Exploding a Poem

Place a piece of paper next to the poem for

your responses.
If possible, read the poem aloud. On your own
and without discussion, jot down ideas that
come to mind immediately after the first
reading.
Dont worry about meaning;
concentrate on anything that the poem may
remind you of, any feelings, however
unexpected, it suggests; any kind of
atmosphere.
Read the poem again - aloud if possible. Note
down any ideas or questions that occur to you
when you ask the following questions:

1. What is the poem about?

Try and summarise the main subject of the poem, in one or two sentences.

2. Who is speaking in the poem? To whom?

Is it the poets voice speaking in the poem or is it the voice of somebody else, real or imagined?
Is the poet speaking out to you? quietly reflecting to himself/herself? addressing the world in general...?
If there is another voice in the poem is it doing the same?

3. How does the poem convey its message?

a. How does the poem look on the page?
Verses
What do you notice about the poems appearance?
What is its shape? regular verses? a short single block? sprawling across the page? short lines?
long lines?
The writer decided to present the poem in this way: are there any obvious reasons why?
b. How does the poem sound?
Imagery
What are the main images the writer uses?
Which are particularly striking? Why?
Does the writer use any comparisons? Similes? Metaphors? Personification?
Diction
Look carefully at the writers choice of words - why has he or she chosen those particular words?
Do they create a particular effect or tone?

Copyright 1999 www.teachit.co.uk

Alliteration and Assonance

Are there repeated consonant or vowel sounds within a line?
How do they affect the sound of the poem?
Tense
What tense does the writer use - past, present or future?
Is there a combination of all three?
Rhythm and Rhyme
How does the poem seem to move?
Do the sound and rhythm of the lines seem light and bouncy, or do the lines move slowly with
heavily rounded sounds and a slow rhythm?
Are the sounds and rhythms different at different places in the poem?
Do any of the lines rhyme?
What effect do the rhymes have?
Punctuation
Does the punctuation, or lack of it, help you to see how the poem should be read?
Do the lines run into each other without a break, or are the ends sharply marked by punctuation?
Mood
What is the mood of the poem?
Does it feel happy, sad, sentimental, defiant, thoughtful, triumphant, unemotional?

4. Why do you think the poet has written the poem?

How does the poet feel about you the reader? Are you being asked to share something personal?
Are you being pleaded with, mocked or laughed at, preached at?
Is the poetry trying to teach you something, persuade you, move you, entertain you?
How does the poet feel about the subject of the poem?
Are you being offered a message or a view of things the writer wants you to share or understand?
If so, what might this be?
Does the title of the poem help you to understand the poets purpose?

5. What is your personal response to the poem?

How did you react to the poem?
Did it move you? make you think about an issue in more depth?
Did it make you feel?
Do you think the poem is effective? Why?

Copyright 1999 www.teachit.co.uk