HOW TO ANALYSE A POETRY?

Results are out. Yesterday's cookie turned out into a piece of cardboard. By tge way, Clearly I need a lot more practise in baking funny smelling cookies, but even more than that.

I have always wanted to understand how to dissect a poetry.

Here's a short rundown on what might be helpful in the challenging art of analysing a good poetry

- Begin with the title. A big. fat clue is generally buried under the title. It might be a good idea. to pause at the title and develop your own unbiased interpretation to it before

you proceed any further. In some instances, a title could also be an antithesis to the succeeding piece. 

-Size the poetry. Feel its physical dimensions. Notice the way the lines have been arranged or have been let loose. Check the density of the sentences. Following which read the poetry aloud once or twice.

- Listen to the words falling out. 

Do they echo? 

Is there a cadence to them? 

How are the lines broken? 

Is it only visual or is there more? 

Where does the poet pause? 

The last word before a line breaks is usually crucial. This literary device, enjamoment, allows for us to add complexity creates a tension, while playing with syntax.

– Identify the speaker of the poem. 

Whose perspective is it written from? Learning about the poet's background also

provides contextual clues which could be hard to interpret otherwise.

- Look out for repetitions. They may be intended.

- Look out for literary techniques and devices. Identify the pattern of rhymes. Identify the tone of the poem. 

Is it happy, bitter, sad, angry? 

Is it figurative or literal?

- Pay attention to the opening and closing lines.

- Paraphrase the poem line by line in simple language. Having said that, there is no definite answer to this. To me, each poem is like a jumbled letter puzzle and each of us can interpret it very differently. And that I believe, is the beauty of poetry.