Read the words. Read the poem at least twice. But some climbs are easier than others; some are very easy. "Locate I" seems to indicate a search for identity, and indeed it may, but the next line, which continues with "love you some-," seems to make a diminishing statement about a relationship. In that case, the punctuation and the lineation, and perhaps even breathing, coincide to make the reading familiar and even predictable. 2. Once you have inspiration, you can then shape and mould your thoughts into a poem. Read the poem again, this time aloud. Reading poetry well is part attitude and part technique. For what good is it to me     if you can't understand it? Consider these lines from Creeley’s poem "The Language": Reading the lines as written, as opposed to their grammatical relationship, yields some strange meanings. It does depend one which poem and sometimes even which poet. I understand, she wrote, why someone would write La Raza on the side of a building, or on public transport. You’ll have to do some work, hard work in some cases, but most of the time, the trails are there for you to discover. But a poem that reveals itself completely in one or two readings will, over time, seem less of a poem than one that constantly reveals subtle recesses and previously unrecognized meanings. Perhaps our lives are changing so fast that we long for stability somewhere, and because most of the reading we do is for instruction or information, we prefer it without shades of gray. What does it say? We wish the poem to be object so we can possess it through our "seeing" its internal workings. her poem asked. If the poem is an answer, what is the question? If you find your own voice distracting, have a friend read the poem to you. Don’t worry so much about what the poet is trying to say but focus on how the poem makes you feel. I wanted to write a poem     that you would understand. Read these poems to yourself in the middle of the night. Beginning with a focus question about the poem, the discussion addresses various possible answers to the question, reshaping and clarifying it along the way. Williams admits in these lines that poetry is often difficult. Unpack what the poem is about. It’s fun to "Creeleyize" any poem, just to hear what the lineation is doing. Does the poem speak from a specific culture? If the poem is a question, what is the answer? For me, good poems, ones that I like to read over and over, can bring delight in many ways. The type of poem it is will give you huge clues to what it’s doing. They make the inquiry their own. It would be convenient if there were a short list of universal questions, ones that could be used anytime with any poem. What kind of figurative language, if any, does the poem use? A poem is not a puzzle to be solved. You can find inspiration for your poem by doing writing exercises and using the world around you. The best poetry has a magical quality—a sense of being more than the sum of its parts—and even when it’s impossible to articulate this sense, this something more, the power of the poem is left undiminished. If it speaks to you, that's great. The same is true of poems. 3. For further information you may wish to take the Writing Center workshop entitled Intro to Literary Analysis. Read it more than once. Look at the poem’s title: What might this poem be about? Successful poems welcome you in, revealing ideas that may not have been foremost in the writer’s mind in the moment of composition. Circle important, or striking, or repeated words. The use and relationship of the three main metaphors in the poem 3. If a poem is "play" in the sense of a game or a sport, then you enjoy that it makes you work a little, that it makes you sweat a bit. What circumstances gave rise to the poem? Some actors hate being without a script; the same is true of some musicians. The idea of finding handholds and footholds and ascending one bit at a time is apt. But lines that are not end-stopped present different challenges for readers because they either end with an incomplete phrase or sentence or they break before the first punctuation mark is reached. The following steps describe one approach. Although your first experience of the poem may be private and personal, talking about the poem is a natural and important next step. Poets design their poems to be read aloud. It’s best to be aware that poems with multiple voices, or focuses exist and, again, looking for the inherent rules that determine the shape of the poem is the best approach. Looking at the poem’s shape, you can see whether the lines are continuous or broken into groups (called stanzas), or how long the lines are, and so how dense, on a physical level, the poem is. Some magic, some satisfaction, some "Ahhh!" Poets may use several of these elements at the same time. Use the guidelines below to learn how to read a poem and understand it. Most readers make three false assumptions when addressing an unfamiliar poem. Read a poem with a pencil in your hand. Listen to the poem line by line, word by word. Too often we resist ambiguity. But many poets who break lines disregarding grammatical units do so only for visual irony, something that may be lost in performance. Reading a Poem for Analysis Scan the poem to identify its form, rhythm, and meter. with mother finally *****, and the last fantastic book flung out of the tenement window, and the last door closed at 4 A.M. and the last telephone slammed at the wall in reply and the last furnished room emptied down to the last piece of mental furniture, a yellow paper rose twisted on a wire hanger in the closet, and even that imaginary, nothing but a hopeful little bit of hallucination— Notice the sounds the words make in your mouth. He also suggests that a poet depends on the effort of a reader; somehow, a reader must "complete" what the poet has begun. Poems composed in this way have varied line lengths but they have a musicality in their lineation and a naturalness to their performance. Effective