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Close Reading Poetry

Arguably, poetry requires the closest level of close reading: that is, careful attention to all aspects of language and meaning. If in prose every word counts, in poetry every syllable counts – forming part of the metrical pattern and rhythm that underlies it and shapes its meaning. For this reason close reading theories often focus upon poetry as a form, over other kinds of writing or text. A small change can have significant effect.

Overall Meaning

The overall meaning of a poem is NOT necessarily going to be immediately obvious. In fact that is part of the point of poetry. Since it is about sound and form as well as content, and since it has a very high awareness of language and its full richness and ambiguity it is capable of playing with its readership, of asking a lot of the reader. A poem EXPECTS to be read many times before it is understood. Always respect this, don’t be scared by it. Read, get the gist, identify areas that you can’t understand to return to. Read the poem AT LEAST 4 TIMES.

START by thinking about the larger meaning of the whole poem – then work into details that are central to it – then pull back and return to the overall meaning.

Tone/Mood

It is always essential to read the mood of the poem correctly (otherwise you are liable to misread it). There might well be shifts in mood within a poem. Work through it thinking about the feelings and attitudes embodied by the poetic voice. Note any points where this seems to change and think about why and how. If you come up with a theory always double-check that it is supported by evidence in the text.

Structure and Form

Look at the overall structure and form of the poem. Think about the internal organisation of the poem. How does the rhyme scheme work? Look at it on the page with your eyes half-shut. How do stanza breaks affect meaning?

Rhythm and Metre

This is tricky if you don't have an ear for it. You can do a metrical reading of any line of poetry: mark out the stressed and unstressed syllables and see what is revealed. Metre (the pattern of stresses and non-stresses) and rhythm (the overall movement created by metre) form the backbone of a poem. If you are aware of them they will reveal to you points where interesting things are happening in terms of content meaning. At a more basic level you can be aware of whether the poem tends towards strong metrical regularity – song-like – or whether it feels more like prose (free verse).

Imagery

Perhaps the easiest element to identify in poetry is the imagery. But don't just locate it, THINK about it. What kind of poetic images or language are being used? Why? If there isn't any imagery why isn't there? DON'T be content with simply generalising. Look at each example and think about how it works, what it does. Does the poem use metaphor or simile? What is the different in effect? Does it use symbolic images or grounded ones?

Diction/Syntax

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Look at the kind of language used and the intended effects. Is the diction plain and simple or flowery. What kind of words are used? What difference do they make? Long words or short words? Why?

Look at the kinds of sentence and punctuation within the poem. Where do sentences end? Where do line-breaks occur? Does it affect meaning? Does the sense run on across lines or not?

Poet in the Poem

Think carefully about voice in the poem. Is it lyric (personal, self-reflective, "I") or narrative? Is it sincere or ironic? What degree of distance does the poet have? If the poem involves an obvious persona how does the poet manipulate our sympathies towards him or her?

Once you’ve thought about all of these elements, and decided which are more significant for a particular text, then return to your original thinking about the overall meaning of the poem and decide what it is really “ABOUT”. Remember to focus upon areas of difficulty, rather than avoiding them. Remember that these kinds of “ambiguity” are what poetic meaning is really all about. You don’t have to find a single “right” answer, just explore the possibilities!