

Read the poem more than once.

Keep a dictionary beside you so that you can look up unfamiliar words.

Step 2: Paraphrase the Poem

After you’ve read the poem aloud, try to put each line into your own words.

In the previous unit, you read a line by line paraphrase of Frances Harper’s poem. Try to do the same thing.

Your purpose is not to interpret the poem—yet. Your purpose is to put it in different words, to say it another way.

Step 3: Ask 5 questions about the poem

1. Who is the speaker?

Never confuse the poet with being the speaker. Just as the author of a short story is different from a character in the story, so is the poet different from the speaker.

When poets write, they are creating a speaker, so don’t assume that the speaker is the poet. For example, when Frances Harper wrote her poem, “Double Standard,” the scorned woman who was the speaker of the poem was not Harper. She had never had this experience. The speaker was a woman (a persona) she made up, just as short story writers make up characters.

Look for clues in the poem to determine who is speaking. Sometimes, all you may be able to determine is the gender. Or sometimes you may only know that it’s an observer—no gender, no race, no age, nothing else.

Question 2

2. To whom is the speaker talking?

Ask yourself who the intended audience for the poem might be. Sometimes the speaker may tell you outright. If not, you’ll have to take an educated guess based on clues in the poem.

Question 3

3. What is the occasion?Try to determine why or when the speaker is

presenting this message. Ask yourself: What situation or feeling might

have made the speaker (not the poet) say these things?

For example, in the poem, “Beautiful Black Men,” the speaker might have been observing Black men (situation) and wanted to share her feelings about them.

Question 4

4. What is the poet’s main purpose?Ask yourself what the poet hopes to accomplish. Why do

you think she wrote this poem?Most poets write for one of these reasons: Educational: the poet wants to teach the reader an important lesson or

convey an important message. Political: the poet wants to expose a problem Entertainment: the poet wants to amuse the reader Enlightenment: the poet wants to expose a different perspective on a

familiar topic Exaggeration: the poet wants to highlight or vitalize an emotion or

experience

Question 5

5. What techniques does the poet use to achieve this purpose?

Poets use specific techniques (called poetic devices) to convey meaning and accomplish their purpose.

You should become familiar with often used poetic devices.

Figurative Language

We said earlier that in a poem, every single word is important.

We also said that a word in a poem can mean more than one thing.

A word can be understood on its literal level or on its figurative (symbolic) level.

Figurative language is language that cannot (or should not) be taken literally.

Two examples of figurative language are simile and metaphor.

Poetic Device 1: Simile

A simile is a direct comparison using the word “like” or “as.”

Similes are often used to compare abstract ideas (things we can’t touch, like love, peace, happiness) to concrete and familiar objects.

Consider this excerpt from Langston Hughes’ poem “Dream Deferred” which relies heavily on similes:

What happens to a dream deferred?

Does it dry up Like a raisin in the sun?Or fester like a sore– And then run?Does it stink like rotten meat?

Poetic Device 3: Metaphor

A metaphor is also a kind of comparison; however, the comparison is not directly expressed. Instead, the subject is substituted for the literal term.

A metaphor does not use the words “like” or “as.”

Consider, for example, this excerpt from Robert Francis’ poem “The Hound” in which he calls life a hound.

Life the houndEquivocalComes at a boundEither to rend meOr to befriend me.I cannot tellThe hound’s intent

Poetic Device 3: Imagery

Poets use images to convey meaning.An image is a concrete item, something which

can be touched. Imagery is a pattern of images. For example, if a

poem refers to chalk, desks, pencils, etc., we can see that the poet is creating the imagery of a classroom.

So, imagery is using three or more images all related to the same topic.

Poetic Device 4: SymbolSometimes, though, the poet means for us to understand

an image symbolically.A symbol is an image which means what it is but also

means something more, too.A symbol functions literally and figuratively at the same

time.For example, if the poet writes, “You can’t teach an old dog

new tricks,” we understand that she is talking not only about dogs but also about living creatures of any species.

There are also well known (universal) symbols: A rose often symbolizes beauty. Black often symbolizes sadness or evil. A clock can symbolize the passing of time. Winter often means old age. The bald eagle represents the United States.

Symbol, continued

For example, in “The Road Not Taken,” the road is a symbol. The speaker means literally a road in a woods, but he also means choices in life.

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveler, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth;Thus, the road is a symbol and not an image.

Poetic Device 5: Paradox

A paradox is an apparent contradiction that is nevertheless somehow true.

It may be either a situation or a statement.Although it’s not a poem, Charles Dickens’ novel A Tale

of Two Cities begins with a paradox: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the

age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity .”

When Shakespeare wrote, “Parting is such sweet sorrow,” he also expressed a paradox. Can saying goodbye to someone (a parting) be both sweet and sad at the same time? Of course!

Some familiar phrases are also paradoxical, such as “a big baby” or “a happy death.”

Poetic Device 6: Hyperbole

Hyperbole (also called overstatement) is an exaggeration meant to highlight the truth.

“It was a million degrees in South Carolina” is an exaggeration to indicate how hot it was.

