Analyzing Poetry

Currently in English class, we’ve been studying poetry. To be precise, war poetry. To be even more precise, war poetry by Wilfred Owen. Wilfred Owen was a poet who fought in World War 1 and described so vividly what he encountered. In class, we’ve had to analyze many of his poems. A number of his poems have touched me and changed my outlook on war and also have made me have more respect for the men and women that fight/fought in wars for us.

I went slightly off topic there, but nevertheless, I wanted to blog about analyzing poetry. I’m going to give you some humble tips on how I, myself, analyze poetry. This might be the way you do it too, and then again, it might not, but let’s give it a go anyway.
THE DRAFT

1. When I’m given a poem to analyze, firstly, I just read it through normally. I do not look out for anything in particular, I just read.
2. Next, I’ll read the poem aloud several times. I often find that it can make more sense by doing this, and I’ll notice things like alliteration, style, rhyme and rhythm.
3. Thirdly, I grab a highlighter or pen, and underline certain words or phrases that stand out to me. I take my time and pace myself through the poem, really looking out for things that catch my eye.
4. Then, from these highlighted/underlined phrases, I write a brief, short sentence about what the text is saying and/or meaning. At the side of the page, I might also include some little points about who the writer is addressing, the writer’s style, tone etc.
NEAT COPY

1. Now, from the rough points you’ve written, begin to expand these on a new piece of paper, making them more detailed and organised. To make it clearer, include what stanza or line you’re talking about and use quotes to back-up your points.
2. Be sure to include the actual terms for different things to show that you know what they are, e.g adjectives, verbs, nouns etc.

And that’s my guide to analyzing poetry. I don’t claim to know everything about analyzing poetry; these are just my humble tips. Have fun!