Tips on Writing a Poetry Analysis: Allowing the Poet to Speak

Writing a poetry analysis is like trying to understand the mind of a poet by analyzing his or her words and phrases, superficially or in depth.

In the article entitled, “How to analyze poetry”, the different elements of poetry analysis reveal the vast scope of poetic interpretation and its analysis.  

Consider the following tips for writing a poetry analysis.

Familiarity with the poet:

Becoming familiar with the poet can be exciting and intriguing, as the personality of each poet comes to life and the message inherent within piece of poetry is unique or even profound. Analysis of a poet’s works becomes increasingly challenging as you become more familiar with his or her writings.  

The use of poetic imagery:

Poetic imagery is not always easy to understand or interpret. Reading other works by the same poet, enables you to comprehend his or her poetic imagery within its true context. Take time to read and enjoy other works by the poet, as many poets have written vast volumes of poetry, much of which remains undiscovered. The poetic imagery used by the poet will likely be the same in many pieces of his or her poetry and within other contexts, its signification realized more fully.    

Understanding poetic content:

Poetry has words and phrases that are likely to be familiar to those living in the poet’s era. Few poets write poetry outside of their own time. Their content may require in-depth inquiry for the purposes of poetry analysis, so plan on doing serious research. There are many factors to take into consideration including the era, the language used in the poetry and the country or culture reflected within its poetic content. Always be careful not to take poetry outside of its true context.

Analysis using poetic devices:

The use of poetic devices is only as limited as the poetic skills and imagination of the individual poet. The strength and potency of his or her poetry varies depending upon the intended audience (or lack thereof). In other words, to whom is the poetic voice speaking? Is it just the reflections of the poet or has it been addressed to someone specific? What is the poet really stating? Which poetic devices reveal the truth?

When doing poetry analysis, be aware that there is more involved than the mere poetic elements. In fact, poetic elements become secondary to the reader of poetry, whose focus becomes that of receiving, interpreting and understanding the message of the poet. No two readers of poetry interpret it exactly the same way, so poetry analysis becomes individualistic.

Allowing poetry to speak:

Allowing poetry to speak when you are analyzing it enables the discovery of a depth of clarity and significance otherwise not likely to be recognized. Reading poetry in depth beyond its mere words and phrases opens new horizons of possibility. Poetry can be timeless, as it often speaks to many generations or different centuries with words and phrases that are timeless.

Familiarity with the poet, the use of poetic imagery or devices and allowing the poetry to speak are important aspects of poetry analysis.