Children will often say, “I’m starving.” They are not really starving, but they are very hungry.

Poetic Device 7: Understatement

Understatement is the opposite of hyperbole.It means saying less than one means. For

example, a wife might say, “I was a little upset when I found out my husband was cheating on me.” In truth, she was probably quite upset.

Understatement may exist in what one says or how one says it.

As you might guess, it’s hard to identify understatement in a poem.

Poetic Device 8: Verbal Irony

Verbal irony is saying the opposite of what one means.

It is similar to sarcasm; however, verbal irony does not need to be negative.

Verbal irony is extremely difficult to find in a poem.

Poetic Device 9: Dramatic Irony

The term irony always implies some sort of discrepancy.

In dramatic irony, the discrepancy is between what the speaker says and what the poem means.

Dramatic irony is difficult to identify in a poem.

Poetic Device 10: Situational irony

Situational irony occurs when a discrepancy exists between the actual circumstance and what would seem appropriate, OR between what happens and what you thought would happen.

Poetic Device 11: Allusion

An allusion is a reference to something in history, the Bible, mythology, or previous literature.

The reference then symbolizes an idea.Nikki Giovanni’s poem “Beautiful Black Men” makes

allusions to celebrities (singers) of a certain historical period:

jerry butler, wilson pickett, the impressionstemptations, mighty mighty slydon't have to do anything but walkon stageand i scream and stamp and shout

Poetic Device 12: Personification

Personification is figure of speech in which human attributes or characteristics are given to an animal, an object, or a concept.

Emily Dickinson’s riddle poem (about a train) uses personification:

I like to see it lap the Miles—

And lick the Valleys up—

And stop to feed itself at Tanks—

And then—prodigious step

Around a Pile of Mountains— We know a train can’t actually lap or lick, but it is very poetic to think of

a train this way.

Poems are Musical

Poetry makes a greater use of the “music” of language than does language that is not poetry.

An essential element in all music is repetition (repeating).

Repetition creates sound in a poem.So, let’s look at some poetic devices that

are based on repetition.

Poetic Device 13: Alliteration

The repetition of initial consonant sounds is known as alliteration.

Examples include “tried and true,” “safe and sound” and “rhyme or reason.”

In a poem, we would look for 3 or more repetitions.Can you see the alliteration in the second line of “The

Waking” by Theodore Roethke?

I wake to sleep, and take my waking slow.

I feel my fate in what I cannot fear.

I learn by going where I have to go.

Poetic Device 14: Assonance

Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds, such as “mad as a hatter” (repeating “a”) or “free and easy” (repeating “e”).

Again, in a poem, we would look for at least three examples before we consider it to be assonance.

Poetic Device 15: Anaphora

Anaphora is the repetition of an opening word or phrase in a series of lines.

Can you see the anaphora in Gwendolyn Brooks’ “We Real Cool”?

We real cool. We

Left school. We

Lurk late. We

Strike straight. WeNotice that it isn’t just that the word “we” is repeated. It’s

also the repetition of the style: three word sentences.

More anaphora

Or, in Maya Angelou’s “Woman Work” (repeating “I’ve got” and “I got”?

I’ve got the children to tend

The clothes to mend

The floor to mop

The food to shop

Then the chicken to fry

The baby to dry

I got company to feed

The garden to weed

I’ve got the shirts to press Did you also notice that lines 2-4 and 6, 8 represent anaphora

because of their structure?

Poetic Device 16: Onomatopoeia

Onomatopoeia is a musical, poetic device which means the use of words which, supposedly, sound like what they mean.

Examples include “pop” or “hiss” or “snap.”Can you find the example of it in Emily

Dickinson’s poem?:I heard a Fly buzz—when I died—

The Stillness in the Room

Was like the stillness in the Air--

Poetic Device 17: Nonstandard English

You know what Standard American English is. It’s the writing that college teachers expect—capitalization, correct spelling, correct punctuation, etc.

Sometimes a poet will choose to ignore the rules of Standard American English and to, instead, use nonstandard English.

The poet might use lower case letters instead of upper case ones. She might deliberately misspell a word.

A final thought on Poetic Devices

You’ve now learned 17 poetic devices that a poet can choose from.

Analyzing a poem means you must do two things with that information.

First, you must be able to recognize the poetic device in a poem. But that’s not enough.

Secondly, you must be able to explain why the poet used that particular device and how it contributed to the poet’s overall purpose or meaning.

Analyzing the Poetic Devices

For example, why would Maya Angelou use anaphora (a kind of repetition) in her poem “Woman Work”? How does the use of repetition contribute to her overall purpose. Think about it.

Angelou’s message is that women do the same kind of work over and over every single day. Therefore, repeating key phrases is an example (or symbol) of the way the work repeats.

Again, your job is to explain why the poet uses that particular poetic device.

Types of Poems

Beyond analyzing the poetic devices, you’ll also want to consider the kind of poem you are reading.

Broadly speaking, poems can be divided into two categories:

Narrative poems tell a story.Lyric poems describe a feeling or an

object.