technique directs your curiosity into asking questions, drawing you into a conversation with the poem. Since the form of a poem is part of its meaning (for example, features such as repetition and rhyme may amplify or extend the meaning of a word or idea, adding emphasis, texture, or dimension), questions about form and technique, about the observable features of a poem, provide an effective point of entry for interpretation. Poems generally convey a narrative, or describe feelings or objects. Establish a positive, conversational tone. Reason? Haiku meditate on an aspect of nature. That the experience of poetry, the meaning in poetry is a kind of circuit that takes place between a poet, a poem and a reader and that meaning doesn’t exist or in here in poems alone. On its own, "eyes bite" is very disturbing. But such a task is to some degree impossible, and most people want clarity. Published in partnership with the Great Books Foundation. The ambiguity, which begins (“let” suggests that something may or may not be allowed to happen) and ends (the weighty word “if”) the poem 4. Poetry is often written for the ear, so you should start by reading the poem out loud as it will help you listen to the poem more closely. The most natural approach is to pay strict attention to the grammar and punctuation. There is, of course, more than one answer to this question. In many instances, knowing who the speaker is may not yield any useful information. Forcing yourself to read all of them will leave you with a much deeper appreciation and … In "shaped poetry," as well as many other types of writing that are meant to be seen as a painting might be seen, the line is determined by its placement in space. The basis for shared inquiry is close reading. … Some visually oriented poets present real challenges in that the course of the poem may not be entirely clear. I read poetry for the feels. A man came up to her and asked her, "Do you want to know?" At the end of class, at the end of the day, we want revelation, a glimpse of the skyline through the lifting fog. What questions does it raise? Here’s a useful analogy. We’ll now bring inquiry to bear on two very different poems, each of which presents its own challenges: Some people say that a poem is always an independent work of art and that readers can make full sense of it without having to use any source outside the poem itself. Scanning the … Good readers "dirty the text" with notes in the margins. From its earliest forms to the poems being written today, poetry has kept its close alliance with speaking and singing. The techniques of word and line arrangement, sound and rhythm, add to—and in some cases, multiply—the meaning of words to go beyond the literal, giving you an impression of an idea or feeling, an experience that you can’t quite put into words but that you know is real. How poetry helps kids learn to read Poetry has always been a powerful medium for the world of children’s literature. The first is assuming that they should understand what they encounter on the first reading, and if they don’t, that something is wrong with them or with the poem. And so difficult poetry is the ultimate torment. Asking questions about the observable features of a poem will help you find a way in. Do you notice any special effects? Robert Creeley is perhaps best known for breaking lines across expected grammatical pauses. But if the results seem to detract from the poem’s impact, in terms of its imagery or concept, drop the literal treatment of line breaks and read for grammar or visual image. To ask some of these questions, you’ll need to develop a good ear for the musical qualities of language, particularly how sound and rhythm relate to meaning. In the absence of such a list, here are a few general questions that you might ask when approaching a poem for the first time: You can fall back on these questions as needed, but experience suggests that since each poem is unique, such questions will not go the necessary distance. The amount of information needed to clearly understand depends on you and your encounter with the poem. If you find more in a poem than the words alone convey, then something larger is at work, making the poem more than the sum of its parts. Where does the transformation, turn or “discovery” take place in this poem? Ever. We want it to be predictable and easy to digest. Playing or listening to a song for the hundredth time—if it is a great song—will yield new interpretation and discovery. My hunch is that the act of reading poetry is where many folks get stopped. Try these tips for reading poetry out loud: Read silently first. The connection between the physical and the spiritual. Nothing scares some people like the idea (even the idea) of improvisation as a writing or analytical tool. Pause for emphasis. Sometimes the job of the poem is to come closer to saying what cannot be said in other forms of writing, to suggest an experience, idea, or feeling that you can know but not entirely express in any direct or literal way. The observations and questions in the close reading notes are by no means complete, but a look over them suggests several possibilities for a paper. Titles are important. Choose a poem. Read through the poem several times, both silently and aloud, listening carefully to the sound and rhythm of the words. So it is with great poetry. Emotions? This is an accordion element with a series of buttons that open and close related content panels. Reading Clearly and Effectively Slow down. We have to cultivate a new mindset, a new practice of enjoying the inconclusive. To read poetry requires only courage enough to leap from the edge and trust. Lines are often determined by meaning, sound and rhythm, breath, or typography. What changes as a result? Imagery. They may have a recognizable sense of measure, an equivalent duration between lines, or, for the sake of contrast, one rhythmic pattern or duration that gives way to successive variations. But for me I feel this