Outline: Interpreting A Poem (SYW.com assignment)

Interpreting a Poem

I. Recognizing a poem when you see one
A. The Line
1. line breaks at end of sentence
a. end-stop
b. enjambment
B. Greater focus on sound of words
1. the rhythm
a. rhyme at end of sentence
b. half rhyme-matching certain words mid-sentence throughout
C. Density-richness and level of thought process to pick up on the meaning and/or emotion
1. connotations-what is implied
2. denotations-what they literally mean
3. simile
4. metaphor symbolic language
D. Associations
1. concrete images vs. abstract concepts
E. Irony
1. using two conflicting points to make a point of irony

II. Elements of a Poem
A. Meter
1. rhythm/foot
a. stressed
b. unstressed
2. iambic pentameter
3. metrical pentameter
4. trochee
5. spondee
6. free verse
B. Form – prescribed pattern
1. stanza
2. open form
3. blank verse

III. Tools of Analysis
A. Practical Criticism
1. do a close reading
2. pick out levels of meaning
3. scan the lines
a. meter
4. identify the form
5. examine the diction
6. make general observations
a. history
b. social context
c. psychology
d. gender concerns
e. subject matter
B. Enjoy what you are reading!