Poetry Analysis

We’ve seen in our discussions how many different “shifts” can occur throughout the unpacking of a poem.  With examination of each element (image, sound, diction, tone, comparison) comes an exchange of ideas that we must define, re-examine, weigh, and eventually either connect or discard as we look toward developing our understanding of the piece.  Not exactly a fast task! 

As you consider which work you think is worth your “dive beneath the surface,” keep in mind that the basic demand of any well-written essay lies in its purpose.  If you don’t have one, you won’t have an analysis paper.  

Examine the poem thoroughly.  Read it aloud and listen closely.  Don’t rush unless the pace of the words leads you to speed up.  What sound devices does the poet use to heighten the impact of the words—do you hear any alliteration, assonance, or consonance?  Mark any of these discoveries.

If the poem is in closed form, what type?  What "tools" does the poet use?  Rhymed couplets?  Alternating rhyme scheme? Exact rhymes or slant rhymes?  Or both? 

Look at the punctuation—and remember that nothing is an accident in poetry, not even the white space.  Identify the images and think of the connotations that ride with the words.  Work stanza-by-stanza—even line-by-line—or if need be, word-by-word—to dig out the meanings.  Note what you see as significant.

Get out your dictionary and look up any words that are either unfamiliar or used in a way that is surprising for you.

Then take a break.

Go back after a short while and look at the notes you’ve written.  Respond.  Freewrite your thoughts and see what emerges.  Or, if you’re not the freewriting type, doodle until you see a central idea emerging from your examination.  What expressions or words come most clearly to you?  What images keep rattling around?  What sense is most compelling about the poem?  Who’s the speaker?  Where does the poem change directions—or does it?  What appears as the strongest opposition/comparison? 

Again, look closely at the language.  Are there familiar images that symbolize much more—and does that symbolism fit with the rest of the poem?  Many things can be symbols, but if that’s the intent in the work, the image will be throughout the writing.  Identify the metaphors/similes and any personification in the lines.  What purpose do they give to the poem?

All of this digging should give you a keen insight into your connection with the poem.  Identify that insight—that sense of the work’s purpose and you’ll have a working thesis.

Spend some time organizing your ideas and how they support your thesis.  The simplest “order” to begin writing your analysis is to let the structure of the poem lead the way.  This kind of explication allows a ready path to follow in developing what you see as the primary purpose (meaning) of the work.  Look at the sample paper in the LBH.  The writer has gathered some support from other sources, but you can see how the student relies on the lines of the poem to open up key points that will answer her thesis question. 

As you develop your essay draft, remember that you are building the reader’s awareness of YOUR interpretation of the poem.  Be sure to reference specific words/lines.  Telling what you see isn’t enough—show what you see by connecting that idea to the place you’ve discovered that point.  What do you see—where do you see it—and why do you think it’s there?

As you write this rough analysis, talk the paper out.  Concentrate on the ideas and the clear connections that show your understanding of the poem.   Worry about correct grammar/structure AFTER you’ve gotten your thoughts down onto the paper.  You can hone those finer points of form in the revision step of the process.

 Some words of caution:  

v     Don’t get stymied by the introduction.  If that first intro into the paper is stopping you from writing, begin with your thesis statement and work from there.  You can come back and add an introduction later.

v     Don’t fret about the conclusion—with a clear purpose in mind, write the paper.  Go back and read aloud your essay from beginning to where you finish your final point.  What immediately comes to mind?  If you’ve started with a clear thesis, your conclusion will spill out as a result of your work.

v     Stay focused!  Guard from writing just a "retelling" by having a brief SCRATCH outline by your side as you draft your essay--this keeps YOUR purpose in the front and helps to keep tangents from sneaking into your writing.  Jot down the path that will reveal the purpose you see—then use that guide as you write.  Remember--no purpose=no path=no analysis.

**Your final essay should be AT LEAST 3 pages, in standard MLA format (pg. 388 in the LBH--5th ed).  No exceptions.