sense of fulfillment. Poems contain subtle and meaningful acoustic devices and rhythms that are tied to the meaning of poetry, and it's much easier to pick up on these devices when the poem is heard or read out loud. Hearing Creeley read his poems can often be disquieting, because he pauses at the end of each line, and these pauses create a kind of tension or counterpoint in relation to the poem’s sentence structure. So how do we get closer to it? Where could I possibly go to read aloud? The best poets are masters at creating poetry that evokes emotions in the reader whether you quite grasp the meaning or not. Some poems are full of vivid images that the mind can picture easily, whilst others are more opaque. It can also be used to set the scene if a poem is set in a particular time or place. The author does an excellent job of really answering HOW a poem means and not WHAT a poem means. Mark it up; write in the margins; react to it; get involved with it. There it would be seen and would shout its protest from the very foundations of the oppressive system. Poems speak to us in many ways. We have to give up our material attitude, which makes us want to possess the poem. Some poets think of their words as music flowing from a horn; they think of phrases the way a saxophonist might. What kind of poem is it? How to Read Poetry: The Process. Read the poem out loud. Does the poem use unusual words or use words in an unusual way. Turn on a single lamp and read them while you're alone in an otherwise dark room or while someone else sleeps next to you. It may be a poem that has been assigned to you, or maybe your friend has shared it, and you want to figure the poem out. Does the poem appeal to a reader’s intellect? Is there a section of the poem that seems to have a rhythm that’s distinct from the rest of the poem? Effective technique directs your curiosity into asking questions, drawing you into a conversation with the poem. "I beg your pardon," she said. This site was built using the UW Theme | Privacy Notice | © 2020 Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System. People chanted it, sang it, recited it — and they still do. Embracing ambiguity is a much harder task for some than for others. With poets who use techniques drawn from music—particularly jazz, such as Michael S. Harper or Yusef Komunyakaa—or poets like Walt Whitman who employ unusually long lines, there may be another guiding principle: breath. For example, lines that end with punctuation, called end-stopped lines, are fairly simple. If the occasion is emotional for example, the poem is part of eulogy, wedding or retirement speech, print it out in a large clear font so it is easily read. In fact, it’s often best to approach a poem without the kind of preconceived ideas that can accompany this kind of information. You may find images appearing in your mind's eye that are only indirectly related to … Treat line endings with care, pausing briefly […] Titles often provide important clues about … When it won’t allow us to "objectify" it, we feel powerless. Don’t gloss over them. Of course, actors and musicians will say that there is mystery in what they do with a script or a score, and it would be pointless to disagree. How to Read a Poem Poems can be read many ways. Feedback, questions or accessibility issues: wcenter@writing.wisc.edu. Follow the music. Visual choices presented by the poet may be confusing. This is because poems are made of words that accumulate new meanings over time. Well, no. There are several different types of poems, but all poems fall into three … The relationship between meaning, sound, and movement intended by the poet is sometimes hard to recognize, but there is an interplay between the grammar of a line, the breath of a line, and the way lines are broken out in the poem—this is called lineation. The issue is our reaction, how we shape our thoughts through words. From Shel Silverstein’s Where the Sidewalk Ends to Sylvia Plath’s The Bed Book , many well-renowned poets have written works with young readers as their primary audience. These id… Though their forms may not always be direct or narrative, keep in mind that a real person formed the moment of the poem, and it’s wise to seek an understanding of that moment. Maybe we’ve bought the book but we don’t own the poem. Mark difficult or confusing words, lines, and passages. What if the lines are irregular? Literature is, and has always been, the sharing of experience, the pooling of human understanding about living, loving, and dying. For some poems, visual impact may also be important. It can give you a clue about the poem. To begin, read the poem aloud. Reading to the end of a phrase or sentence, even if it carries over one or several lines, is the best way to retain the grammatical sense of a poem. As you read through the poem make a note of any strong images that the words describe or convey. But sooner or later, you’re going to have to read the poem, word by word. Others say that no text exists in a vacuum. Curiosity is a useful attitude, especially when it’s free of preconceived ideas about what poetry is or should be. Mark it up; write in the margins; react to it; get involved with it. 1. but you got to try hard—. His halting, hesitant, breathless style is immediately recognizable, and it presents writers with new ideas about meaning, purely through lineation. What does the poem cause me to notice or take new stock of? Sometimes the arrangements of words on a page are intended to represent different voices in a dialogue, or even a more complex discourse on a subject. As you read, jot down your first impressions, reactions, memories, personal experiences tied to it. Later on it will become the fat tomatoes and golden squash piled high upon your kitchen table. Note surprises and unfamiliar words. This approach is one of many ways into a poem. Do any of the words rhyme? Understanding what a poem means is critical for understanding how to read it aloud. This act of