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How to Analyze a Poem

What do you THINK in the poem? (the dance of the intellect among the words)

  1. What myths or legends help you appreciate the content in the poem?
    In Ezra Pound's poem "In a Station of the Metro" it helps to know that Persephone, the goddess of flowers, lived with her handmaidens in the underworld for six months of the year, and their faces had the gentleness and colorfulness of flowers.

    In A Station of the Metro
    The apparition of these faces in the crowd;
    Petals on a wet, black bough.

  2. What are the connotations of some of the keywords?
    Explain how the connotations enhance the meaning of the poem (ex. the denotation or definition of "water" is "a common liquid that forms rivers and lakes and is commonly drunk by people" but it has connotations of baptism, spiritual healing).
  3. Check the derivation of some key words in an etymology dictionary.
    how does the original meaning of the word help you appreciate the use of the word in the poem?
  4. Point out motifs (recurring elements) in the poem.
    As you read through a poem, from one line to the next, keep in mind all the previous lines. Watch for certain ideas or pictures that recur. These are called motifs. For example in "I Hear An Army" the "whirling laughter" (line 6) in its whirling movement resembles the "fluttering whips" (line 4). The motif here is meant to show the unbridled assertiveness of the charioteers.
  5. Point out any contrasts in the poem.
    The meaning of many poems emerges from a contrast (ex. heaven vs. earth; noise vs. quiet; passion vs. indifference)
  6. Point out effective repetitions for emphasis.
    Notice, for example, the repetition of "They cry . . . They cleave . . . They come . . ." in "I Hear An Army" to express the relentless aggression of the army.
  7. Quote passages from other poems by the same poet that express the same theme.
    This will show you are an astute reader.
  8. Try substituting words of similar meaning for words in the poem.
    For example, what would happen if "appearance" instead of "apparition" were used in "In A Station Of The Metro"? How would this change the sound, meaning, and image in the poem? Substituting like this will show you the appropriateness of the original word in the poem.