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1、Repetition,Readers should read through a poem several times, at least once aloud. If it is a long poem, such as Allen Ginsbergs Howl or Hart Cranes The Bridge, readers should concentrate on key passages and look for repetition of specific words, phrases, or verses in the poem. -Why is there a repeat
2、ed reference to the sea in Robinson Jefferss poetry?-Why does the pronoun “we” recur in Gwendolyn Brooks “We Real Cool”?-Why does Edgar Lee Masters reprise epitaphs for Spoon River Anthology? If readers note repetition in the poem, they should decide why certain information seems to deserve the repe
3、tition.,The Opening and Closing Lines,-Does the poet place significant information or emotion in these places? For example, when reading Marianne Moores “Poetry,” readers may question the negative stance in the opening lines.-Does the poet intend to leave a lasting impression by closing with a parti
4、cular thought? For example, why does Langston Hughes “Harlem” lead to the word “explode”?,The Passage of Time,Can readers pin down a time frame? What details specify time?-Does the poet name a particular month or season, as with Amy Lowells “Patterns”? -Is there a clear passage of time, as with the
5、decline of the deceased woman in Denise Levertovs “Death in Mexico”? How long is the period of time? Are there gaps?,The Speaker,Who is the speaker? Is the person male or female? -Does the voice speak in first person (I, me, my, mine), for example, John Berrymans “Huffy Henry”? -Does the speaker tal
6、k directly to a second person, as with Adrienne Richs “Diving into the Wreck”? -Is the voice meant to be universalfor example, applicable to either sex at any time or place?,Names of Characters-Does the name of a character suggest extra meaning, such as Eben Flood (an alcoholic) in Edwin Arlington R
7、obinsons “Mr. Floods Party” and T. S. Eliots prissy protagonist in “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock”?,Basic Details,-Is the poet deliberately concealing information from the readers, as with the source of depression in Robert Lowells “Skunk Hour”? -Why does the poet leave out significant facts?
8、Are readers supposed to fill in the blanks, for example, the relationship between mother and daughter in Cathy Songs “The White Porch” or the perplexity of a modern tourist in Allen Tates “Ode to the Union Dead”?,The Mood and Tone,-What is the mood of the poem? Is it cheerful or jolly like limericks
9、? Is it mysterious, provocative, zany, ominous, festive, fearful, or brooding, as with Randall Jarrells “Sad Heart at the Supermarket”? Does the mood change within the body of the work, as with Joy Harjos “The Woman Hanging from the Thirteenth Floor Window”? Why does the mood shift? Where does the s
10、hift begin?,-What is the poets tone? Is it satiric, serious, mock serious, playful, somber, brash, or teasingly humorous, as with Robert Frosts “Departmental: The End of My Ant Jerry”? Does the poet admire, agree with, ridicule, or condemn the speaker, as in the touch of mock heroic in Richard Wilbu
11、rs “The Death of a Toad”? Is there an obvious reason for the poets attitude, as suggested by the suffering in James Dickeys “Angina”? Does the poet withhold judgment, as is the case with the epitaphs of Edgar Lee Masters Spoon River Anthology?,Themes,Locating and identifying theme is crucial to unde
12、rstanding dominant ideas; theme is the poems essence.-Is the subject youth, loss, renewal, patriotism, nature, love? Are there several themes? How do these themes relate to each other?-Is the poet merely teasing or entertaining or trying to teach a lesson, as do Robinson Jeffers “Hurt Hawks” and Mar
13、ianne Moores “The Mind Is an Enchanted Thing”?-Does the poet emphasize the theme by means of onomatopoeia, personification, or controlling images?,Imagery,-Are there concrete images or pictures that the poet wants readers to see? -Are the pictures created by means of comparisonsfor instance, metapho
14、r or simile? Do inanimate objects take on human traits (personification)? Does the speaker talk to inanimate objects or to such abstract ideas as freedom?,Drawing Conclusions,After answering the questions presented in this introduction, readers should paraphrase or restate the poem in everyday words
15、, as though talking to someone on the telephone. A summary of the poem should emphasize a pattern of details, sounds, or rhythm. For example, do various elements of the poem lead readers to believe that the poet is describing an intense experience? Is the poet defining something, such as parenthood,
16、 risking a life, curiosity,marriage, religious faith, or aging, as in Denise Levertovs “A Woman Alone”? Is the poet telling a story event by event? Does the poet want to sway the readers opinion, as Louise Bogan does in “Evening in the Sanitarium”? Before reaching a conclusion about the meaning of a poem, readers should summarize their personal responses. Are they emotionally moved or touched by the poem? Are they entertained or repulsed, terrified or stirred to agree? Do words and phrases stick in their memory? How has the poet made an impression? And most important, why?,