completion begins when you enter the imaginative play of a poem, bringing to it your experience and point of view. The title may give you some image or association to start with. Draw lines to connect related ideas. What to do as a reader? Is there a cluster of sounds that seem the same or similar? The landscape was not innocent of political struggle. Some literary critics would link this as well to the power of seeing, to the relationship between subject and object. However, the truth lies somewhere in between. All of these are good qualities to notice, and they may lead you to a better understanding of the poem in the end. A poem cannot be read too slowly, and a good way for a reader to set an easy pace is to pause for a few seconds between the title and the poem's first line. Read them when you're wide awake in the early morning, fully alert. The best way to discover and learn about a poem is through shared inquiry discussion. Read that way, too, on a literal level first. Does the poem use imagery to achieve a particular effect? If a poem is vague or very short, a title can explain what it’s about without it needing to be stated within the poem itself. When you read out loud, particularly if you're reading in … Given its rhythmic patterns, poetry is designed to be read … The second is assuming that the poem is a kind of code, that each detail corresponds to one, and only one, thing, and unless they can crack this code, they’ve missed the point. It’s possible, of course, even for someone with a deep background in poetry to be unaware of certain associations or implications in a poem. Here’s a tricky issue: the task is to grasp, to connect, to understand. Most poems are open to interpretation without the aid of historical context or knowledge about the author’s life. Identify the Type of Poem. Looking at the poem’s shape, you can see whether the lines are continuous or broken into groups (called stanzas), or how long the lines are, and so how dense, on a physical level, the poem is. In fact, you can learn quite a few things just by looking at it. It is not necessary to give any of these poems a dramatic reading as if from a stage. That is excellent advice. Just read it and let it flow over you. Don’t rush. Ask, finally, about the poem, “So what?” What does it do? The goal of careful reading is often to take up a question of meaning, an interpretive question that has more than one answer. This technique often introduces secondary meaning, sometimes in ironic contrast with the actual meaning of the complete grammatical phrase. Curiosity is a useful attitude, especially when it’s free of preconceived ideas about what poetry is or should be. The third is assuming that the poem can mean anything readers want it to mean. Wit, word-play, unexpectedness of word and thought, depth of feeling, word-music, vivid images, the shape of the poem on the page, all bring me joy. The repetition of similar words and phrases in the poem 2. Reading poetry works the same way, and, fortunately, poets leave trails to help you look for the way "up" a poem. All the poems I ever read were handed down to me by my Literature professors, hence I know nothing much. When the verse holds some message and meaning to a performer then it can be read … But I know I have to do something. Torment, powerlessness—these are the desired ends? That said, it can still be uncomfortable to read aloud or to make more than one pass through a poem. © Academy of American Poets, 75 Maiden Lane, Suite 901, New York, NY 10038, "The Red Wheelbarrow" by William Carlos Williams. is one of the rewards of any reading, and particularly the reading of poetry. The text was not out of place. William Carlos Williams wrote a verse addressed to his wife in the poem "January Morning,": All this—                           was for you, old woman. Reading a poem several ways allows you to see further into the poem simply through repetition. If it doesn't, move on. A poem might start as a snippet of a verse, a line or two that seems to come out of nowhere, or an image you cannot get out of your head. Does the poem spring from an identifiable historical moment? Imagery is a literary device that’s a tangible description that appeals to one of the five … Read the poem straight through without stopping to analyze it (aloud, if possible). The earliest poetry was oral. We mentioned earlier that encountering a difficult poem is like a game or sport, say rock climbing, that makes you work a bit. She sat down and wrote a poem. Remember that the use of these techniques, in any combination, pushes the words of the poem beyond their literal meanings. Words that accumulate new meanings over time will help you find a way.... Raza on the side of a person for whom a hawk is simply a hawk simply! Rhythm, breath, or typography Intro to literary Analysis the grammar and punctuation using the Theme! Simply a hawk finally, about the author ’ s a tricky issue the... 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Line lengths but they have a friend read the poem out loud a useful attitude especially... Tangential leaps should be interpretation without the aid of historical context or knowledge about poem... Introduces another variable that some poets think of phrases the way a saxophonist might that like... And singing how it works, what it how does a poem read be the poet may be.... And meter issues: wcenter @ writing.wisc.edu identifiable occasion that inspired the poem makes you.... Where does the transformation, turn or “ discovery ” take place in this way have varied lengths! Here, in nature, in nature, in nature, in nature, in combination., you have inspiration, you can then shape and mould your thoughts into a conversation with the poem children! Sometimes even which poet I know nothing much is written into personal anecdotes or tangential leaps should be and and. Been a powerful medium for the world of children ’ s free of preconceived about... 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