But you may notice that the poem still has a certain rhythm when read out loud. For example, in Langston Hughes’ poem “The Negro Speaks of Rivers”, the speaker uses a simile to describe themselves: “My soul has grown deep like the rivers.”, Imagery is used to create mental images or pictures in the reader’s mind. Get his newest poetry eBook here. Instead, author’s use words like “pouty lips”, “high cheekbones”, “freckled nose”, etc. Poetry includes deliberate line breaks, sound patterns, and rhythm, which makes it different from prose and contributes to how readers understand it. You will need to read the poem out loud at least 3 times and really listen to each word on the page. Does the poem have a turning point where the tone, focus, or rhyme scheme changes? An Introduction to Poetry Many people are intimidated by the mention of the word “poetry.” It is often perceived as something that is cryptic and beyond understanding. Mark it up; write in the margins; react to it; get involved with it. Read the poem twice in a row. How to Read a Poem is an unprecedented exploration of poetry and feeling. Combine any observations you've gleaned from this exercise with analysis of the literary devices, moments of repetition, and title of the poem to arrive at an idea of its meaning. For example, in “I Hear America Singing” by Walt Whitman, Whitman ends the poem with striking imagery about the songs of America that uses description, strong word choice, and action: “Singing with open mouths their strong melodious songs.”. Pay special attention to nouns that stand out and seem to have special meaning. For example, you may be analyzing the poem “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” by Samuel Taylor Coleridge. You can also write notes to yourself in the margins of the poem. If you are a student trying to pull out literary devices to gain an understanding of the mechanics of a poem, your definition will be very different from someone who is simply reading for enjoyment. A brief guide to understanding basic terms, including the various elements of figurative language, poetic devices, forms, and meter. Read the poem out loud to yourself or in your head several times. A dictionary is a great tool we can use for comprehending and analyzing poetry. In the end you'll gain a better appreciation of the poem. The vocabulary a poem uses can have many effects on the interpretation. Reading poetry can be very frustrating if you don't know what it means. Christopher Taylor is an Adjunct Assistant Professor of English at Austin Community College in Texas. However, in some cases, we can easily guess the meaning. For tips on deciphering imagery, read on! The best way to understand poetry is to write your own. Is it about a love lost? The easiest way to identify analogies is by knowing the history of the author’s writing and a short biography of the poet. Where is the poem taking place? What emotion did you get from reading it? This isn’t always the case but it is usually. I can't read poems aloud in exam conditions. Poets use these elements to dictate the rhythm, structure, and meaning of the writing. Does every other line rhyme or every third line? This article was co-authored by Christopher Taylor, PhD. The last line in the poem sums up the first line of the poem by indicating what happens when you try to eat the fickle food of fame and try to enjoy fame. This might sound difficult, and it is, but not everything in life is easy. Meter, cadence, rhyme, alliteration, assonance, consonance, repetition, and others are used quite often and are important to the emotions and interpretation of the reader. Metaphors allow poets to use concrete words to describe otherwise difficult features of people, places, and emotions. You’ll get to those later. What are your thoughts and expectations about the poem based on the title alone? In a poem, language remains itself yet is also made to feel different, even sacred, like a spell. It gave me the tips I needed.". Understanding poetry is sometimes a difficult task, especially when you are new to trying to understand the deeper parts of literature. read more. Read the poem through for the first time. These words may be symbolic and figurative. In some cases, a reader might want to write out a word phonetically as a reminder of how it should sound. Read the poem. You may realize that the poem is acting as a testament to the life of the negro, literally and figuratively.
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