Analysing an unseen poem

Analysing an unseen poem

1. 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?

2. 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?

3. 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?

4. 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.)?

5. 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?