How to Conduct a Critical Reading of Poetry
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How to Conduct a Critical Reading of Poetry
Introduction
Have you ever read a poem and felt sure of its meaning, only to find out that someone else saw something different? It's easy to read and memorize a poem, but good poems rarely mean only one thing. Gather with a group of friends at a favorite coffee shop or bookstore and follow these steps to conduct a critical poetry reading so you can share your in-depth ideas of its meaning.
Instructions
Difficulty: Challenging
Steps
1
Step One
Read the poem and decide what it seems to be about.
2
Step Two
Determine who is speaking in the poem, whom he or she is addressing and why.
3
Step Three
Ask yourself why the poet chose each word. Why did he or she use a particular word and not another one that means the same thing? Are the words abstract or concrete? Do any words detract from the poem as a whole?
4
Step Four
Try to understand the poet's choice of tone. Why did he or she choose to write a funny poem, a satirical poem or a purposely ambiguous poem?
5
Step Five
Study the meter and rhyme scheme and what effect they have on the poem. What do the lengths of the lines say? Why choose a particular rhyme scheme over another?
6
Step Six
Analyze the poet's choice of devices such as metaphors, symbolism, personification and punctuation. Everything the poet puts into or leaves out of a poem represents a decision by the poet. Why did the poet make these decisions?
7
Step Seven
Read the poem again or have a participant read the poem to understand what it's about beyond the obvious meaning you saw on the first reading.
Tips & Warnings
- Always read poetry out loud. You can't fully appreciate the rhyme and meter if you don't.
- It may help to know about the poet's life and the reason he or she wrote the poem. Have someone at the reading who has prepared some research ahead of time about the poet to present to the group.
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