How to Analyze Poetry: A Step-by-Step Framework

1. To Begin

Read the poem aloud.

2. Literal Meaning and Theme

Identify words you don’t know, sort of know, and important vocabulary.

3. Title

What information does the title provide?

4. Tone

Who is speaking? Who are they addressing?

5. Structure

How is the poem organized and divided?

6. Sound and Rhythm

Analyze the beats and rhymes.

7. Language and Imagery

Examine the concrete pictures (images) the poet has drawn, including symbolism, metaphors, similes, and personification.

8. Sound, Meaning, and Arrangement

• Paradox: A statement in which a contradiction reveals an unexpected truth. E: The hurrier I go, the behinder I get.
• Alliteration: Repeated consonant sounds at the beginning of words. E: Fast and furious.
• Assonance: Repeated vowel sounds in words placed near each other. E: He’s a bruisin’ loser.
• Consonance: Repeated consonant sounds at the ending of words. E: Cool soul.
• Cacophony: Unpleasant sounds used to convey disorder. E: Light-footed, my steel feelers flicker.
• Euphony: A series of musically pleasant sounds. E: Go with the flow.
• Apostrophe: Speaking directly to a person or object. E: O Captain! My Captain!
• Hyperbole: Extreme exaggeration. E: He weighs a ton.
• Oxymoron: A combination of words that contradict each other. E: A pointless point of view.
• Personification: Attributing human characteristics to an object. E: The opportunity was knocking at her door.
• Enjambment: The line or stanza continues where there is no punctuation.
• Contrast: Closely arranged things with strikingly different characteristics. E: Compare and contrast.
• Synecdoche: A part representing the whole. E: All hands on deck.
• Simile: A comparison using like or as. E: Her eyes are like comets.
• Imagery: Descriptive language involving colors, animals, and sensory details.