What’s In a Word?

Remember that every word in a poem is important….every single word!

The poet has the choice of many words which mean the same thing, and she chooses only one word. Why that word?

The Word

For example, there are many words which loosely mean red:

So, why would a poet use the phrase “Ruby red” instead of cranberry, burgundy, cherry red, etc.

The poet uses words to convey a specific meaning and it’s up to you to discover what that meaning is.

Meanings of Words

Remember, too, that every word operates on two levels.

One level is the literal meaning--what a word means in the strictest sense.

The other level is the symbolic or figurative level--what the word symbolizes.

For Example,...

So that if someone says, “I saw red” we understand that they are speaking on the figurative or symbolic level.

That person means, “I was very angry.” She didn’t actually see the color red.However, red can symbolize fire and

anger.

Words

Another way to put it is that words have denotation and connotation.

Denotation is the dictionary definition of the word.

Connotation has to do with the emotions around the word. It’s what the word suggests. Connotations vary depending upon the audience.

For example,...

The dictionary definition (denotation) of feminist is “a woman concerned with the issues of women and the equality of women.”

However, the connotations of the word are more complex. Some people believe that feminist is a negative term and liken it to “man hater.”

Imagery

You’ll also want to consider Imagery, the mental pictures a word evokes. A poet might choose a particular word because of the picture that it makes readers think of.

A word may even evoke a sense of sound, smell, taste, or touch.

The word “corduroy” evokes a particular mental sight image, but also a touch image as well. We know what corduroy looks and feels like.

Conclusion

In conclusion, poems are very complex. They speak to us on multiple levels.

To fully analyze a poem, we have to be able to look at it from many different angles.

The first angle begins with a series of 5 basic questions.

(Keep reading for tips on writing about poetry).

Punctuating Poem Titles

Whenever you include the title of a poem, always put the title in quotation marks.

Always capitalize the important words in the title of a poem.

Kinds of Essays About Poems

There are two major kinds of essays about poems. The first is an explication. The second is an analysis.

An explication is a detailed analysis of a poem, sometimes line by line or word by word. It discusses not only what the work means, but HOW it means that.

An analysis selects one aspect of a poem (symbolism, etc.)and shows how it relates to the poem as a whole.

Writing About Poems

The general rules about writing about literature apply to poems as well, with just a few exceptions.

If you included a quotation from a short story in your essay, you would

A) use quotation marks around the copied words and

B) include a parenthetical reference with the author’s last name and the page number where the quotation appeared.

Parenthetical Citations in Poetry

Instead of including the poet’s last name and the page number,…

when writing about poems, include the poet’s last name and the line number of the poem.

Example: (Giovanni 7-8)

Quoting Lines from a Poem

When you quote lines from a poem, you do not need to indent the way that the poem appears in your textbook.

Instead, the lines of a poem should be typed continuously on the line.

Use slash marks (/) to indicate where the line ended in the original poem.

Example: “When I taught you/at eight to ride/a bicycle, loping along” (Pastan 1-3).

Always maintain the capitalization from the poem.

Quoting More than Four Lines

However, if you decide to quote more than four lines from a poem, you should then indent the lines exactly as they appear in the textbook.

No slash marks are needed.You do not need to use quotation marks

either, since it is understood to be a quote.Do indent ten spaces from the left margin.

Works Cited Page for Poems

The Works Cited list, of course, is a list of all the poems/works you referred to in your paper.

You would include a separate Works Cited entry for each poem you discussed in the essay. So, if you discussed four poems, you would have four entries in the Works Cited page.

Works Cited Entry for a Poem

Allende, Isabel. “Toad’s Mouth.” Poems from Latin America. Ed. Thomas Colchie. New York: Plume, 1992. 83-88.

The author’s name appears first, in reverse order and followed by a period.

The title of the poem comes next, properly capitalized and in quotation marks ending with a period (inside)

The title of the anthology the poem came from, underlined and properly punctuated, ending with a period

The notation “Ed.” and the name of the editors of the anthology, followed by a period.

The city where the anthology was published, followed by a colon.

The shortened name of the publisher, followed by a comma

The year the anthology was published, followed by a period.

The page number on which the poem appeared, followed by a period.

General Guidelines for Works Cited pages

The WC page should be on a separate page, at the end of your essay.

You should not use the four line MLA heading on this page. The words Works Cited should be centered at the top of the page

with no underlining and no quotation marks. The WC page should list every poem you referred to in your essay. The WC page should be double spaced throughout with no extra

line spaces between entries. Entries should be alphabetical based on the poet’s last name. Every entry should end with a period. Every entry should use a hanging indent, meaning that the first line

is flush with the left margin, but all subsequent lines are indented five spaces. To do this, click on “Format.” Then, click on “Paragraph.” Then choose “Hanging.”

The End

I hope you will enjoy the poems we read over the next three weeks.

Don’t be concerned if you can’t memorize all the poetic devices or if you read a poem and feel as if you have missed something. That’s natural!

But I hope that this information has made you feel better equipped to analyze and understand poems now.

Good luck!