Analysis of a Poem
See what’s there.
Is the poem accessible to the reader or are there parts that only the author can access?
Does it tell a good story?
Is it visceral?
Is there conflict and tension?
Is there a transformation?
Are the obvious, unneeded and clichés eliminated?
Is each line interesting?
Review the imagery. Are the images concrete, interesting, vivid?
Review the verbs. Are they powerful or passive?
Review the style—the use or absence of similes and metaphors, adjectives, internal rhyme, slant rhyme, alliteration and repetition. Are abstract nouns and adjectives minimized?
When read aloud, listen for music in the poem. Does the poem “sing’ or “talk”?
“Where is it succeeding & how? Consider image, voice, form, tone, line, sound, diction, all of it.”
“In what way might it still be a work in process? How would you work on it were it your own poem?”
Guidelines modified from EWRT 41 Poetry Writing class notes, The Mind’s Eye by Kevin Clark, and quotes from Ken Weisner, PhD (KW).
John, this is wonderful. Lovely. You're hired :)
ReplyDeleteOne might wish to ask also, as a sort of frame around this useful, more technical approach:
a) what is the poem trying to do? based on what clues?
b) where is it succeeding & how? (consider image, voice, form, tone, line, sound, diction, all of it)
c) in what way might it still be a work in process? How would you work on it were it your own poem?
I think foregrounding such an overarching contextual frame allows us to emphasize the our understanding of the poem's meaning/usefulness toward some articulated end. In others words, then we don't get too clinical about craft or notions of poetic criteria without being able to also articulate the usefulness of those elements of craft toward some end we can recognize and appreciate.
I'll type something up based on this—may I? Thanks ! —kw