be more attractive: How to Analyze Poetry

Do you feel like reading and analyzing poetry is like trying to decipher an ancient, lost language? Well never fear! By following these steps, you can learn how to properly decipher a poem by figuring out what the poem means, and identifying what tools the poet uses to make that meaning clear.

Steps

Determining What the Poem Means

Read the poem once silently to yourself slowly. The first time you read through a poem, record any “gut reactions” you have to the poem: any emotional connections you have with what the author is saying, reminders of personal detailed experiences, things you like or dislike, etc. Think in terms of, “How do I feel about this? Why? Why not?” These reactions can help you focus on the type of response the poet is looking for in a reader.^[1]
- For example, read Bliss Carmen’s “The Vagabond Song.” Your first impressions may be ones of brightly colored leaves, edged in frost. Or summer turning to fall. It may call up memories of time spent in the woods when the leaves are all changing.^[2]

Read the poem again and find the literal meaning of the poem. The literal meaning is the most straightforward version of the poem and does not refer to any poetic devices. Translate the poem into conversational English. How would you tell the poem’s story to a friend? Think in terms of, “What’s the most common dictionary definition of this word or phrase?” This can be a difficult step, but remember that all good poetry, even when it seems incredibly inaccessible, is still based on words that carry literal meaning.^[3]
- For “The Vagabond Song,” the story is of the poet witnessing the change from summer to fall. He feels like fall is the most captivating season, and it sets his blood going to think of the leaves changing.

Read the poem again to find the connotative meaning of the poem. Take several keywords or phrases from the poem and consider the kinds of connotations they carry. Think in terms of, “Why this word and not another?” Refer to your first reactions: often connotative meanings, rather than denotative, are what engage our emotions.
- Take the word “mother,” for example. The dictionary would define mother as “a female parent.” OK, but the word “mother” probably creates emotions and feelings in you: it paints a picture in your mind. You may think of love and security or you may think of your own mother. The emotions and feelings that a word creates are called its connotative meaning.
- For “The Vagabond Song,” take the phrase “gypsy blood.” Technically gypsy blood means the blood of someone who is of Romani descent. Yet in the poem, the connotation of “gypsy blood” is that of a wandering spirit. The poet may have home or permanent place to live, but when the fall season comes, he suddenly feels restless.

Find the symbolic meaning of the poem. Record any allusions you recognize, references to symbols, etc. Think in terms of, “What could this stand for? Why?”
- In “The Vagabond Song,” consider the word “native.” The line reads, “There is something in the autumn that is native to my blood.” Native in this case, does not mean that the speaker was born with autumn in his blood. Instead it is a symbolic representation of the concept that the speaker feels like he was born to be a part of the autumn, that he feels most alive in the autumn, and that autumn is an inherent part of himself. Native means intrinsic, siren-like, and joy-inspiring.
- For another example, consider the word "light." This may not refer to the literal condition that means the opposite of darkness; often "light" is used to symbolize knowledge, truth, peace, joy, or spirituality.

Stop and ask yourself, “What is the author trying to say?” What is his goal for this poem? What kind of a reaction is he trying to get out of readers? Why?” Try to identify the author’s purpose for writing.
- For “The Vagabond Song,” Carmen’s purpose for writing is to celebrate the transition from summer to fall. He wants to express the feelings he gets when the leaves begin to change and a sudden restlessness grips him.

Figuring Out What Poetic Tools are Present

Begin to analyze the different parts of the poem. Analysis from here on out will help you examine how the author accomplishes that affect or meets that goal, rather than what that effect or goal is. This means exploring poetic devices, tone of voice, audience, and more.

Identify the speaker and audience. Is there a specific person talking? Is the speaker the poet? Even if the speaker is the poet, you should always refer to the speaker as ‘the speaker’ in your analysis. In regards to the audience, who is the speaker addressing? Is there a specific group? Does the audience help to define who the speaker is?
- The speaker of “The Vagabond Song” is the poet. He addresses all of the other ‘vagabonds,’ those people called to movement by the changing of the leaves. However, to him, the vagabonds are everyone who delights in the changes the fall brings--not necessarily actual vagabonds.

Determine the poem’s structure and organization. Does the poem follow a narrative? Are there ideas grouped together in different sections? Does each stanza cover a separate topic, or is there a continued theme throughout the poem? How is the poem physically organized--it is one long poem, or does it have stanzas or separate lines?
- “The Vagabond Song” has three stanzas composed of four lines each. The whole poem discusses the theme of being inspired by nature (the fall.)

Determine the rhyme scheme of the poem. There are many different kinds of rhyme schemes. Rhymes are used to give the poem a musical, pleasing sound. They can also be used to deepen meaning, and strengthen the form of the poem. Is there any meaning behind the placement of the rhymes? Does it put emphasis on a specific idea within the poem?^[4]
- End rhymes are one of the most common forms of rhymes. When the last word of a line rhymes with another last word of a rhyme, this is considered an end rhyme. In “The Vagabond Song,” the lines “And my lonely spirit thrills/To see the frosty asters like a smoke upon the hills” are an example of lines that have end rhymes.
- Internal rhymes are when words in the middle of line rhyme with other words in the middle of a different line. In a poem by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, he writes “The fair breeze blew, the white foam flew” ‘blew’ and ‘flew’ are examples of internal rhymes.
- True rhymes are words that rhyme exactly. For example, the words “cat” and “rat” are perfect rhymes.
- Off-rhymes are words that almost rhyme, but do not rhyme exactly. These are also called slant rhymes. For example, the words “fate” and “saint” are off rhymes--they sound very similar, but very subtly end in a different way. Off rhymes use assonance and consonance. Assonance is when the vowels of two words rhyme, while consonance is when the constants of two words are the same.

Analyze the poem in terms of poetic devices. Look for tools of sound (alliteration, assonance, etc.), imagery (sensory detail, word pictures, etc.) and so forth. Think in terms of, "What kind of language tools is this author using? How do those tools help him accomplish his goal?"^[5]
- What imagery does the author use? Does he use metaphor, simile, or personification? In “The Vagabond Song,” Carmen personifies fall, saying that she is a woman and that “she calls and calls each vagabond by name.” By making the fall into a woman, Carmen draws parallels between the idea of a seductive woman tempting him with the fall calling him to the wilderness to revel in its beauty.
- Does the poet use alliteration? Alliteration is when words in a line begin with the same letter. An example would be, “the terrifying tiger tackled the traumatized toad.”
- How would you define the poem’s language (or diction?) Did the author choose to put specific words in the poem for a reason? Is the language flowery? Stark? Sad? In “The Vagabond Song,” the diction is whimsical but filled with passion. The color red, which is the color of passion, is referred to throughout the poem. Blood, crimson leaves, scarlet maples, and hills of flame all make an appearance in the poem lending the poem a sense of vitality and passion.

Draw your conclusions. What is the theme or goal of the poem? What tools did the poet use to convey the theme or main idea of the poem? How did he or she use them? If you are assigned to do so, write down your findings in an analytical essay.

Sample Analysis

Sample Poetry Analysis

Video

Tips

If you're still having trouble understanding what the author is trying to say through the poem, go back and read through it a few more times. Pay attention to the kinds of emotions the poem relates to. Often a poet's goal will be simply to help readers feel a certain way or sense the reality of an imagined scene.

Try not to get frustrated. Some poetry can be very challenging to understand. All in all, just practice! Don't give up. Learning to appreciate complex poetry is a skill that takes time to develop.