HOW TO READ A POEM/POETRY

	Reading a Poem Reading a poem requires a strategy that is different from reading other kinds of texts. We might skim a newspaper or a magazine article, moving through it once quickly and coming away with a good sense of what the author means. The language in these types of texts is normally straightforward and clear, lending itself to quick reading. Poetry is different. It is language compressed—a heightened form of expression in which every word, sound, and image carries important meaning. Because every word in a poem is significant, we have to pay careful attention to them. We have to read slowly, and we have to read the poem more than once. The single most important thing you can do to arrive at a valid interpretation of a poem is to read it multiple times. This often surprises students new to poetry. They typically approach a poem as they would an article or essay and then become dismayed when, after the first read, they have trouble making sense of what they've read. Nobody—not even seasoned readers of poetry—can read a poem once and fully understand and appreciate it. The beautiful thing about poetry is that it supports multiple readings. Every time you read a poem your understanding of its meaning, of the tone and mood the author evokes, deepens. Your enjoyment of the poem also increases the more you read it. It is not an exaggeration to say that you could read a great poem several times a year for the rest of your life and continue to be engaged by it, finding new and interesting subtlties in its play of words and images. To arrive at an accurate interpretation of a poem, you should follow the five-step process listed below. Applying this to all the poems you encounter will help you develop the critical reading skills and judgment necessary to make you a more confident and sophisticated reader of poetry. The Process When reading a poem, follow these steps: Read the poem through once. On the initial reading, attempt to get a general sense of the poem. Don't worry if you don't understand some things. If certain things confuse you, keep them in mind and try to resolve them in subsequent readings. Ask yourself, "What is this poem about?" What did you notice after the first reading? Articulate your response as clearly as you can. Reread the poem, paying careful attention to its characteristics. You should try to answer some of the questions you had from your first reading. State your interpretation of the poem. Evaluate your interpretation. Does your intrepretation hold up? Does it explain the poem or does it seem contrived? It will likely be necessary for you to reread the poem or parts of it as you evaluate your interpretation. Each of the steps listed above may be repeated more than once, and it's likely that they will have to be depending on the complexity of the poem. In any case, the process outlined above is the general one you should follow when reading poems. Don't forget that you may want to talk to others (friends or teachers) about the poem or read information about the poem and the author to help you in your interpretation. These are very useful steps in the interpretive process. Now it's time for you to try the process out for yourself. Click on one of the links on the left to continue.

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