How to read a poem 1: The elements of a poem

KillerMuffin

Seraphically Disinclined
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Reading poetry is just as important as writing it. When we read it, we often miss a lot of things because we don't really know what to look for when reading critically.

The elements of a poem that one should consider when reading are also the elements one should consider before writing.

Speaker and situation:

The speaker is usually a "character" created by the author, but sometimes the author his or her self. Who is the poem coming from? Does this make a difference? Yes it does. Consider Robert Barrett Browning's "My Last Duchess." Another important part of the speaker is to whom the poem is addressed. Obviously Elizabeth Barrett Browning was speaking directly to her husband when she wrote "How do I love thee." The situation is a little like setting. What's happening in the poem? Where is it happening? These things are almost always chosen deliberately.

Theme

Arguably one of the most important elements to think about when critically reading a poem. This is the major idea in the poem. You can't always pick it out or slap a thesis statement to explain the theme, but there is always a theme. Before you can get into individual meaning within the poem, you must have a grasp of overall meaning of the poem. A very simple theme to pick out can be found in Dylan Thomas's "Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night".

Tone

This can be defined as a state of mind or an attitude. Tone is reflected by word choice, most obvioulsy, and the way the words are strung together more subtlely. There are more attitudes at work than those of the writer. There are the attitudes of the speaker and the reader to think about as well. Certain words have different meanings for everyone. Consider the word Daddy. Most people associate that with a good thing. Sylvia Plath did not. Young Li's poem "Persimmons" has a very good sample of a how attitude and word choice work together to create an overall tone. Words that describe tone are ironic, sarcastic, bored, loving. You get the picture.

Diction

An interesting thing. Diction essentially comes down to word choice and meaning. There are two kinds of meaning, denotative and connotative. It's my belief that a person shouldn't critically read a poem without a dictionary handy. You find words that the poet seems to emphasize more. While we usually know what they mean, we frequently don't know the full denotative meaning. Take the word coy. We all know that it means coquettish, flirty, artful playfullness. Did you know that it also means shrinking from contact or familiarity? Connotation is the flip side. Coy means something beyond what the dictionary says. Consider Adreine Rich's "Aunt Jennifer's Tigers".

Syntax

That means the structure of its phrases, clauses, sentences, and lines. It contributes to tone and in itself has meaning. What kinds of words are used, short and choppy or long and rolling? Are the lines long or short. Alliterative or not? What poetic devices are in use. Consider Anne Sexton's "Ringing the Bells". Short, simple, and repetitive. Appropriate to the them of a Bedlamite. Incidentally, sextons were bell-ringers.

Imagery

This is one we talk about the most often because it's the most obvious. Similes and metaphors are two types. Imagery is basically a word picture. The biggest part of imagery that we never discuss, though, is the symbol. Symbolism is such an inherent part of poetry. We think good image, but we don't delve into the meaning. Images have meaning otherwise there's no point to them. Robert Frost's "Putting in the Seed" is full of imagery that magnifies meaning with double entendre. Seed itself is a powerful symbol in the poem.

Sound

This is something good poets must consider and rarely seem to think of. At least around here. Sound is more than just alliteration, rhyme, and assonance. It's also meter, rhythm, and beat. How fast the poem goes, how slowly the lines work. Do the sounds clash with each other or do they have that easy flow of alliteration. A successful poem uses sound to convey meaning.
Consider Wilfred Owen's "Dulce et Decorum Est" The poem is about a march. The beginning is slow and and full of commas. In the middle it's suddenly fast and full of single syllable words. This conveys added meaning to the poem.


Anyway. It's my belief that better readers are better writers. When we understand we can apply. If there's any interest--don't want to waste time on something no one cares about--I'll go into each part specifically and some discussion kinds of questions to think about when reading a poem.

I would like, actually, to have something like a regular poetry discussion. Not critique session, actual discussion. I think those are fun.
 
Thanks for this very informative information, it really applies to the writing aspect as well, and it is surprising how easy it is to forget some of those things.........................Thanks KM,
Regards _Land
 
how to read a poem

A good list. But...
(there's always a but, but since butts are oft times quite pleasant, I'll boldly insert mine here :)

The title of the thread is "how to read a poem"; I think you left off a very important aspect of enjoying and understanding a poem -- the first impression and overall poem-appeal. Or maybe I'll call it the "holistic" element.

The synergy created by the proper combination of the various elements is usually the difference between a good poem and a great poem.

Before analysis begins, simply read.

Now that you have a first impression, start the critical analysis in order to figure out logically why you like (or dislike) the poem.

Another thing to note in the holistic category is consistency of form, style tone. Does the title match the mood/tone? Death and sorrow do not lend themselves to Limericks. Some words naturally feel at home in a particular setting, and jump out as misfits in others.


O.T.
peek at my prose
 
And there's more....

sometimes you need to educate yourself about the historic and cultural context of the poem to appreciate it. For example, Shakespeare as poet becomes meaningful when one understands that certain words in Elizabethan England had very different definitions than they do now, and Shakespeare intended his time's meanings, not ours.

And what about imagery? This is usually the way for me to understand a poem because it affects mood and theme. Other ways of getting at meaning, like syntax, are more difficult for untrained readers (and many supposedly trained ones).

And I agree with O.T. First read for overall impression. Then, if it feels good, go back and look at individual elements.

Life is too short and time too limited--at least for me--to analyze poems unless I love them.
 
Oh and O.T.?

There was a grim reaper named Death
whose lisp made him make this requesth
Tis sorrowfull true
I hath come for you
hurry up and there's no need to dreth

(I wrote that justh for you)
 
RE: Oh, OT

Oh, Sure. Death is mumbling scary requests
in my direction and you choose to
break the news in a limerick.?

Thanks, thanks a lot, Angeline :( :eek:

But on the subject of reading and writing poems...
The limerick illustrates how a serous message (death coming unannounced and at an inopportune time) becomes humorous (in this case on purpose) when delivered by a lisping reaper in a limerick. Word choice and form matter.

Admittedly, an extreme example, but how many times do you read a poem and a forced rhyme or wrong word jumps out and spoils the mood? Or a sub's love poem to her master in a light ABAB rhyming style just doesn't seem as powerful as similar sentiments expressed in free verse.

Spotting wrong words is easy. Spotting right words is difficult because if they are truly right, they blend in, adding subtle strength and depth to the piece. I've never sang in a choir, but I believe one of the requirements are for strong singers to blend in.

A useful exercise for a critical reading is to give some thought to the form and word choice. The author chose them on purpose.

O.T.
peek at my prose
 
on the subject of sound

I'm very interested in the sound element.
How to read it, and how to wite it.


I've always associated poetry with passion and intensity. When I write, I usually have a pace in mind, but often wonder how to communicate my intentions to the reader.

Particularly, since I tend to favor all lower case unpunctuated poems -- I guess all pace and passion must be suggested by the "tone", wherever the heck that comes from.

When I read, I also tend to give a poem a "dramatic reading".
I've listened to some of the audio poems on the site and am mostly under whelmed. I think it is akin to reading a book then seeing the movie. The movie rarely lives up to the expectations set by imagination.

O.T.
peek at my prose
 
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